Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-08-08
THE USE AND ABUSE
Stimuli a IT'S.

IN SPITE or THE AWFUL LoGiC OF EA
Il perience. aud in defiance Of prehihttory stai
utcs. intemperance is more pre-, alent in the Uni
ted States toda, than il has ever been az any
former period THIS is . statistical fact which
the well informed philanthrcpist Cannot deny
however much he may regre, IT, ard It proves
one OF two things either that the vice is past
is past remedy or mitigation ~ tina, the strin.
gent means adopted 10 pc, cn' the sale and use
Of stimulants have been unw,se and irrational.
Human ncture is not so hopelessy vicious as To
be bey ond the influence OF reason aud pcrsua
sian-however obstinate II may b. in its resist
sncc to arbitrary and inconsistent laws. and the
inference, therefore. Is, that tue extremists WHO
have declared uncomrromising war against the
use pf liquor under any circumstances have
orersh0. tis mlrt. and actually increased IL"
evil they intended TO crush out. The United
States law authorizes the Importation. manu'ae
,urc and sale Of spirits. aud while this ~ The
cas-" no loral law eau ever prevent the use otthe
article. Tho statues which impose taxes aud
du'irs on liquor. suppose ,hat i viii be
used. and recognize the right Of the people 90
useu. That right denied hN the prohibitions
lists. and they make by laws % proven, the c,t
,ens from exercising u personal privilege guar
anteed to him-by implication nj least ny the
law Of the laui.
This is the whole case III "A nutshell, aud u Is
Tor these rcas ,ns that the Maine law and every
other enactment Gifts class have proved dismal
failure.
Every good man Admits that intos,cation is a
terrible VICE tie fruitful parent ofsvery species
Ut crime. Hut Il does not therefore tullow that
alcoholic stimnlants should he abolished. Wipe
them out and what becomes Of one OF the most
important departments ~ medical art Only
ignorant fanatics or men whose better judgment
Is warped ts prejudice. Will ettemp, to deny
that lives are saved da,,y Nv the timely admin
,stration OF spifituous stimulus NJ areanimatng
and restorative agent. II is the bass of all the
tinctures Of the pharmacop"ias. and IT has pre-
served the lives of thousands on tie battle field,
| N m,liiar, aud other hospitals, and in private
| practice Without IT medical science would be
like the play OF Hamlet with the part Of the hero
| omitted. Most especially is this true OF pure
MEDICAL ntmn.dnf. Upquesiionnhl, theexircm
ist Of the NsiL bow Stripe would like TO sup
press ali moderated preparations containing nj
coho They would probably bce,n w,th nos
letters STOMACH BIrTERs. repntcd TO ~
tile most potent restorative and Alternative Of the
day. They would depriv, the aeuc and fever
| districls OF the south aud Wcst OF ,hia power
fnl specific They would meet the traveller IN
thc ale, Of the M,ss,ssip,i, az the miner IN
| the places or canons Of California. or the vcy
| ager about to sail for tie insalubtlous coast Of
/ Mexico or the West Indies aud demand the
surrender II this great anttdote to malaria aud
-protectiy. against the effects ot UNIV hnlesou3c
water. IL he happened Ia be PROV died wth u
| Nav. they would probably 10 further than that,
aud destroy the great factory ut hitshurg. where
II is prepared sni every bottle Of II upon
which they could lag their hands throughout
| the length and lre9dth d the land. In vain
would i. be proved 10 them that the article was
manufactured from the rurest OF all knownditu
| siye stimuli and the most valuable of medicinal
l.erbs and roots Away with it away with
il they would cry, II contains alcohol, aud
therefore il must be destroyed
But this i. the language u insane bigotry
! Enlightened Science ave, ami enliFht.ded he
hpion and MORALITY too condemn 1t utterly
/ Bishop + .sIutnS, tae Reverend llr WoRcKsfEa,
! and other great diviees have recently gwen
| their testimony against such wholesale hcsi,lity
| TO stimulnnis and have declared that the wee
| OF drunkenness has been greatly increased by
| the undiscrimlnatiug onsloughts % the prohlbl
unnis's. The great AGAssih, aud such men AZ
| Professors HossruAp and jackson together
with Drs. HieKLow. CLAnAu. lolafs, WINE and
many other eminent practitioners whose stapd s
ing as phs scions should secure respect Tor their
opinions on poin, like this, have stated thar nj
ooholic preparations are absolutely essential IN
the treatment Of many diseases. aud ns restnra
tives. They only insist that The preparations =
} pr, They are in favor Of stringent laws
against aduiterntion their motto Is ''rsguidf.
| not destroy.
