The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-06-17
From the Cincinnati Gazette
els Beer InjuriOus?''


'ilz
From the Cincinnati Gazette.
wat els Beer InjuriOus.'' '4'-
Your. answer in 4hes Gazette was
strictly true. Although beer with 5
per cent. Of alcohol, drank in mode ra
tion, may be less injurious than whis-
Ky with Oper cent, yet it is injurious,
and in some respects peculiarly inju-
rious. A simple statement OF facts
will show this: ..,.
l. There is very little, if any, pure
beer, and the materials with which
it is adulterated are injurious.
2. Beer causes drunkenness, as we'll
as whisky.
3. There is no care to limit modcra-
ton. What is moderation in drink
ing beer? A pint, quart, or a gal
lon? ssssss7ss'f .7.ses ----
Now, l don't propose to argue such
questions with anybody, but to submit
facts, which will enlighten some of
your readers at least. and go, to make
up that human experience by which
at last all such questions will be set
tied.
/. Iput in evidence that l have seen
a half dozen young men to 60 out, buy
ale, and get outright drunk upon it.
There is one fact. ur.4ffl q.
9. / put in evidence some statistics
which are mndeniable In Massachu-
sets, after the prohibition act, they
fell back on beer shops, and that
depended on vote. Twill cite case
or two. In 1871 the city Of Taunton
voted "no beer" The number of ar
rests for drunkenness from May to
December q, 1872, was 1872. being an
increase over the previous year of 2t2
or about 20 per cent That will do
for one example, but here is another:
In the great emergency of the Boston
fire every precaution against disorder
and riot became necessary. An edict
of absolute prohibition against beer
and all intoxicating drinks was made
The Chief of Police, Mr.. Savage, says
For the ten days preceding the order
viz I, from Nov. 2 to Nov. II, inclu-
sive, the records show the whole mum
Der OF arrests to be ,169. For the
teassdsys in which the order was ir
force. frani Nov. u to Nov. q, inclu
siye, the records show the whole num-
her Of arrests to be 675." That il
only60 per cert of the former mum
Der. That was short time, but ;
| very Instructive one.
3. Beer, ,as formerly made, was muci
adulterated with poisonous matter
It was charged with strichnine ant
coculus indicus. l am neither dctec
tive nor chemist, and, therefore, cal
not say whether such is the practic,
now sorsnot; but It is not very pr0ba bl
the brewers have improved in thei
ways, ESPECIALLY as II would not b
profitable Some years ago, IN Nes
York, q company lOf ge tlemen though
as your correspondent does, and the
went to work to make pure beer, a
they supposed all beer was pure. The
made dead failure, and enlightene'
their minds by finding that they coul
not compete with men who mad
cheaper beer by adulteration. Now
| think that before beer is recommend
ed as an innocent, not injurious, arti
Gle, it would be worth while to inquir
what it is made out of. 1t used to b
ii don't say now-the practice Q
brewers to make beer out Of the dirt
lest water they could find, on the prin
ciple that the dirtiest water made tn
best beer.
!, Now, suppose we take the huma
reason as another of our facts. Lie
! your correspondent think Of the rela
tive merits Of beer. and whisky. Lie
him suppose that whisky has the mos
alcohol, and infames the brain tn
most Then let him turn to the othe
organs and tissues Of the body, an
see how they work. There are tn
kidneys for example. which secret
aud carry off the waste fluids. Th
kidneys are sensitive organ, aud di:
eases of the kidneys are growing ver
common. Which Injuries the kidney
most. beer or whisky? Take the bloc
which must be gathered up throug
heart, liver, or lungs-is it likely [
run any easier or smoother for pot:
tions of thick beer? On the contrar
whisky and gin are beneficial to tt
kidneys in certain states. Howevt
all this may be, it is certain that bee
with its malt and its dirty water, is n,
likely to improve the kidneys or IL
heart. Byron wrote his poetry wit
gin, but who ever heard Of poet1
merging from beer cask? The |;
dies of England, hundreds of yea
ago, made their own beer, and then
was pure beer If that were the ca;
now, We might, perhaps, extend II
argument, but in the present conditiC
of things all argument is ended by II
actual state of fact: Really Tcann,
imagine anything more ridiculous ths
to set up beeras temperance drml
The references to theorists and do
4 tors are of no avail; for they are d
vided in opinion, and there are en-,
nent physicians in Cincinnati WI
will tell you that there is not part
Gle Of idietetc or useful aliment in al
alcoholic stimulants. Where a me-
can and does get drunk on beer, the
is little to be argued about The cor
mon Sense Of mankind must dete
mine whether such evils should
suppressed, and how.
+ The supporters Of the drinkil
houses are mistaken on another poin
The question Of whether stimulan
are not beneficial in some cases is n