Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-08-10
For the Alexandria Gazette.
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In ancient times, incompetence was]
rather an act than "a habit; aud its guilt
was in measure lessened by heathenish
darkness. But is it not a melancholy
fact, that, even enders the light, of the
Gospel, modern times have surpassed all
that went before them, In the strength
and variety of their drinks; and the er-
tent and tTeqaencyof drinkinga AID as
The woeful consequence drunkenness has
more or less infected euery class of hui
imam society.
1t has appeared in the yo,tth and blast
I'd all the parents hopes. 1t has appear
led in the husband, the father, who is SO
liar from providing for his own, that he
|squanders the bread they should eat: ard
shocking to tell it has appeared in the
wife. and instead of help mate, has
made her burden and curse for lite =
Thus it destroys conjugal, filial. and fra.
ternal affection and thousands of falni.
lies are reduced to beggafy by inteuipe-
rance. Business is nep lected, shops de-
serted and aoindOacs stuffed with rags,
buildings decaying. furniture sold at auc-
|tien, children shivering with cold, and
CRYING for bread, and there is none for
hem. And men did labor hard and live
.ong before ardent spirits were made.
Let us nyw advert to the quantity
drank, and the expense our country is at
for this expensive liquor.
When the narshai's took the census of
the United States in 1910, they were d.
rected TO collect and return to the secre-
tary's Office the amount Of ali domestic
manufactures of any considerable extent
i'm the union. From these returns it was
found, that, 25.499.s8e gallons of ardent
spirits y ere distilled in that year And
lit appears that about 100000 OF gallons
| OF rum aud other foreign distilled liquors
we're imported into tie United States the
same year; and that the exports were
2ss,85s, leaving the enormous quantity
| of 5S,S65,529 gallons for our home con.
sumption.
What the annual amount of the imports
have been since 1910, has not been as
certained. But it is presumed, for the
last year it has been much larger. AS fol
| domestic distilled spirits, rapid encrease
| of quantity has doubtless taken place.
According to he census taken in 1910
the number of inhabitants in the United
Estates, and its territorial governments
WAS 7,23O,5l4; out of which deduct al
the children under 6 years OF age, proba
IDLY 100000; and also 1855 600 slaves
(which are IN this country. whose enviable
privilege it is, with few exceptions, to be
WHOLLY denied the use of ardent spirits
this leaves hardly 100000 people te
consume IS, s65,529 gslIens of ardent spi.
rits, besides large quantities of wine, ale
sc. leaving to each person 7 gallons and
lone third.
Now considering The high price of all
Imported liquors, and how much of our
Iown manufacture is in various aays dis,
guised, and sold for French BRANDY, Elol-
land gin, &c. and the great advance.
made from the original st, by tavern
keepers and other retailers, the ultimate
average expense, at the lowest caicula-
ton, must be one dollar gallon, or
ISIS .655, 500 dollars annually.
What vast sum to be paid in twelve
months, for an article, which. doubtless,
will be assented to by people generally.
is of intellectually more injury than bene-
fit to the users of it! Would not one
half OF the amount levied by direct tax,
be likely to produce revolution in the
government ?
In estimating ire COST, no account is
made OF the loss of time inseperable from
such an amazing consumption of strong
drink doubtless it must amount to mil
lions of dollars annually
To suppose such quantity to be cop-
tsumed in one year is almost Incredible.
but BY little calculation these doubts
vanish. A person, who drinks half a gill
"a day, consumes Ave and half gallons a
year who drinks pint a day, Is
gallons a year and how many people
who think themselves very temperate
drink gin every day, and not few are
TO be found who would be offended il
they were accounted Incorporate, who
daily swallow twice this quantity; the
annual amount of which is % dollars
Either of those individuals would proba-
blv think il an intolerable burden to pay
half this sum yearly for the public bene-
fit.
Now upoa suppositioD flat a nan.
for fifty years drinks dram day, that
costs him six cents; this sum at simple