New-York tribune., 1868-03-18
THE Use and ABUSE Of sTIMuLANrs.


ance is more prevalent in the United States
to-day than il has ever been at any former
period. This is statistical fact whlch ,ne Weli-
informed philanthrOpist cannot deny, however
much he may regret 1t, ana IL proves neod1 ono ~
two things-either that the vice is past remedy
or mitigation, or that the stringent means
adopted to prevent the sale aud use Oh stlhlt-
lants have been unwise and irrational Human
nature is not so hOpelessly vicious as 10 oe pe-
yOnd the influence of reason and persuasion
however obstinate it may be In its resistance
to arbitrary and inconsistent laws, ana the INFER
ence, therefore, is, that the extremists WHO
have declared unc0mpIOmlslng war agalhsI lhe
use of liquor under any circumstances, nave
0rerSh0t the mark, and actually increased inc
evil they intended to crush out. Inc Umteu
States law authorizes the Importation manu-
facture and sale of spirits, and the Government
derives a large revenue from such importation,
manufacture, and sale, and while tins Is thee
case no local law can ever prevent the use Vi
the article. The statutes which impose taxes
and dnties on liouOr presuppOse that 1t Will be
used. and recognize the right of the people 10
use il. That right is denied by the prohibition
lists, and they make bylaws to prevent the cltl-
zens from exercising u personal privilege guar
anteed to hm-by implication at least-Dy the
law of the land.
This is the whole case in nutshell, and It
is for these reasons that the Maine law, ana
every other enactment OF its class, nave proven
dismal failure. :.
Every good man admits that intoxlcation is
n terrible yice--the fruitful parent OF every
species of crime. But it does not, therefore,
follow that alcoholic stimulants should be
abolished. Wipe them out, and what becomes
Of one of the most important departments OIL
medical art Only ignorant fanatics, or men
whose better Judgment is warped by prejudice,
will attempt to deny that lives are saved dally
by the timely administration oil splrltuous
stimulus as a terminating and restorative
agent II is the basis of all the tinctures OF the
= hnu
of thousands on the battlefield, in military
and other hospitals, and in private practice.
Without it, medical science would be Ike the
play of Hamlet with the part OF the hero
omitted. Most especially IS tins tue OF pure M
tremist, of the Neil Dow stripe, would like to
suppress all medicated preparations containing
alcohol. They would probably begin with
HosTETTER's STOMACH BITTERs, ,repnted 10 De
the most potent restorative and Alternative oi
the day. They would deprive the agues ana
fever districts of the South and West OF THIS
powerful specific. They would meet the tray
cler in the Valley of the MISSISSIPPI, or tne
miner in the placers and canons OF Cahl0rhla'
or the yoyager about TO sail for the lnsaluDfl,,
Gus coast of Mexico or the west INDIES, anu
demand the surrender Of this great antldOte 10
malalia, and protective against the eiiects Oh
unwh0esOme water, if he happened TO De pro.
vided with it. Nay, they would probably go
further than that, and destroy the great factory
at Pittsburgh, where it is prepared, ana every
bottle Of If mon which they could lay their
hands throughout the length and breadth OF
the land. In vain would it be proved TO tnem
that the article was manufactured from the
nurest of ali known difiusive stimuli and the
most valuable of medicinal herbs ana roofs;
away with il away with itE they would
cry; "t contains alcohol, and therefore II
must be destroyed
But this is the language of insane blgotry.
Enlightened Science-aye, and enlightened he
ligi0n and Morality, tOo-cOndemn It utterly.
Bishop Eastbmn, the Reverend Dr. Worcester,
and other great dlvlnes have recently given
their testimony against such wholesale nOstllity
to stimulauts, and have declared that the wee
of drunkenness has been greatly increased by
the ndiscriminating onslaughts OF the proh-
bitOnists. The great AgassH, and such men as
Professors IIorsfOrd and Jackson, together with
Drs. Bigelow, Clarke, Holmes, White, and
many other eminent practitioners, whose stand
ing MS physicians should secure respect Tor their
opinions on point like this, have stated that
alcoholic preparations are absolutely essential
in the treatment of many. diseases, and as res
tOratives. They only insist that the prepara-
tons be pure. They are in favor of strln-
gent laws against adulteration; their motto is
"TeQtidte not deStrOy'
And this is the true policy, dictated alike by
philosophy, experience, and common sense.
What, on the other hand, is the tendency of
the policy Of prohibitions 1t does not prevent,
il never has prevented, 1t never can prevent
the sale of alcoholic fluids, but it leads TO their
fold the evils that it proposes to annihilate
When liquors are sold secretly, and at the risk
of personal liberty of course the dealers will
seel, 10 compensate themselves for the hazards
they incur 10y inordinate profits, and, 10 obtain
those profits, they will adulterate what they
sell. II is notorious that the liquor sold in
States where pTObibitOIy laws exist Is Tor the
most part poison. 1t is as safe for the vender
to give his customers a fiery and destructive
compound as good article-the penalty being
in each case the same. Strict and faithfully eX-
ecuted inspection laws would prevent this hor-
rible adultcratiOn. PrOhbtory laws promote
il. lt 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 vilcst description. The manu-
facturcrs, in view Of the possibility of seizure,
have got up the cOntlaband articles at the
least possible expense, III order that their loss,
in ease of discovery, might be comparatively
small. The safety of the public health demands
that such pcrniciOus stuff be destroyed, and
under proper system OF tests 1t would be con-
demned and emptied into the docks. But no.
il is sold by the Government, at the average
rate of about - q 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 in this
country Is, although not so intended, m the M
tereSt Of 0fntempeydHce A moderate excise and
wise sanitary laws, in relation to the testing of
all distilled and felmentcd beverages, are the
best safeguards against the great evil which all
thinking men depl0re, but for which few have
the wisdom and b0ldness TO propose any rene
dies consistent with reason and founded on a
proper appreciation of the wants and weak
nesses of human nature. What pity it is that
professed refoTmists will attempt to drire,
when their true policy would be to lead, adriSe
and restrain. All patriotic citizens would be
glad, if they could to sweep out of the trade
and commerce of the country the vile brain
maddening potions that are now sold in every
public groggeIy and every secret den OF in