New-York tribune., 1868-09-24
u,HE USE and ABUSE Of sTIMULANTs'

lnloIineo naw regret it. and it proves one OF
t1rn tb;nos-either that the vicc IS past remeuy
Wv mitiration, or that the stlnRens ~nlo"n' ~
edonted to prevent the sale and use or ,s sI,nu
Iants have been unwlse and liIationai IL hn-
natnre Is not so hopelessly vicious as 10 De oe-
vond the influence of reason and persuasion
however obstinate it may be Ill It's IeslsIance "
arbitrary and inconsistent laws, ana the lhl1i-
cnce. therefore, is, that the exuehllS.s VIZ ,ho
have declared uncompromislng war ag'.,h'I uo euo
usa of Eouor under any circumstances, ha,o
orersLot he mark, and actually lncreasra ths
evil they intended to crush. out. Inc unioeH @
Stotes law authorizes the Importation, mah'u-
facture and sale of spirits, ana the uoNoIpiion0
derives n large revenue from sucn importation,
and sale, ana VILE ts the nso 10 of
case, no local law can ever preyene tie use oa
the article. The statutes which impose EiAcs
and duties on l0uOr, presuppoSe tlaC IL VIII po
used and recognize the night oil the pe1Pic W
use it, That right is denied by the promDl'lo,li- ,i
lists, and they make bylaws 10 preveht .ne u,'r
zen from exercising a personal privilege guar
snteed 70 him-by implication at least-by the
law of the land. ..:..;o,, g
Every good man admits that intoxicatlon is
n terrible vice--the fruitful parent OF eEelS
Sneeies of crime. But it does not therefore
fallow that alcoholic stimulants should DO
abolished. Wipe them out. and what Decoills
of one of the most important departments oI
medical art? Only ignorant fanatics, OF I! Iien
whose better judgment is warped by pfGIunuinHo,
will attempt to deny that lives are saveu u''i,y
bv the timely administration of spirituous
stimulus as terminating and restoiauNe
agent. 1t is the basis of all the tnctures Oh thc
pharmacoppias. and it has preserved the HNrs ''
of thousands OH the battlefield, Ill miiit:uy
and other hospitals, and III private pIac'ice'
W;thont il medical science would he like the
play of Hamlet with the part OF the nero
omitted. Most especially is this true oil a pure
medical sfimuldRt. Unquestionaby, the eA-
tremist, of the Neil Dow STRIPE would llhe 10
suppress all medical preparations contai,llnEE
alcohol They would probably begin WIN
HosrErrER's STOMACH BTTERs., reputcd 10 pe
the most potent restorative and Alternative oi
the day. They would deprive the ague anu anu
fever districts of the South ana west oI uiS
nowerful specific. They would meet the tiiN-
rler in the Valley of the Mississippi, or tle
miner in the placers and canons of California
or the yoyager about TO sail for the insalubr-
Gus coast of Mexico or the West lnules, ana
demand the surrender of this great antldote to
malaria and protective against the effects ot
unwhOlesome water if he happened to be pro-
vided with it. Nay, they would probably go
further than that, and destroy the great factory
at Pittsburgh where 1T is prepared, ana every
bottle of it upon which thcy could lay tncif
hands throughout the length and breadth OF
the land In vain would it be proved to them
that the article was manufactured from the
purest of all known dlffusiye stimuli and the
most valuable of medicinal herbs and roots;
Away. with it! away with it!' they would
must be destroyed
But this is the language of insane bigotry.
Enlightened Science-aye, and enlightened kc-
ligion and Morality, tOo-condemn 1t utterly.
Bishop Eastburn, the Rev. DIR. Worcester,
and other great divines, have recently given
their testimony against such wholesale hostility
to stimulants, and have declared that the vice
of drunkenness has been greatly increased 10y
the undiscriminating onslaughts OF the prohl-
bitionists. The great Agassiz, and such men as
Professors HorsfOrd and jackson, together with
Drs. Bigelow, Clarke, Holmes. White, and
many other eminent practitioners, whose stand
ing ms physicians should secure respect for their
opinions on point like this, have stated that
alcoholic preparations are absolutely essential
in the treatment of many diseases, and rs res
toratyes. They only insist that the prcpala-
tons BE- pure. They are IN favor oi stringent
laws against adulteratiOn; their motto Is reg
ulate not destTOy"
And this is the true policy, dictated alike by
philosophy, experience, and common sense:
What on the other hand, Is the tendency OF
tho policy of prohibition lt does not prevent,
il never has prevented, it never can prevent
the sale of alcoholic fluids but 1t leads To Their
deterioration, and thus Increases th0uSlnd-
fold, the evils that 1t proposes to annlhilate.
When liquors are sold secretly, and ut the rlsk
of personal liberty, of course the dealers VIII
seek to compensate themselves for the hazards
they incur by inOTdinafe profits, aud to obtain
those profits, they will adulterate what they
SELL 1t is notorious that the liquor sold III
States where prohlbitory laws exist Is for the
most part poison. Ii is rs safe for the vendcr
to give his customers "A fiery and destructive
compound as Il good article-thc penalty beng
in each case the same. Strict and faithfully ex-
ecuted inspection laws would prevent this hor-
rible adulteration. Prohibltory laws promote
it. Ii is well known that most of the liquor re
Gently forfeited in New York, Brooklyn, and
elsewhere for evasion of the Government tax
has been of the vilest description The manu-
facturcrs, i'll view of the possibility OF seizure,
have got up the contraband articles ut the
least possible expense, III order that their loss,
in case of discovery, might be comparatively
small The safety of the public health demands
that such perniciOus stuff be destroyed and
under proper system OF tests 1t would be con
demned and emptied into the docks. But no,
it is sold by the Government, at the average
rate of about 50 Il gallon, to pay the tax. In
this way alcoholic poison is distributed broad
east among the people The whole system OF
legislation bearing upon the liquor trade III this
country is, although not so Intended IN ne inter,
est of intemperance. moderate excise and
wise sanitary laws, in relation To the testing of
all distilled and fcrmcnted beverages, are the
best safeguards against the great evil which all
thinking men deplOre, but for which few have
the wisdom and bOldneSs to propose any rene
dies consistent with reason and founded on II
proper appreciation of the wants and weak
nesses of human nature. What pity 1t rs that
professed reformists, will attempt to drpe,
when their true policy would be to lead, dduise
and restrain. All patriotic citizens would be
glad, if they could, to sweep out OF the trade
and commerce o. the country, the vile BRAIN
maddening p0tIODs that are now sold IN every
public grogecry and every secret den of in
temperance, with as little risk to the dealer as
the purest products of the vat and the still.
The question is, How shall it be dOnef And
the reply of every right-thinking man is-by IL
rigid examination of the articles, and the in
fiction of heavy penalties, pecuniaIy and per
sOnal, in all cases where adulteratiOn is de.
tected. Is it not a shame that the common
pOiSoner and the dealer in a pure preparation
should only be held to the same accountability
by the authorities7 And yet this is the case
Il. Al. l..