Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-02-13
vlvHE EVILS OF ExoEss-pRoHIBrroRY

LAwS-MEDICINAL SrlMUii.--Inscnper
aacs has no svowed advocates. Even its slaves
curse the vice to which they yield. or regret
with maudin tesrs. their Inability to resist the
fslse appetite for stinulsass which long -consin-
ued excess has enssndersd. Ofsil the millions
whom it degrsdes. brutines, and ruins, Their is
not one Who in his sober moments stands forth
it's champion. Temperance, on the other hand,
has host Of sctive and energetic friends. So
cieiy. a. . body, presehss ii, although 90 many
members Of society fail - practice it. II is I'D
vocsssd il every pulpit ,ts prohibition is the OBJ
isct eflarss and respectable social organise
tiess. Il u nsds SIDE issus sad somstimes
the main issue q the polls. aad stringent laws
are enacted TO enforce IL.
In short. oil parties. ell esssds. all interests
unite in Seprsessins d'snksnssss. ed the oaly
qusssios connected With IL upes which they do
not agree. 10 - 70 the wissst method Of ossroll
ing the evil. Prohibisory Sssts legislstiou hes
been thought BY many sincere and good men
to be the best remedy but il has been tried
again and again in New England aad elsewhere,
without having produced The beneficial effects
expected from il /; and q last Massachusetts,, 90
long The ,trosghold Of prohibition, has repud.
lated the policy BY an immense majority. The
Federal Govsrnneat. party In the interest Of
Temperance and party for revenue purposes.
has imposed ssx upon domestic liquors which
Il the Law we're rightly executed, would as oass
lesses their soasunfptlon and Increase the sum
total Of the Nstionsl revenue. but Il appears v
nave sisnalIy failed in both these objects. There
is no psrcsptibls decrease in the msnufaeturs or
consumption Of domestic spirits. and no pros
postionase augme ntstion in the receipts Of the
0svernmsnt from that source. Laws Of this No.
ture are always excessively svsdsd. and result
in large amount Of ofRcisl eorsspties sad pub
lie Decentralization. without accomplishing the
primsry objects which their losiginasors had in
view.
Experience seems TO teach 10 that moral in
6usnees are more potsat than psaal statutes in
restraining this species Of excess. Father Nat
hsw's moral end religious crusade against In
sbriety probably did more good than al the pro.
hibisery laws that have ever bssa sssessd.
The extreme prshibitionists insist thaa slcs.
boil has no uses - medicine that il il. wass
taken into the stomseh. necessarily poisonous.
Bat here the Faculty that has made dilsass and
the remedies for disease its study for 90 many
ages. Increasing its knowledge and psrfsctins
its system Of treatment with every lpassing
year. meets tie allegation with . point blsnh
denial. Who sse best conpetsnt to decide this
question, in which the health and lives Of mil
lions Of human beings are involved--the pro-
fessors ofthe art Of healing or individuals who,
confessedly, are incompetent TO prescribe for
their own ailments. and who, when Frustrated
BY illness. place their chief reliance upon the
doctors, Does NOT the profession in whom.
next to God, they pat their trust 10 sickness,
know better than they do whether alcoholic ton
ics are or are not necessary in certain phases Of
diseases Common sense answers in the affirm
ative. Physicians tell " that alcoholic medi
cines srs among the most valuable remedia
agents in che Matsria Medica-specides which
caunot BE- dispensed with without sacrificing thu
health and lives OF multitudss ftheir patients
If we put trust In them-and that We put trus'
In them 10 evident. or W should not esll them in
TO minister 20 US when inldangsr-ws are bound
to subscribe to their dietum.
object 0fthe philAnthropists who advocate TEN
persnce should be to aid the proft ssion in ii
p.aiseworthy efforts to secure . pure ,unadulerat
ed alcoholic stimulant for curative and prevent
i've purposes If any Law could be devised fol
keeping the unwholesome and impure liquors o.
commerce out Of the sick room, IL would be 81
inspprecisble blessing and il. on che otheI
hand. . Law guaranteeing pure stimulsnt to 81
who are professionally declared TO need it could
be practically enforced. that, too. would be o
Infinite benefit 70 mankind. But NO such spec
ial legislation could b reudered elective. ]
would be evsded, aud rendered null and void b.
the interests in conflict with it. just - thu
liquor laws are now nullided BY similar causes
But when-as in the case, for example, .
Hoststter's Stomach Bittsrs-a medicinal slim
ulant has been proved, beyond all eavil, to b
absolutely free from adulteration, end CON
plsts specific for large class Of diseases. NJ
benevolent and enlightened friend Of Temper
ance can consistently lift up his voice against il
On the contrary, every proper s2ers should b.
made to procare the substitution OF such toni
for the serid, hsry. and poisonous fluids too re
qusntly administered to invalids.
II should b powerful argument in favor .
. propagation lice this. that II has been dspsiv
Cd BY rectiacssion and By che medicinal vsGssa
bic ingredients Of which il partly cossists. Of q
The dslstssioss properties pssssat in ordinary
alcoholic stio ulants. and which begss IN unnat
srai cssvisg for ssroag drink, thereby lsadinl
directly 70 intsnperases. This. " ~. shout
b strsag ssgumsat = Ne favor Win I'll r.
tiosal Temperance nsn; for since stimuiast
ars medicines that sassos b. dispensed, with,
is nssifssuy I'll iapertsas - sdniaistsr tn
best
A. . Recognised and standard tonic Of uadia
putsd purity. Roststter's Bittsrs may be cite
- an apt illustration ofths use Of stimulants .
contr asted with their abuse. Il l. not intende
~ . beverage indeed. there are many varietis
Of unmedieatsd alcohol which the man VII