The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-04
The Alcoholic medicines. =

The Alcoholic Medicines
Commissioner Yerkes's new order reg
| ulatins the sale OF patent medicines is t
30 into effect on December 1st next. Thi
order, /. will be rcrnembered is aimee
directly at those medicines known to con
tain large proportion OF alcohol. Thu
men who manufacture preparations O
this sort; and the men who deal in them
are thenceforward to DO required to pay
licenses MS regular liquor dealers.
In drawing the line between those pro-
prictory liquids which violate his mandate
and those which do not, Mr.. Yerkes per-
Nceives that ho Is going To have Il CELL
cate time. What he Is after particularly
is The medicines which contains so little
other ingredient that its essentially al
colrolic nature Is unchanged. But how is
no going TO catch up with It? The man
ufacturers of an article OF this Kind.
Knowing where he stands, has only to
add TO his compound Of few drugs OF
harmless character, and It's essentially
alcoholic nature is loitiW1tN SiiehiSSu'
That the makers would adopt this course
was anticipated when the order was first
announced, and since that timo Mr..
Yerkes has frequently received explicit
intmations 10 that effect from the man
ufacturers themselves. No manufacturer
may be expected quietly to come up With
the price of liquor license and to COM
pei every crossroads grocer who handles
his wares to do the same, when all trou-
bic and all expense may be avoided by
the simple process OF diluting his product.
There has for some time been more
or less general suspicion that there was
an under side to the enormous success
enjoyed OF the we'll known proprietary
medicines. This suspicion has been
rather more than confirmed by the great
white light which recent Investigations
have turned upon this distinctly Amer-
can Industry Commissioner Yerkes. too,
Is, gradually anassing a good deal of In
formation In the same direction. The
medicine and Essence" manufacturers
have been unbosoming themselves to him.
MANY of them have made mo- bones q bout
admitting that it is the whiskey element,
pure and simple, that makes their stun
SO popular with the general public.
BUYERS Of these articles are usually Of
two classes, They are either those igno-
rant and confiding souls who attribute
the .exhilurated' feeling following upon
a few doses to the mysterious properties
of the magic formula; or they are more
knowing persons who purchase because
they either can't or won't buy liquor
under its right name. This latter fact
is no secret TO internal revenue collectors
who have watched the sales Of certain
of these compounds in strictly prohibition
districts. .
. Commissioner erkes has difficult
task before him. He has had fair warn
ing from the makers likely to be affected
that they will do everything in their
power to circumvent his order, and 1t is
hard 10 see how he, In turn, can circum-
vent their QOlHS SO' - eic P'oPpAe'o1'
of alcohol Is to be the basis of decision,
the physic makers can inexpensivcly re-
duce that proportion to meet the new
requirements, and straightway proceed
without serious injury to their business.
Teetotalers will doubtless continue to buy
tbeir fayoritc "medicine" for the sake Of
It's pleasant effects. Even the addition
OF n. few high sounding drugs cannot
greatly impair the native popularity King
Barleycorn The chief distinction APP
pears to be that while some hardy spirits
continue to take him. as they saying
runs. neat. good many others, because
Of dry" legislation. or merely of de-
sire TO stand we'll in the community. pre-
fer to have theirs disguised as patent
medicine
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mi, canal Commission has &c