The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-03-19
RUNS WORK.

Not long aimee all able-bodied man,
ABOUT thirty years of age, perhaps,
paused at the entrance of grocery
store on Canal street, Just in the edge
OF the evening, and begged for an ap-
pie to eat, saying that he had eaten
nothing since morning. The man was
under the influence of drink, but not so
drunk as to be unable to talk intelIi-
gently, SO the groceryman began to
question him, and drew from him by
slow degrees, his story. He had come
to town in the morning, with about 1926
or $50 in his pocket, but during the
day which had been spent in the sa-
looms of the city, every cent of it had
gone for whisky, 80 that now at The
close of the day he was not only penni-
less, but hungry, and destitute of any
place in which to spend the night. He
was ready to admit that his money had
would have been better if he had
thrown it into the fire before he came
to the city, but his frank admissions OF
the facts in the case could not relieve
his hunger, or furnish him lodging
place for the night.
Now this is sad picture, one of the
saddest, 1t seems to me, that an artists
pencil could paint. Here is a man in
the full vigor of his manhood, stripped
of his last penny by his own consent,
and then turned out upon the streets
hungry and homeless, to beg for SO
small thing as an apple, with which
to satisfy his hunger. And this is Just
fair specimen of runs work. Hun
dreds are being turned out in Just this
condition every day of the week, by
this worse than fiend or devil. And
now we want to inquire how it is, that
such proceedings are permitted, in this
civilized and Christianized land. II
some person had stolen that mans mon
ey, there would have been q furious
noise made about it. Information of
the fact would have been carried to pc
lice headquarters, and within Ia half
hour from the time the crime was CON-
mitted, the criminal would have been
in Jail, if the vigilance of the police
force could have discovered his where
abouts. And yet the man whose mon
ey has been stolen, has suffered infinite
ly less than the man who has not only
lost his money, but his self-respect, his
manhood, by being drunk. 1t seems to
us that rum is infinitely more a crimi-
nal than the thief or pick-pocket.
Now why is it that rum is not ar
raigned before the bar of public opin-
ion, and imprisoned for life, or Danish
ed forever from the land? But let us
press our queries little further. Why
is it that rum is licensed to do this very
work, while the thief is imprisoned for
doing that which is not 1.-THE as bad
Is there any consistency in this2 Why
not license the thief and imprison rum
If one or the other Of these two enemies
to the happiness and prosperity of soci.
ETY., must be turned loose to spread
confusion and ruin broadcast over the
land, why not turn loose the one which
can do the least mischief? There car
be only one reason why rum should be
licensed, which does not hold equal,
good when applied TO the thief, and
that is, that rum is far more efficient
agent of the thief than the devil can be
License rum, and you license all that
rum produces; all the misery, all the
crime, all the idiocy and degeneration
which follow in the train of rum. 1t is
said that consistency is jewel" We
doubt whether those men and those
parties, that are to-day the servants OF
the rum power, SO consider it, Lever