The Cecil Whig., 1871-03-11
Rum Selling.
For The Cecil Wing,

Our experience among men of intemper-
ate habits has demonstrated to us the
necessity of early training to temperance,
as We find but few men, after the age of
twenty-five, who have been addicted to
intemperance, ever leave off the habit and
we not unfrequently find them men of the
best mechanical ideas, who, only for rum,
would be of permanent value to the COM
munity. And we have often heard them
declare that they would Go almost anything
to have rum put out of the country, not
being able to resist it and it is generally
met in the hands of delusive men,-men,
perhaps, who can take one drink and stop,
but who will entice others, who cannot
resist the temptation, but when they get
one drink, must 60 on until intoxicated.
and perhaps continue for days; and if
unfortunate enough to have just received
months wages, spend it all with the rum
seller, and tell their wives lamatable story
that they have not received their pay from
their employer. We have known of wives
and children crying for bread, and when
the wife would go to the tavern, and cry
and plead with her husband to come home,
the rum seller would laugh at her calamity?
Who is responsible for this state of
things? The respectable men who sign
petitions to grant license for the sale of
rum.
Last summer, it was no uncommon thing
to see the rum-seller and his wife, with
hish-headed horse and a high-topped car
riage, driving through this town and vicin-
ity, in the evening, for pleasure, sporting
on the money received from the husbands
and fathers of poor wives and children,
without compensation, save the curse they
exchanged for it.
And who is responsible for this misery
and woe? Respectable freeholders Some
of the husbands and young men of North
East go to those sinks of ruin, get intoxi-
Gated, promenade the street, or lie in the
cutters, with their clothes half-buttoned,
cursing, swearing and insulting ladies on
the street. And who is responsible for all
this? The respectable freeholders! Oh
that word respectable. 1t hides a multi
tude of sins; but does it save a soul from
perdition? We answer no but it is the
fountain from whence nearly all the evils
of society flow-drunkenness, gambling,
rowdyism, blasphemy, and insult to ladies
and gentlemen on our streets.
If license is renewed this spring, and we
are permitted, we will publish the names of
every signer of a petition for the sale of
rum in North East, and let the public know
who are the friends of rum As long as
their names are concealed, they can set in
church, with the sanctimonious air of a
saint but if they were known, perhaps
they would hold lower heads.
On Sunday, Goth ultimo, Rev. Thos. L..
Poulson gave us one of the best lectures
on temperance that ever graced the North
East pulpit. He commenced by calling
attention to the fact that when he said
rum, he meant everything appertaining to
Intoxicating drinks and beverages-from
brandy to the bitters sold in the store, and
that if any one talked plain on the subject
of temperance, he was called radical and
that he could prove man had either to
be radically right or radically wrong; or
positively right or positively wrong, which
we believe he did to the satisfaction of
every unprejudiced mind present His
ideas were clear, his language simple and
to the point, and his reasoning so cogent
that the most profound rum critic could
not gainsay it. His subject was arranged
under two heads or in two classes: one
class was influenced by the love of the
beverage; the other was influenced by the
love of the proceeds of the sale of rum,
either direct or indirect, and he proved
conclusivcly that the supporters or sympa
| thizers with rum, either direct or Indirect
were as guilty as the rum-seler. His advice
to parents and children was good, and we
hope it will have lasting influence on all
We would here remark that rum depre
ciates the value of property in its vicinity
lessons rent, as but few respectable mel
will live near grog-shop-and increase.
the rates, you want your property insured
as insurance companies contend the risk i.
greater near rum mills, and the rum -selle
can get but few signers to his petition, il
his own vicinity.
is getting eight" the result of 'loose'