Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-04-27
RumSellerS.

History proves that Tulla, wire or
Tarquinius. was the incarnation ofiniqutv
Her name has come down to Us associated
with deeds that are infamous beyond des-
cription. All nations and ages loathe the
memory of her gully career. Scarcely
woman has lived so thoroughly bedevied
and inquitous since Mary Magda'ene
walked the streets of Jerusalem.
1t was told of her that she was riding
through the streets one day. when the
dead body of her father, wetering in its
gore, was lying across the wav. Her
charioteer reined up his horses. and was
about to stop, when the unnatural daughter
cried out at the top of her voice, 4" Drive
on! drive on" With the crack of the whip.
the fiery steeds sprang forward and dashed
over the lifeless body, crushing it to pieces,
and spirting the blood upon hedaughter's
dress. How shameful has been the name of
Tullia for this dreadful deed! The blood
curdles in our veins when we think of the
cruel wretch. Mankind can scarcely find
language to express their detestation of the
worse than murderess.
Yet this deed is not more heartless and
cruel than the acts of MANY rumseller
running his traffic in spite of virtue, hap
piness and tears. Dead men do not stop
them; no, nor live men going down to
ruin and shame. Point them to the bloat-
ed, staggering wreck of manhood. still dear
as life to some broken.hearted wife or
mother, and beseech them to stop their
traffic. that not merely mangles dead men,
but kills live ones, and they cry out, in
utter defiance of appeal and threat. Drive
on drjUe on" and away dashes the jug
gernaut of rum through town and city,
crushing hearts and hopes. life and limb,
rich and poor, high and low. Every rum
seller in the land is plying his trade in spite
of entreaties and appeals more powerful
than dead mems manged forms. The
crushed hopes and happiness of the living
really are louder call to cease their traf-
6c than any fact or reason belonging to
the dead. If the rumselers' business were
only insult to the dead, even robbing the
graves of loved ones. and dragging the
mute tenants forth in fiendish derision. il
could be borne. But the traffic lures and
destroys the living 1t enters blessed
homes, and curses them. It attacks happy
hearts, and crushes them. 1t degrades
manhood, womanhood, everything. 1t
puts vice in the place of virtue, poverty in
the place of riches, misery in place of bliss
There is nothing fair, noble, Just, or lovely
in mankind that it does not blight and
wither. 1t transforms kind fathers and
husbands into demons. 1t converts sons
into brutes, and makes daughters more
remorseless than Tullia. herself 1t not
only inebriates but murders six hundred
thousand men and women of our land an
nualy. And what wall of lamentation
and mourning ascends from the wretched
families which these dead men represent!
1t is long, loud appeal from one end of
the land to the other for rumsellers to
desist. But they sell on, bidding defiance
to God and man, and cry, Drive on!
drive ont" Pulpits interpose and plead
churches exhort and pray; legislatures
enact laws to prohibit the sale; authorities
denounce it; prisons threaten; officials ar
rest and incarcerate; the courts condemn !;
governments punish. And still rumsellers
defying all that is good and true, snap
their fingers at public benefactors. and
shout madly. Drive oni drive onr'-
Selected.