And this is the true policy. dictated alike by
philosophy. experience aud common sense -
What ~ the other hand, ~ tue tendency Of the
policy OF prohiliti0n II does not prevent, IL
| never has prevented, II mover ean prevent the
sale Of alcoholic funds but Il leads to their iY.
rierdton and thus increases thousand iuld
the evils that II proposes 70 nnniii'n,e.
when liquors are sold secretly AMI at the risk ct
personal liberty. Of course the dealers Will seek
To coppeus ate themselves for tlte hazards they
incur by luordinaie profits, and to Obtain those
profits they will sdultcratc What they SCI. II
is notorious that the liquor sold N Ftntes where
pruhibItory laws exist IA tor the most part
gots0B. Il il az sac Ter the ysndcr 10
give his customers fiery and Destructive com
pound good article : the penalty being IN
, each case the same. Strict and faithfully ~.
cuied inspection laws would prevent tn.
horrible adulteration. Pfohibitory laws pro-
mote n. II ~ well known that most OF the Il
quor recently forfeited in New York, brooklyn
aud elsewhere for evasion Of the Government
tax, has been Of the vilest description The
manufacturers, IN view Of the possibility OF sci
zure have rot up the counterband articles At th {
least possible expense, IN order that their loss,
IN case of DISCOVERY. might be comparatively
snail. The safety Of the public health defnand i,
that such perncious stuff be destroy d. and IN.
der a proper system OF tests it would b. con
demned and emptied into the docks. But no. Il
IL il sold by the Government at the average rate
of about q per gallon to pay the tax. In this
war alcoholic poison ~ distributed broadcast
among the people. The whole system OF legs
lation bearing upon the quor trade in this coun
! try is. slhough not so intended, IN the interest
OF intemperance. moderate excise ard wise
sanitary laws, IN relation TO the testing OF nj
stilled and fermsnted beverages, are ne be-
safeguards against the great evil which all think
ing men deplore. but for which few have the
wisdom and holiness 20 propose shy feOedtes
consistent with reason and founded ON proper
appreciation OF the wants and weak nesses Of hu.
man nature. What pity II ~ tha' prOfessed
reformists will attempt TO drive, when their rue
policy would be 10 lead, advise sDd RESTRAIN. -
All patriotic ditzen. would be glad II they could
TO sweep out OF the trsde and coumerc. Of the
country the vile BRAIN -msddening potions that
ere now sold in every public gros gerry and every
secret den OF intemperence with AZ little risk TO
the dealer as the purest products OF the vat aud
! the still.
The question IL, How shall il be done And
rigid Examination OF the articles and the iniic
tion Of b, avy penalties. pecuniary and personal
In all cases where adulttration Is detected. IL
il not shame that the common povoner End
the dealer In pure preparation should only be
held 60 the same accountability by the autbofi
ties, And yet this is the case Under the present
liquar laws.
Their. are many forms Of diifusive stimuli used
bv the medical profession, and the great object
OF the Trustworthy physicians is 10 obtain them
. unmixe with any dele,frious article. HOSTEL.
TIERS STOMACH BI1TERS, as readily o. serv
ed, las the reputation of being the purest prep
aration of ITS class at present manufactured and
was therefore. cited as u case in point il il
Just is il fair, il i. for the greatest good Of the
greatest number that the law should place this
valuable medicine par with lighting rum
What sort of Legislation is that which makes no
distinction between "a health giving tome and
Alternative and u life consuming bane' Truly.
both Congress al d cur State Legislature has .
much to learn uuon this i'm portsnt subject. and
the sooner they begin 10 profit by the pspsble
lessons OF tee hour. the better il will be for the
moral and pb steal he alth OF tie people. Under
the present contradictory incor grnouE and short
sighted general and STATE laws affecting the u.
quor question, intemrerance, with All ITS horri ],
bic consequences, is as sure to increase ana
multiply nj the sun is to generate miatma from
a swamp, or flame 10 grow hercer by ieea'hg ~
hVa u4NH tA