The Greeley tribune., 1905-11-30
PAY LICENSE
DRUGGISTS UP AGAINST THE
PATENT MEDICINES
Nav Mean all Sorts of Difficult
ties for Devotees of Temper
ance Whiskies-Some
Statistics

There are all kinds of woes In
store for the lovers Of patent medi-
cines. as it is probable that after
Dec. l they will no longer be able to
buy the goods in Greeley. AT least,
the druggists of the city have re-
ceived notice from Uncle Sans
officials that If they wish to sell the
peoples favorites," they must take
out a government license. Drug
gists must no longer sell medicines
containing over certain per cent Of
alcohol, and it is not stipulated just
what medicines contain that much
or more alcohol.
Now, If the druggists take out
license to sell patent medicine be-
cause of the alcohol it contains, the
question is, are they not selling liq-
uor? OF course. they will then
have the government license, but
there is still county and state
license to be looked after, and then
there is that liquor clause in all Of
the real estate deeds. Any way 1t
is looked at there are complications
arising for the druggists. 1t will
probably pay the dealers to take out
the government license rather than
to cease carrying the patent medt-
cines in. stock, as the demand Is
good, but whether or not they can
do this legally is another question.
OF course. lovers of the dope can
have it shipped in here just the same
as the regular whiskey houses, but
it is not like going to the drug store
and paying 81 bottle.
Heretofore it has been SO easy to
secure ones favorite nostrom; and
it is SO beneficial, too. (?)
1t is strange what difference It
makes how one takes his liquor. 1t
is an everlasting disgrace for any
one to drink the liquor, even In the
purest form in which it can be dis
titled. But it is alright to drink
the cheapest kind of stuff in great
quantities when it carries one Of the
favorite patent medicine labels.
Very few Of these medicines carry
less than 20 per cent of alcohol. 1t
is just awful. too, for nice young
man to drink glass of beer, al
though beer contains only 5 per cent
of alcohol, while one of the most
favorite patent medicines carries 44.3
per cent of alconol.
Champagne contains only per
cent alcohol and claret per cent,
while patent medicine, the name
of which isa common household
word, contains % per cent alcohol
Whiskey itself, in the form consid-
cred pure, is only so per cent
alcohol, so it can be seen what .
blessing to thirsty temperance
town the patent medicines are.
The tired housewife uses it be-
cause it is perfectly harmless and
it tones her up so, but she wouldn't
touch her lips to real beer. because
it was an intoXicant.
The tired temperance worker can
come home worn out from "ex-
hortin' the multitude on the evils
OF intemperance. take glass OF his
favorite bitters, and get up and kick
the chandelier, but he would be
Mortified should anyone offer him a
sip of claret. And SO 1T goes. all
down the line.
An amusing incident of the patent
medicine business was recently re-
counted by one Of the Oldest and
best known ministers of Weld
county. A travelling medicine ven-
der had pursuaded sthe minister's
wife that she had all of the symp-
toms of ailments for which his par
ticular medicine had been dis
covered, and she parted with her
dollar. The medicine made her
feel better.
One evening the minister came
home rather tired and otherwise not
feeling very we'll. He decided to
try the cure-all medicine and took a
pretty generous dose. The result
was that even the well-behaved
floor of his library wanted to hit him
in the face, and the starch all left
his knees.
He said it was his first and last
offepse in getting Jag On.