92 



made in this country, including those of California ; and they 

 sneer at any so-called wines which have required the addition 

 of sugar for proper fermentation, as is well known to be the 

 case with the juice of the Northern grapes generally. If, 

 then, sugar must be added to produce the alcohol, is not the 

 juice of the currant or strawberry to be prefered, inasmuch as 

 the fruit can be depended on annually ? Vinous fermentation 

 not being confined to the juice of the grape, it would seem 

 that wine must be the result in all cases of this fermentation, 

 differing in quality and flavor by specific causes. 



Alcohol being the legitimate product of vinous fermentation 

 and in its pure state essentially innoxious to health, it is all- 

 important that vile additions should be absolutely prohibited. 

 All vinous beverages, in other words all alcoholic liquors, es- 

 pecially when for sale, should be rigidly inspected or analyzed 

 by government and certified to as unadulterated, and if not so 

 stamped, destroyed at once with heavy penalties. This would 

 be striking, successfully and justly, at the root of the evil. 

 Then let all who will, make, sell or use pure articles as they 

 do meats and other necessaries and luxuries of life.* 



If this gratuitous advice is deemed obstrusive, it is simply to 

 prepare the way for the more than innuendoes understood to 

 be in the Annual Address, boding the speedy millenium of 

 plentiful and free use of grapes and wines in this country as in 

 France and Germany. Satiated with prohibition and special 

 license, both equally obnoxious to principles of freedom, the 

 next somerset and febrile attack, led on by some of the clergy 

 of course, will no doubt be for the unrestricted sale and use of 

 all pure vinous drinks. This is in fact the true doctrine, al- 

 lied to temperance. This will encourage the grape enterprise. 



*To expressed views on this subject, it has been replied that a law to en- 

 force in:^pcction would not, and could not, be eifectual. Let such enquire 

 into the excise laws of England and France and their execution, and they 

 will find that expert detectives of bad liquors arc seldom deceived, and if un- 

 faithful from any cause, a long term of imprisonment folloAVs. On the con- 

 trary, if no exception to their fidelity and success occurs for a certain number 

 of years, a pension is the reward, 



