The Republican journal., 1872-07-11
Report Of the State of Names Rum AGENT.

NeVefthelcSS, tnlS state OF ours, that led
the great total abstinence reform. that
produced Neal Dow Elder Peck, and the
rest nf the prohibition saints, now SUI
ports rum agent. 1t ,lorsn't pay him Il
salary, but graciouslv allow him to tuck
per centage upon the liquors, and pay
himself by commissions, between five and
| six thousand dollars a wear. We had not
space TO notice the liquor agents report
when first put before The public last win
ter; and perhaps no better opportunity
| than this will present itself.
The report notices that the sales of
| liquor, so far as represented by the cash
| receipts, were for 1871 considerably le,
| than tor previous years. But The 600
| man who serves the cause OF morality by
dealing out an honest gallon of rum fol
| its equivalent in lawful currency, is pain
| ed to say that others are in the business,
| and that ''the cost of liquors 10 consumers
| IN this State the past year, considering its
| attendant evils, is truly appalling" This
is fearful state of things. It is inferred
that he who furnishes good Bourbon
County whskeN at S3 per gallon may be
looked upon aS II heneiactor; while the
wretch that forces the price mp TO IS
should be dealt with severely. Mr. Shaw
will find a good many t" agree with him.
% adj .
| NIT that evils so enormous ought to be
abated.' Most undoubtedly
A large proportion OF The report il .h-
voted to the complaint that prSttr,"ns
competitors will creep in, and that all the
grists do not come to his moral mill to be
ground. And then the liquor agents of
the towns are not honest On this head
Mr.. Shaw-and he is pious and won't lie
says
Runners from various liquor houses in large
numbers, are constantly visiting cur Ieadil
towns, and in addition 10 their extensive satu>
to other parties. BY RRlBES AND NARIOl :
SEDUCTIVE MEASURES. induce more nr
less of those who have the supervision OF
agencies to purchase the spurious articles offer
ed them and 50 more on less of our agencies
become wholly perverted. This class of runners
are doing immense mischief and ought to be e.
strained.
There is a great deal OF human nature
in men who are in trade, especially in
those who have or who think .hey ought
to have monopolies There are very ttS
who do not think lit those Who come ia
competition with t!,,n ''are doing i'm
mense mischief and ought t. be restrain
ed" If Mr.. Shaw makes $4,000 year in
furnishing rum t" the people OF Maine, he
naturally don't want them to get drunk on
any other mans beverage
But what a stigma upon the town and
city authorities is contained in the above
extract. Seductive measures are used
with them-which probably means gallon
measures-and they IRE in,!;i,yA to pur
chase spurious articles. These sold, bad
men are very property denounced by the
great moral rumseIlrr ct the State. But
does he reflect that this imputation has
two edges, and cuts both ways? If they
p rchaSe rum by bribeS and seductive
measures, how do they sell it? Isn't it in
the nature Of fallen man, when he has
the power, to open the Hood gates of rum
through brihes and seIuctive measures
The great apostle and godfather pt town
rum-shops here admits All thai we have
ever charged against them.
&,
excellent man has to encounter Some of
the towns perversely refuse TO establish
grog- shops, and buy their rum of him.
thereby diminishing his income He
says
The omission to establish Hernci,> in cities,
and in towns of several hundred inhabitants.
furnishes Stron" temptation To ui,,n itquor
shops in such ri,t, and t"t, ~. tt> 10 p.rties
dong 80 are So II -nIt-I ut lhc n,!r f'tG' and
consequently the COUNT utr' .i1Ii -t;I,l,. /. OF
lndINhtaal- from UeatiN Ill prot cons and
claSSfs ~ the community
Thl should hn rtmrded at once Those
that Won't come int" the good time pre-
pared ton thn~, who hlly their rum al
Shaw >h"uld De mad, 10 come in No
hanging back in this "real work ot moral
reform should he allowed
Still another prrplt vitN aSsaIs our
friend, and inirrterrS with The prosperity
OF his trade InqniSiivr l'r",,Ie are al
lowed /" poke THEN n"~r- n.lo ii He
complains thus
AGENTS required hv th+4 ,,,.-,tj I,v to
kerpa record nl the name ot al tnr,..,:-.i ana
he tnI fi,.Ia 1. .,,l
record is to be open I" inspection. Ibi- re-
quiftmeni. though bul paltitV observed. is
said To he almost universally objectionable. Ii
Is represented by agents and hose who have
the best opportunity of knowing. that tht~ re-
quiremeni leads many WelI-di> posed persons,
and large numbers of profess &c, temper Ancc
people, 10 palronZe the Illegal traffic Nhn
would much prefer t" obtain II IN tgrury their
articles for medicinal and mechanical purposes,
We're il not for the great repu.n,ncr Ihry feel
to having their names and purchases thuS
recorded and open 10 pabllc view.
''Protrssed temperance people" j. good
They first enact a prohibitery law forbid
ding the sale Of all liquor except such rs
Mr.. Shaw has blessed and then, rather
than he registered rs patrons OF their rum
system, they sneak around and tempt
some needy mau to break the law and risk
And the general liquor
agent wants t" discourage hypocrisy and
put money in his pocket by taking utl the
little restraint now imposed upon his sub
dealers. who can he brbed and seluced
if he is Il truthful man
The Su" geston, like the rest i, un
undoubtedly in the interest of temperance
and public morality. Bnt what 4 nice
thing it will ha for the general rnnl AGENT,
when everybody else is >hu, on from the
traffic, when every town ia compeilrD 10
keep a shop for the sale nj liquor. ;lnd tine
agents in towns, who are open tu .'bribes
and seductive measures" nrve MOI rvrl
tn poor restraint tl Il rc4>1el for mir
customers Why, no erppterpd mo
would then ne So powerful t~ IND Rev.
Eaton Shaw. nor King Mida- himself nc
cumulate riches so fast.
Is there a man in Maine thai has heIprd
to foster this miserable, hypocriticai husi
NUhnsn 4