The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1886-04-17
oN oEAvERdEAD COUNTY M. T, SATURDAY, IT, 1885,
WHAT ALCOHOL DOES
Col. B"b Ingersoll Eloquentlv portrays the
Evils Of Alcohol.

SOa' n"" 1hkefsOA IsAOqOentlv vOrtrayS the
Evils of Alcohol.
Colonel Robert lngersoll was lately EN-.
ployed in a case which involved the man.
ufactare Of ardent spirits, and in his speech
to the jury he used the following ian.
guage:
II am aware there is prejudice against
any man engaged in the manufacture OF al.
cohol. believe from the time Il issues from
the coiled and poisonous worm in the distil.
lery until it empties into the he'll Of death,
dishonor and crime, that it is de,noralizing
to everybody that touches it, from the
source to where it ends. do not believe
that anybody can contemplate the subject
without being prejudiced against the crime.
All we have to do is to think Of the wrecks
on either side Of the stream OF death, Of
the suicides, Of the insanity, OF the poverty,
OF the destruction, Of the little children
tugging at the breast Of weeping and de.
spairiny wives asking Tor bread, Of men of
genius it has wrecked, the men struggling
with imaginary serpents produced by this
devilisl' thing; and when you think OF the
'ails, OF the alnshouses, Of the asylums,
Of the prisons and OF the scatfolds on either
hand, do not wonder that every thought
iul man is prejudiced agains, this vile stutf
called alcohol. Intemperance cuts down
youth in its vigor, manhood iu its strength,
and age in its weakness.
"lt breaks the fathers heart, bereaves
the do,ing mother, cxtinguishes natural af:
fection, erases conjugal love. blo,s out iili.sl
attachments, and blight> parental hope,
and brings premature age in sorrow to the
grave. 1t produces weakness, not
strength; sickness, not health; death, not
life. 1t makes wives widows, children
orphans, fathers tiends, and all pa,,pcrs.
1t tteeds rheumatism, nurses gout, welcomes
epiden1ics, invites cholera, imports pesti.
lence and embraces consumption. It
covers the land with misery, idleness and
crime. lngenders controversies, fosters
quarres and cher;shes riots. 1t crowds
your penitentiarics and furnishes victims
70 the >cafald. II is the D'oso u lI,e gam
bier, the element OF the burglar, the prop
OF the highwayman and the support OF the
midnight incendiarv. 1t countenances the
liar, respects the thief, estecms the bias.
phemer. 1t violates obligations. rever-
ence> fraud, honors infany. 1t detamcs
bencvolencc, hates love, scorn> virtue and
| Innocence. II incitcs the father to butcher
! his helpless offspring. and the child to
grind the parricidai az. 1t burns up men
sonsu,nes women, detests life, curses God
and despises heaven. |: ~uborns Witness
rs, nurses pcrtidv, <'ctics the jury box ant
stains the judicial ermnc. 1t bribe> vot.
ers, disqualiies votes, corrupts elections
polutcs our institutions and cnd;.nycrs tn.
government. / ,!cyrades The citizen, dc
bases the legislator, di>honor> the states
man and disarms the patriot. 1t bring
shame, not honor; terror, not safety; &c
spair, not hope; misery, not happiness
and with the malevolcncc Of a iiend, cain.
lv surveys its trightIul dcsolation. and un
>atiatcd with havoc. il poi>on> felicity, kill
peace, ruins morals. wipes out naliona
honor, then curses the world and laughs !,
its ruin. 1t does that and mort--it m,l,
,icrs the soul. /: is the sum of all villain
les. the father ol crimes. the mother Oi Ill
n!,unina,;on. III: devils best friend. an,
GO,i'~ worst enemy.