The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-05-15
HosTETTER's BITTERs.
HE USE AND ABUSE OF sTum.

al
perioncc, and In defiance Of prohibitory statutes,
intemperanco Is moro prevalent ia tho United
States to-day than IL has ever been at any former
period This Ia statistical fact which tho we'll
informed philanthropist can not deny, however
much he regret 1t, and i proves ono of two things
4 l--either that tho yico Is past remedy or mitiga
ton, or that tho stringent means adopted TO pro
vent tho sale and use Of stimuants have been un
/ wiso and irrational. Human nature IL not 10
Ihopelossly vicious as 10 bo beyond tho influence Of
reason and observation-disclosures obstinate IL may
Ibo IN its resistance 10 arbitrary and inconsistent
laws aud tho inference, therefore, is that tho ex
trcmistB who hnve declared incorporating war
against che use Of liquor under any circumstances,
have opeTshot hemark, and actually increased tho
Ievii they intended to crush out. The United
States law authorizes tho importation, manufacture
and sale Of spirits, and tho Government derives n
largo revenue from such importation, mapnfacluro
and sale, and while this Is tho ensb. no local law
can ever prevent tho use Of itc article The stat
utes which impose taxe5 and duties on liquors
prcsupposo that 1t win be used, and recognize tho
right of tho people 20 uso IT, That right Is dcpied
by tf,b prohibitionists, aud they mako bylaws 10
prevent tho citizen from exercising personal
privilege guaranteed 10 him, by Implication at
least. by tho law of the land.
| This Il tho whole onse Ia nutshell, and 1t IL
for those reasons that tho Maine Law, and every
other enactment Of It's class, has proved signal
failure.
Every good man admits that intoxieation Is
terrible ylee--the fruitful parent OF every species
OF crime. But IL does not follow therefore that
alcoholic stlmuants should DO abolished. Wipe
them out and what becomes OF ono Of tho most
important departments Of medical grtf Only ig-
noTant fanatics. or men whose better Judgment Is
warped by prejudice, will attempt 20 deny thai
| lives are saved only by tho administration Of
splriuous stimulus ms n re Ipatng Hnd Tebtora.
two agent. II Is tho basis Of all tho inetures OF
tho pharmacopelas md II has preserved tho lives
OF thousands on the battle field. in military and
lNNk Is.aa 81. Il Ell
IT, medical science would DO like tho play ofllamiet
with tho hero omitted. Mostcapeciaily Is this true
OF pure medical stimuiaHt. Uuquestouhhly the
extremists Of the Neal Dow stripe, would like 10
suppress all medicated preparations containing al
eohoi. They would probably begin With lIosTET-
TER's STOMACH BITTERs. reputed 10 be the most
potent FestoratiYo and alternative Of tho day
They would deprive the ague and fever districts of
tho South and West OF this powerful Hpeeinc.-
They would meet the traveller In tho Valley OF The
Mississippi. or tho miner in the plAeers aud can
ons Of California. the Ynyager about to sail Tor
tho insainbrious coast Of Mexico or tho Wesi In
dies. and demand the surrender Of this great anti
do,o 10 malaria, and protective against tho ef- |
feets Of nnuholesomo 'sater. IL he happened 10 bo
provided with II. Nav. they would probably 60 /
further than that. and destroy the great factory ht
PttisbuFg where IL Is prepared and every bottle |
Of !, upon which they could Law their hands |
throughout tho length and breadth of tho land. |
In vain would Il be proved 70 them that the artf.
els manufactured from tho purest Of all |
known diffusiYo stimuli and tho most valuable Of
medicinal herbs and roots. "Away With IL, away |
wiih is'' thoy would cry; Ill contains alcohol. |
and therefore Il must be destroyed"
But this is the language Of insane bigotry. En- |
iishtrned selenee-aye, and enlightened Religion |
and Morality. too.--eonlemn Il utterly. Bishop |
Eas,hurn. the Reverend DR.. Worcester. and other
great divines. have recently given their testimony
against such Wholesale hostility TO ftlmuIanta and
declared that the vice Of drunkenness has been
he Fhe
of tho prohihitionists, The gVeat AgassiE. and
such men Professor HorsfoFd and Jackson. to- |
getheF with Drs. Bigelow. Clark. Holmes, White
and many ether eminent practitioners. whose
standing as physiclara should secure respect for
their opinions on a point like this, have stated that
alcoholic preparations absolutely essential In
tho treatment Of mara diseases. And as rcstora-
tiyss. They only insist that tho preparation be
pure. They arc In favor of stringent laws agasnst
saniieratlon their notto Is Regulate. no. de-
ssrov"
A. this Is tho true policy. dedicated alike by
philosophy. experience. and common sense. What.
