Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-01-26
Alexau0ria 6aztttt
FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY %.
oA New Whiskey Punch."

Under the above heading the Philadelphia
Times thus merriy refers to Senator Mottetts
"bar room Indicator
Iii Virginia invention, or rather tr-
gipia application of Yankee notion. virginia
has long been troubled wth-or aboutCw,nis'
key. 1t has been, in fact, the plague OF VT
pinia politicians for years. Not that virginia
politicians are, or have been, addlcteo 70 Tug
use of ardent spirits. Perish the thought
The Old Dominion is famed indeed 1or DUN,
gardner whiskey, app!e-jaek;; and peach ana
honey, but all the world knows that these
things. like her tobacco, although produced 10
laree quantities, are mainly Tor foreign con-
sumption. Yet some liquor has been drunk
in Virginia, here and there in out.ot the-Way
places, and the trouble has been to impose and
collect q tax upon this home consumption.
Upon this subject the ability Of many great
minds has been concentrated, and yet year al
ter year the problem has remained unsoVed.
Many Ingenious devices were thought OF, but
none seemed entirely practicable A stamp
tax vas proposed, but the mischief OF 1t was
chat there was no place to put the stamp, or II
there was, the stamp could not be made TO
stick. 10 place it on the drinkers face would
be to convert many q Jealous legislators phys
iocnomy into 4 stamp album. Deposited ID
the glass, it would 60 down the drlnker' $ throat
and disappear from mortal vision; on the glass
it would be AL easy prey to the dlsh,cloth. 80
the stamp idea was easily stamped to deatn'
and the same fate bcfell ali other propositions.
At last however, an idea, which bids tar TO
have greater longevity, Is promulgated IN the
form Of bill 10 regulate the sale OF liquor at
retail and for the imposition and collection OF
tax on the same. Stripped OF Verblage, this
plan is nothing more nor less than the co:
forced use Of the belI-purch, heretofore sacred
keeper in Virginia. Every dealer in liquors at
retail is to have one Of these punches, pur.
chased Of the State and keep the same 10 iull
view of the patrons of his establishment
Every time drink is sold the alarm IS to be
sounded, and the seller thereof is indebted to
the State in the sum Of one cent Every week
or month, as may be hereafter determined. the
revenue officer will 90 around and collect the
tax thus registered The patron OF the bill
admits that many evil-miDded bar-keepers will
attempt to dctraud the State, but be believes
that the smallness OF the tax and the greatness
of the penalty for neglect ITO Immediately
punch" will secure pretty honest enforce
mept of the law, aside from the fact that every
patron of bar will have an ear open to note
the violations. ,.
We ere not surprised to hear from Richmond
contemporaries that the scheme meets With Ia
vor, and that the long vexed problem is thus
about to find a happy solution. Ii liquor Is 10
be taxed by the drink, there can be no better
way of collecting such 4 tax. At 90 dlstaht
day the sound Of the bell punch will be heard
10 every hotel, restaurant aud corner grocery
in the Old Dominion, and whenever 1t falls
upon his car the passing Vlrglnlan may say,
Il, ,pfn hn frno n
the mother OF States and statesmen' while 10
taking drink one may feel that he isl only
refreshing his body, but swelling the revenues
Of the good old Commonwealth. The profits
will be immense. There are some 266,GSO
males in Firgiria over twenty one years OF age,
and We are Informed by the temperance papers,
whose figures never lie, that 100000 OF these
adults take six drinks day, while the average
number OF drinks per man per day Is three. At
this rate it would not take long to wipe out the
State debt and establish ten thousand new
Offices, with good salaries attached. The cslab.
lishmcnt of these Offices would decrease by
twenty thousand the number OF Candidates tor
Federal offices under the administration OF
President TilGcn, and thus the whole nation
would be better off. Throwing out all moral
considerations, therefore, we repeat that the
idea is good one. Virginia should no longer
hesitate to incorporate it in her statutes. And
then lcok Cut for the new versions OF our ma
tiona! horse car poetry
Punch, brothers, punch; punch with care;
Puuch in the presence OF the consumalrc.
\ gentle punch Tor a whiSkcy rare.
y quick, sharp punch fox cocktaii-there!
\ h!ch-toncd puach for the champalgnalre
An ambiguous puoch fer 40 Il don t carc;.,
Punch, punch, rruc;j, for IA regular tare. y
OPENING AND CLOSING or MAlLs.-Until
further notice the following will DO the hours
tor the opening and closing of the mails:
OPENING.
Northern mails, Sl1 q. III. and ECO p. M.
Western mails, S:.lj q. m. and 200 p. M.
Southwestern, viz Lynchburg and Gordons-
vile, 200 p. IN.
andrla, 3:3U p. III.
Manassas division, 800 p. IN.
Southern mails, via Richmond and Freder-
icksburg, Va, SAB q. III. and l:3O p. III.
CLOSING.
Northern and Western mails, 800 p. IN. and
900 III.
Southwestern, via Gordonsviile and Lynch
burg, 600 a. m.
Washington and Ohlo Alexandra 10 houhu
Hill, Va, 500 q. M.
Manassas Division, Goo q. III.
Southern, via Fredericksburg and Richmond,
Va AIS p. m. and $50 p. m
~ General delivery window closes at SUI p.
M Doors close at 800 p. m.
&Sr Open on Sundays at q. H. and closes at
$50 a. m.
~ BONES PRIME N: y; CHEESE, also
IL 80 pkSs Pennsylvania Glsdes Butter re.
inn 10 w. A. JOHNSON.