The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-06-06
Letter from Colorado.

A growing City.-Pienty of Chan
yes wrought by NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Thereon. ~
We had occasions, a few days ago to
visit the city of Denver, the metropolis
and pride of Colorado. IL has improved
very much since u last visit, nearly
four years ago. Ii now contains twen-
ty-fivc or thirty thousand inhabitants,
and some very fine business blocks and
private residences. Much pains has
been taken TO set out trees, and their
growth has been very rapid, so that
where a short time since was a bare
prairie, now stands a beautiful city in a
forest, that might very appropriately be
called Forest City. But one thing
seems strange o people of the Green
Mountain State, and that is the fire.
quency of such signs as these: "Whole-
sale Liquor Dealers" "Saloon," "Sam-
pie room," Liquors and Cigars" ETC.,
and as we gaze upon them, Il thoughts
go back a few years, and dwell upon
the changes in this city and vicinity
since our first acquaintance here nine
years ago, and particularly those chan
ges whose origin can be traced back to
those signs. Let us mention q few of
them and see if the feelings of anger
and loathing that filled our breast as we
thought of the advocates of "free
whiskey' i'll our W favored state
was not justifiable. We have seen a
man holding a position of honor, and
having as great IN influence as any
man in the territory, after a few years
in a suit of rags, with one old broken
down horse, hauling wood to get mon
ey to buy whiskey.
We have seen the governor of the
territory carried homo in a state of in
toxication, and met at the door by his
beautiful, h%eartbroken wife with that
sad, subdued look, never to be forgot
ten; and the news of her death a short
time after was not a surprise. Strong
drink murdered her. An able lawyer,
formerly a judge in Illinois, fell dead
what the coroner's jury said. We who
had been trying i'll vain to save him,
knew that "whiskey" would have been
the right word. A leading merchant
dropped dead in his store. The same
report by the coroner, and the same
true cause. A judge with a beautiful
home and loving wife. In a few years,
home and furniture gone for the &C.
cursed drink, wife deserted and driver
from the home now no longer hers. A
young man of promise, whose parent.
are now living in Vermont, respected
and wealthy, utters unearthly shricks
while enduring the tortures of deliriun
trcmens, and when ii is past, tries il
vain to resist the Intoxicating draught
which he knows will o carry him tC
an early drunkard's grave. Another
from the same state, occupying q posi-
ton of trust, falls under the same temp
t%ations, squandcrs the public money
and falls so low that those who ono,
were glad of his advice or even notice
now look upon him with contempt
But the Influence of this agent of Satai
does not stop here. One who one,
stood in the sacred desk to preach
gospel of peace and good will, has beer
entangled in meshes and become prom
inent in bar-room brawls. Oh, such
change. Nor is this all. Come will
us to that beautiful brick mansion yon
der. We ring at the door, and are Inc
by the servant and informed that W,
cannot see the lady of the house, as sh,
is sick in bed. Further inquiries rcvea
the terrible fact that this woman, th,
wife of q prominent man, and sur
rounded by all the luxuries that wealth
could furnish, is a slave to this sam
justly called beverage of hell" and, IA
this moment, is dead drunk. Yes, tina
is the word, coarse and horrible as i
may sound. But we refrain, not be
cause we have reached the end of tn,
list, but because it is sickening to dwell
upon it longer. The curses of the AL
mighty will surely rest upon every OH,
who encourages the traffic in this bas
est of all demons, whose footprints arr
so easily traced, and whose hellisl
work can be but family pictured. L
"no drunkard shall enter the kingdom
of Heaven" surely no drunkard maker
will be allowed there. But the ruined
and those who caused the ruin will to-
gether be compelled to become tres.
passers in that place "prcpared for the
Devil and his angels" w.
Greenland, Col, May &c, 1879.