The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-12-12
DAILY PRESS.
ND
monday Morning, December I2, 1870.


A few days ago, said to Master in a
branch of the building trade 81 have a Job
for you to dc, and I want it attended to soon."
He replied :-"I do not know what I can do
about it, am so bothered with my men,
"What's the matter with them? "They'er
off on beer; Pm now going to hunt up two OF
my best workmen who haven't done an hours
work for over six weeks. paid them off then,
with considerable sum, and they have been
around the beer shops ever since. I've been
at their houses several times in the early
morning, before they were up, to induce them
TO knock off beer and come to work and all to
no effect I've asked their wives to persuade
them to this, and with tears in their eyes they
assured me they had done everything in their
power to induce them to do so, in vain. They
said they wouldn't probably go to work again,
until the last cent was spent at the rum shops
nor while there was scrap left in the house,
to eat" "And how much pay do you give
these men?" "Three dollars and half day
and steady employment, if they would only
work. My business drives me almost to
death, and could do all easily and comfort
ably, if the men would only come to work."
Here is only small sample Of rum shop in
fuence on the prosperity and legitimate trade
of the city; there is vast deal more like it, all
over town. Let us examine.it. These men
are brothers, making one family; they are
young men just in the prime of manhood, al
ready ruined by the rum trade. Three dol
lars and half day, are twenty-one dollars
week, and one thousand ninety-two dollars
year; or one thousand and fifty dollars a
year, if we allow two weeks for vacation and
recreation. Twenty.one hundred dollars
year for both of these young men, constitu-
ting one family. They are workers in the
building trade, therefore all their labor goes
to the absolute increase Of the taxable prop
erty of the city. For the twenty-one hun
dred dollars year in wages, they give a sub
stantial and most valuable return to an equal
amount. Working steadily, they would add
every year, TO the actual wealth Of the city,
twenty-one hundred dollars. But the rum
shop interposes and spoils all this.
The people want their houses, stores and
shops built and finished. For every days
delay they are suffering in their business, in
family Inconvenience or in some other way.
The master is in desperate strait to have
his contract completed within the stipulated
time, that he may avoid forfeiture, and that
he may be able to commence the next en-
gagement, that is in pressing need of being
undertaken. But the rum shop is inexora-
BILE; it has these miserable, misguided, unfor-
tunate men in its grasp, and will not relax its
hold while penny remains to be extracted
from their pockets. When squeezed to the
last cent, they may 60 for the time, to earn
more, to be spent in like manner for the liq-
uid fire that destroys them, body and soul,
while their wives and children are left to en-
dure the extremity of suffering from neglect,
hunger and cold; they stand and freeze while
the wages of husband and father 20 into the
till Of the rum shop in exchange tor a fluid
which inf1ames the blood, maddens the brain,
and sets the whole man on fire of HI
Aud that's the mission of the rum shop.
1t interposes between the man and his work
between the citizen and the State; between
the husband and father and the wife and the
children dependent upon him for support
guidance and protection. The interposition
Of the rum shop is effectual to the full extent
of its infuence-:for it has no other-in pre-
venting the man from being useful and hon
orable member of society; it spoils him for
part to the general stock Of wealth; able and
willing to bear his full share of the public
burdens and to discharge his full share Of pub
lie duties-it spoils him for that. The mis-
sion of the rum shop in the domestic circle is
altogether devilish and Internal; converting
by its sole agency, the kind, tender, loving
husband, father, son, brother, friend, into a
demon fiend by the raging passions of the
pit.
"There are five hundred thousand homes in
this country in which home happiness is ut
terly unknown"-as the effect of the rum
shops; there are five hundred thousand
wives, mothers, sisters, daughters in this
country, suffering thousand deaths in dying
one,-the victims of the rum shops; there are
five hundred thousand helpless children and
more-in this country, condemned remorse.
lessly, by the rum shops, to life of ignor.
ance, poverty, pauperism and crime, who but
for this trade would be happy members O
| peaceful families, and in manhood and WON.
anhood would be good citizens and useful ant
honorable members of society. If this b.
true, the liquor traffic may be justly called in
| fernal. Is it true? ND.