Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-04-24
From the Gold Mines.
CENTRAL CRY, COLORADO,
April 18th, 1868.

April 18th, 1868.
EDITOR CHRoNIcLE-I resort once more
to short space in your columns. En-
quiries are always first made in regard to
the pecuniary advantages in new coun-
try. fla mining country, what are the
present and future prospects of the mines !?
Is an investment in the mines paying
investment? Miners eagerly inquire the
price of labor, and the chance of getting
employment Nearly every one is more
interested in the great problem of getting
money than any other consideration, and
am sometimes afraid that am subject to
this great infrmity, this weakness of our
race. AS a nation, we love the almighty
dollar. The institutions, moral and relig-
ious, are often not inquired after. We
believe that people in the Estates" give us
but little credit for our institutions, insti-
tutions conducive to the education, refine
ment and moral culture of the people, and
the reason is we think, simply their limited
knowledge of our institutions and society.
We boast of schools as good and children
as we'll educated, ministers as eloquent, and
as well supported, society as intelligent
and refined, the ladies not as plentiful but
as handsome as in towns or cities of the
same population in the states. Modest
boasting, but we assert truthful statements.
Among the great moral questions before
the people. and not least, is the question
of temperance, by some considered as a
thread bare, worn out subject. Mistaken
idea, which the progress of the great tenn
perance reform of to-day confu,es. l do
not propose to write an argumentstive ar
ticle on this subject but knowing that many
of the readers of your interesting paper are
Good Templars, and many more friends of
the cause, I take this meth ID of giving in
formation in regard to the workings of
our order in Colorado. The Order of Good
Templars is not as widely known perhaps
as many other institutions in the territory,
but it certainly is not least in Importance.
Nearly every town of Importance has
lodge of the order. Until recently these
subordinate lodges were under the juris-
diction of the grand lodge of Kansas, but
there being the requisite number oflodges
in the territory, a delegate was sent from
the grand lodge of North America to or
ganize and instruct grand lodge of Colo
RADIO
After a harmonious session of several
days, the organization was completed and
Good Templarism marches forward in its
new career with unabated energy and
prosperity, determined if possible to re-
deem the people from the moral darkness
and depravity which has so long hung
about them, but which is now gradually
yielding to the radiating light and infu-
ence of this greatest of all temperance re-
forms. Influence, one of the greatest lev
ers in human society, is being known and
felt; the world is beginning to feel the
pressure of temperance principles.
This has been instanced only few days
since in the election of municipal officers
for this city. A Republican caucus NOM
mated fusion ticket, composed of tenn
perance candidates for temperance voters,
and saloon keeper to influence the drink
ing class of this mixed society. The flu
sion is failure in one individual instance,
nearly the entire ticket was elected except
the man who deals IN the unnatural stiln-
ulant A warning to future caucuses to
nominate men only of undoubted temper
ance and morality. In this way, our
strength will be known and felt. Person
al influence in the halls of legislation. po-
litical assemblies, and in all the walks and
avenues of life, let our strength be shown,
not timidly as though ashamed of our
cause, but boldly in defense of what we
know to be right.
As our influence as Good Templars is
being felt, so the terrible influence of alco-
hol is being seen in our midst. A shoot
ing affray occurred at Black Hawk on the
evening of the 9Th of April. An enmity
had been existing for some time between
an Irishman named Rock, and desperate
character called John Sutton. Happening
to meet at saloon one evening, their pas
sions probably infamed by the use of al
coholic drinks, the quarrel eliminated in
fight, in which the two principal actors
were shot dead. Rock died almost in
stantly, Sutton fingered only two or three
DAYS. This double murder is no doubt to
be attributed to the demoralizing influences
of those twin sisters of vice, drinking and
gambling.
The tempting, demoralizng vice of gam
bling Ga great enemy to the temperance
cause,l has received severe blow in this
community. The game of keno has been
of greater injury to the laboring class here
than any other species of gambling.
When once INDUCED in, the temptation
seems to become almost irresistible. We
are glad to know that our citizens are full
" aroused to the necessity of abolshing
this vice, ard that public opinion and pub
lie action have closed these sinks of in