the other hand Is the tendency 81 tho policy Of
prohibisian7 II does not ursvent. IL never has
prevented. IL never can prevent tho sale Of aico-
holie fluids. bai II leads u their detcTi8raaion and
thus increasing a thousand fold tho evils thA, II
proposes 10 unnihilata. When liquors are sold &c.
eTcily. and at the risk of pert8nal liberty. oil
course the dealers will seek 10 compensate them
selves for tho hazard they incur. by inorlinats
profits and 70 obtain those profits they will adult
crate what they sell II II notorious that the liq-
sold in States whsre prohibitory laws exist. Is
for tha inna, part poisoa. 1t Is as safe for tho
venler to give his customers n Gerry aud drstelct-
i've compound as n good aFtclc--the penalty be-
ing ia each case the same. Strict and faithfully
exeeutcd inspection laws would prevent this hor
rfble aiulieTation. Prohibitory laws promote Il.
II Il well known that most nf the liquor re sentiy
forfeited In New York. Brooklyn and elsewhere,
FOR evasion Of the Government Tax. has been Of
the viiest description. The manufacturers. In
view Of tho possibility Of seizure, have gotten up
the eoniraband article At the least possible expense
in order that their loss in Of discovery. might
be comparatively small. The safety Of tho public
demands that such peTnioioua stuff be destroyed,
and under n proper system OF tests IL would be
condemned and cmptied into the docks. But no,
II Is sold by tho Government. at the average rate
az about So gallon. 10 pay the tax. In this way
alcoholic poison Is distributed broadcast among the
pcopic. The whole system Of legislation bearing
upon the liquor trade In this country Il, although
not 50 intended. IN dse interest Of iatempevaHce.-
Ia moderate excise and wise sanitary laws In rcla-
ton to the distilled and ferfhented beverages. are
ihe best safeguards against the great cvii which
nli thinking men dsplore, but for which few have
The wisdc m and bOIdness to propose any r medics
consistent with reason and founded on q proper
appreciation Of the wants and weaknesses of hu-
man nature. What pity il Is that professcd re-
ormists will attempt to drive, when their true pol
key would be 10 tad. ddrise and restrain. All
patriotic citizens would be glad, IL they eould, 20
swccn out OF the trade and commerce OF the coun-
try tho vile brain -maddening potions that now
sold in every public grogsery and every secret den
Of intempernncc. with little risk to tho dealer
rs the purcst products Of the vat and still.
The question is, How shall Ii bo done? And
Tho reply Of every right-thinking man Is, BY a
kipid examination OF the articles, and tho inlic-
ion of heavy penalties pecuniary and personal,
in all cases whore ndulteration Is detected. Ia
not n shame that the common poisoner and the
dealer in pure preparation should only be held
to the snmc accountability by the authorities! And
yet this Is the case under the present liquor laws.
There arc many forms of difFusive stimuli used
by the medical profession, and the great object of
the trustworthy physician is to obtain them un-
mixed with any dcleterous article. Hostetters
Stomach Bittcrs, ms already observed, has the rep
utation of being the purest preparation Of its
class at present manufactured, and was. therefore,
ctsd MS case in point Is 1t just, is II fair, Is it
for the greatest good Of tho greatest number that
| tho law should place this valuable medicine on n
par with fighting rum? What sort of legislation
is that which makes no distinction between
health giving tonic and Alternative and life-con-
suming bane?
| Truly, both Congress and our State Legislatures
have much to learn upon this important subject,
and the sooner they begu to profit by the palpa-
bio lessons of the hour, the better it will be for
the moral and physical health of the people. I'm
der the present contradictory, incongruous and
short-sghten general and State laws affecting the
liquor question, intemperance with all its horrible
consequences, is as surc to increase and multiply
as the sun is to generate miasma from n swamp,
or fame to grow fercer by feeding it with turpcn-
Tba eY,bia Ia ton brnad tn ba aad in