The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-04-07
Who Pays the Bills?

full source OF expense aud loss. We
know who makes the money out of IL
the distiller and rumseller, and thew
alone. But question which more in
timately concerns US Is this: WHO PAYS
the billsl The question Is not whether
the rumsellcr shall grow rich, the rum
drinker shall grow poor. IL is not
whether the rum drinkcr shall keep his
money, or the rumsellcr shall win il
from him; but there is u vast amount
of loss aud expense in which neither of
them directly participate. We may be
silent while tho ruin drinker wastes
and spends that which belongs TO him,
which Is but little, and which daily
grows less aud less; but All avalanche
Of wreck aud ruin results from this
traffic which neither the rumseller nor
the rum drinker endures, and yet the
bills must be paid, those expenses met.
Who pays the billsp
Who pays for the fires kindled by
drunken men? Who pays for tho
ships wrecked by tipsv pilots, or lost
through drunken captains or drunken
crews? Who defends the city from RI
OTIS iBciled by men who are maddened
by alcohol? Who pays for the feasting
and junketing of wine. bibbing public
official? Who feeds the drunkard's
hungry children? Who provides for
the drunkard's broken hearted wife?
Who supports the beggarly tramps who,
having wasted their money in drink,
wander about the country? Who re-
pairs the losses caused by the failure of
iuiemperate merchants and reckless
and half intoxicated business menf
Who makes good the damage done by
drunken workmen, and the hindrance
of business caused by the sprees Of In
temperate cmployesl Who pays for
the railroad wrecks caused by drunk
ell conductors and engineers2 Who re-
pays the money which tho drnnkards
borrow that they may obtain strong
drink Who builds the asylums
where crazy drunkards are keptp
Who supports tho idiot children OF
drunken men? Who pays tho bills OF
officers for watching drunken rowdies
Who pays constables and sheriffs fol
catching drunken murderersl " he
pays the attorneys and Jurlcs and judg-
rs who try drunken criminals
Whose money supports jailers, turn
keys and prison keepers to take care oil
men convicted of crimes commi. ted
when drunk? Who pays tho expenses
Of trials aud commitments and cxecu
tivns occasioned by the crimes of in
toxicaled inen1 Who pays for the
property destroyed and burned b,
drunken MODS? Who builds aud sup
drink might remain unocc lpied
VI no endurcs the sufferiDgs ant
losses and brutalities which are due t,
the recklessncss and insanity of drunk
ell husbands aud falhers2 Who pay
for the iuqnests held on drunkard
found dead by the waysidesS WIZ
pays for a puuper's coffin, and for dig
ging drunkard's grave in tue potter
field, when The last glass has beef
drank?
Who;pays the billsI The drunkart
can not pay them, for he has wasted
his substance iu the cup. Will tn,
rumseller pay themY He has neithe
the disposition nor ability to do II
Whoever would attempt to hold rum
s %sIoet %os .sn hs % ssaahpe a h.
catch louse."
The fact is, you and /, and the sober
industrious, toiling portion of the com
munity must meet all these bills. Tn,
drunken rowdy whose head is punche,
in The street fight is cured In the cit,
hospital at our expense; the drunken
beggar Is fed from our table; his hung
~ children come 10 our doors TO
bread, and we cannot refuse assistance
to his broken hearted wife; aud when
at last, having wasted his substance il
riotous living, he comes to the aims
house, the asylum, the hospital, or tn
prison, honest, sober, temperate mel
pay the bills Tor supporting him there
There is no escaping 1t. We may pro
test and object; we may growl al tax
es, and find fault with beggars, but nj
timately and inevitably we must foo
tie bills. We cannot have the priv
lege of spending our own money, no
can we even enj ~ the comfort of say
ing how it will be spent.
: the hard earnings OF honest, tOiling Ia
borers throughout the nation is il
some way devoured by this rum dew
which haunts the land, and howl
about our homes to waste, and ravage
which the laboring man earns, he ma
to dollar and half to meet the ex
penses of this internal traffic.
SO, gentlemen, tax payers, busines
men, farmers, capitalists, Stockholders
and gentlemen of leisure, walk up an,
draw out your pocket books and pa
your rum bills; one cent out of ever
dime, one dime ont OF every dollar
one dollar ont of every ten. ten dollar
out of every hundred, one hundre'
dollars out Of every thousand that yol
earn or gain. You say you do not us
: the article. That makes no difference
/, it Is used: the nation permits Il
the government licenses IL an,
you pay for it, 50 walk u