West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-11-16

and beer for some time feels y
growing desire for some more now.
erful stimulant, and soon resorts 70
the habitual use of distilled LIQUORS
such as brandy or whisky II
doubt very much whether the in
PRODUCTION oflight wines into this
country, free of duty, would induce
people to give up the more power
ful stimulants. My own opinion
with all due Difference to the opin-
ION of others, is that an unlimited
abundance of light wines would re-
suit, gradually, in increased habits
of intemperance, and | do not
think it would result in diminish
ing the sale of distilled LIQUORS.
The almost universal use of liyht
wines in France has not prevented
the people from resorting to absin-
the and other strong stimulants. |
think IN our own country that in
temperance begins almost univer-
sally with the use of wine and beer
which habit lays the foundation or
creates a desire for a stronger slim
ulant, and that in this way thous-
ands are annually prepared to be-
come victims to inebriety.
In the year 1880 a measure was
introduced in England, originating
| believe, with the Duke of Wei
lignton, establishing beer houses,
hoping that they would promote
the cause of temperance and pre-
vent the consumption of the distill-
ed liquors by the masses, Instead
of exerting this benign influence,
it was decided by English states
men that it was increasing and in
tensifying intemperance. Lord
Brougham was so much impressed
by this that he introducing into
the House of Lords a bill for the
repeal of the Beer Act, although he
was at first very sanguine about the
amount of good it was going to ac-
complish. The introduction of beer
did not decrease the sale of ardent
spirits; and all the judicial, civil
and medical authorities united in
their testimony of the increased
evils arising from this measure. In
the year 1872 the editor of the San
Francisco Pacific wrote as follows,
respecting the increased use Of
wines, conrequent upon the estab-
lishment of Of the vineyards of Cal
ifornia: "The lowest, slowest, most
illiterate, most unimprovable, if
not most vicious population outside
Of the great cities, is found in the
oldest wine districts Of this State,
and that the use of the products of
vineyards has been the most active
cause of this condition of the popu-
lation: that the increased produc-
ton and consumption Of wine on
this coast in the more recent years
has diminished the use Of neither
distilled liquors nor lager beer, but
rather increased the demand for
both"
With our national susceptible
nervous temperament, the artificial
habits of life, the intensity and ex-
element of life, and the undue pre-
dominance Of the nervous temper
ament, which is gradually taking
place in successive generations,
would the dangers Of intemperance
be lessened by the unlimited sup
ply of light wines and beer? |
think not. | regard inebriety as a
physical disease, and / do not be-
fieve that man whose nervous sys-
tenn is diseased by indulgence in al
coholic stimulants will ever volun-
tarily abandon distilled liquors for
light wines. Such a man feels,
when depressed physically or men
tally. an irresistible desire, i'm
pulse, or craving to seek for the re-
! lief which he obtains temporarily
from the use of alcoholic stimu-
lants; aud this relief he cannot OBJ
tain from a decidedly weaker slim
ulant than that he is accustomed
to use. The very nature of the.dis-
ease consists in the gradual devel-
opment and growth Of this abnor-
NAL appetite or craving, until 1t
reaches that point where it renders
it's unhappy possessor blind to the
dictates of reason and judgment,
and the slave of this irresistible, in
sane impulse, by which he is com
nollnd hu q terrible ria-n-ternO. to