The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-06-30
AN AyOSEss

AN
nm .s/Me United States an
W ne a ?" etisscmbled at Boston, Mass,
GoM99 WI an. and 5h, 1874. To the
P,SSic at Large Of the Onated States o.
dDleT1cd.
In view of the aggressive war against
the manufacture of and trade In beyer-
ages waped for years by many State Leg
;sIatnres. and especially Of late by some
female organizations under the leadership
Of certain fanatics pretending to seek the
advance of the cause of morality and tenn
perance. the Fourteenth Annual Conven.
tion Of the United States Brewers Associ-
alton. assembled 10 the City Of Boston
and State Of Massachusetts,, this 4th day
of June, AID. 1874, desire TO address the
President, &C., and their fellow-c citizens
of the whole country in words of earnest
ness and remonstrance, prompted by hrm
convictions of right and the highest re-
gard for the welfare and prosperity Of
this great Republic, and not by selfish in
terest
The pith of the question in issue is not
that of morality as against immortality,
nor Of temperance as against lntemper-
ance. Were it that the whole member
ship of our Association would be found
battling with all its might and influence,
and by the side Of all other organiza-
tions, of whatever name or kind, secular
or otherwise, TO promote morality and
temperance throughout the land, and
would cheerfully submit to even personal
sacrafcies in the Effort. In their own
wav. the members of our Association,
represented in this present Fourteenth
Annual Convention, have done as much
as lay in their power, by personal exam
pie as well as argument and persuasion,
10 foster among their neighbors and
friends life of heightened morality and
sobriety. They can point with pride to
the fact that many of their fraternity have
risen from humble station to prominence,
and that in the locality of their residence
many of them have repeatedly been cho
sen by their fellow citizens to occupy
public positions Of high trust aud respon-
sibility, in which they not only retained
but increased that confidence of the peo-
ple to which they were first indebted for
their elevation. A pursuit that can point
with truth to such proud instances OF dis
llnction accorded TO many OF those who
follow it as a legitimate business cannot
be of that degrading character ascribed
TO it by those that war against 1t; nor can
its influence be such as necessarily TO
lead TO immortality and intemperance.
We refer to this with just pride, and as a
complete answer to the unwarranted accu-
satiOns of our enemies, conscious that the
sound sense of the American people will
not be msled by unfOunded clamOr
We propose to submit to the people, in
their primary capacity as the only sover-
eign source of the governing power In the
Republic, the very pertinent aud impOr-
tant question Whether they set any valae
upon the credit and honorable standing
of the United States among the nations
Of the world? That this is no idle query,
few automatically established historical
facts will show. Within the last eight
months the country has passed through Il
most disastrous financial revulslOn, which
affected the revenues Of the National
Government to very serious extent.
The President Of the United States at
the beginning of che Congress now in
session, called attention to the fact that
the revenues were decreasing, and that
20 cover the appropriations made taxa
ton would have to be increased to the
extent of S4O,OOO000 in order to meet
current expenses From the monthly re
ports of the Secretary OF the Treasury
the people have ascertained that while
during the twelve months ending with
the 80 of June, 1873, about S43 100000 of
the national debt had been paid, the total
of that immense debt OF over two thou
sand millions had on the lst Of May, 1874
been actually increased since then, owing
To the want OF a surplus revenue applica-
BILE 10 its reduction The Hon. Henry L.
Dawes, an hOnOred and distinguished rep
resentative from Massachusetts, in Con
gress, and as the Chairman of the Com
mfttee on Ways aud Means, the leader of
the House-a gentleman than whom, both
from his ability and long official position.
no one is better capable of forming. and
giving a correct opinion che condition
of orr national finances, rose III his seat
in the House on the eth Of May last, and
in the course of long and carefully pre-
pared speech stated, that while by exist
ing laws the sum Ut $50, 100000 should
have been turned into the sinking fund
during the yea closing with the present
month-sacredly pledged for the ultimate
redemption of the debt-not one dollar
had yet been paid intO that fund, al.
though the year was then nearly past
and this because the revenues were def.
cieut We ask the people of this coun-
try whether they are ready to consent
that the revenues 9th Government be
still further and more largely reduced !;
that not only payment of the national debt
shall cease, but that the Government
should also, without running still deeper
in debt, be unable TO pay the interest
and thus assume before the world the DO
sition OF dishonored bankrupt
The continued agitation Of Total Abstl
nence, to be forced upon the people by
prohibitory laws-by the unseemly pa
rade and reimbursement Of female ''cru
saders,' whom we consider to be the an
conscious but misguided tools in the hands
Of INSCRIPTIONS men aiming at persona
ggraudizemeut-by forcibiy, either by
statute law OF otherwise, compelling thu
stoppage Of the manufacture of, aud al
trade in beverages, must, we assure GU
fellow citizens, ultimately deal deathly
blow to the finances OF the country W,
wish to refer TO the following official facts
extracted from the last annual repOr
made to the present Congress OF tn,
United States by the Commissioner o
lnteral Revenue:
Total Internal Revenue Receipts for
the last hscal year. SllsT4V, 7Z2y
Of this vast amount the following sum
were collected during the year from tn
trsde In stimulating beverages:
Fermen..a liquors, bar
Brewers special :, ''' '' mi ' cSt1 ~
Dealers in malt liqa.-s. i0g 4G3so
Total from distilled spir- EV'"@f'oo'''