The Republican journal., 1872-07-18
The Cider Question,

The above is q purely New Englan,
scene. The warm sun OF autumn is shin
ing, the air is tul Of the slumherous haz,
of the Indian summer, the froSts have
touched the leaves that are sailing down
and the husballdman is gathering the re
t2rns of his care and labor.
The honest citizen as shown above i,
harvesting his apple crop. With the econ
omy of his class, he is making into cidcl
the apples that will not keep in the cellar
Hard times and high taxes oblisc him tc
economize. His father. his fathers father
and all the generations since the first OF
the name ielled the primeval trees. have
made cider. The trees upon which the
apples grew are those that his father
| planted. He played under them when 4
| boy, and in his manhood he loves them as
old friends. The apple gathering irolcs
are bright spots in his memory. So are
the days Of cider making, the grinding,
pressing and barrelng. He remembers
the casks of ripening cider in row in the
cellar, and that Il pitcher of it was always
on the table. And when the family gath
cred about the fire on winter evenings.
and neighbors dropped in, there were al
ways on the hearth plate of choice ap-
pies and a pitcher of cider.
And who was the worse for it {? An
drank of it, father, mother boys and girls
All grew to be healthy men and women
and there was never drunkard in the
family. If the old family doctor was
called to one who was little ailng, he
would halt the time say that the sick per-
son hadn't drank cider enough, and order
the quantity increased And the old
whiteh haired pastor would drain his glass,
and praise the cider making skill OF his
parishioner The cider that was not need
ed for home consumption always brought
a good price al the village store, and
bought dresses for the wife, tinerv for the
girls, and presents for the boys 1t was
one of the most useful and profitable crops
of the farm.
But the good old man who planted the
orchard has been gathered to his grave on
the hillside, and the children are scat
tered. A new generation has arisen,
protesting to be wiser than those gone be-
fore. Fanatics have got into power, and
made a law which destroys the market for
the good, healthul beverage OF cider. 1t
is classed with such fiery and and de-
structive drinks as rum, whiskev and
brandy. The mans orchard is rs effect
ually destroyed rs though his trees We're
blasted by lightning. And all Tor what
Not in the interest Of temperance, nor
morality, nor good order; but that a par
ty controlled by foolish fanatics may ride
on the necks of the people II little longer
The honest farmer who is nj work above
will vote in September for men who will
sweep away such foolish and oppressive
Legislation a the cider law, and calls mp
on his fellow orchardists to do the same.
We see that n c. Hlrhborn Is li,lllmr
away ON his one string of shipbuldin@ in
the Bangor Wing, and attempting 10
apologize for the treatment that the ship
ping interest has received at The hanIS Of
his party. IL may Gldlo until ID" j.
blind, but the facts will remain that under
Democratic rule the shipping Of this coun-
try prosperea to the grcatesl possible eN-
tent, and enriched the whole coast OF
Maine; while under radical rule it has
persisted and the coast towns have seen
their business die The town of Stockton
owes the growth that it had to tie enIight-
ened policy of the Democratic party.
When that party went ont of power the
decline of Stockton began, and continued
until silent shipyards, idle mechanics and
failing merchants We're the leading feat
ures of the place These are facts and
the cracked music of the eN-trcasllrer cam
not charm them out OF sight