Eaton Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1843-1856, 1854-09-21
In reply to this question, asked blythe N. o.
Organ, correspondent furnishes long article,
from which we take the following:

IL have not falleu IN eStaoHSnlng tne u.teT
uselesSness of alcohol as q beversse-proved,
beyond doubt, that neither real nor appare nj
coed results from its use as drink--it is only
necessary to learn whether il produces any ef
fects; and il so, how far they work injury or
evil. 1t is principle of economy ;hat mon
ey or time spent in acquiring things Of no value
is waste. Ethics teaches that waste or prod
igality is sin. Let US take a eursory view at
the expense-waste-atten the use OF this
article.
In looking over the report Of the Secretary
or the treasury Of the fiscal year, find that
upwards Of seven millions (D have been ex-
pended for foreign Liquors. And OF this amount
three millions and quarter Of dollars for the
article OF brandy alone And from imports Of
The present year, the current expenses must
exceed the last by two millions o! dollars -
The amount OF brandy imported last year ex-
ceeded the year previous by one million two
hundred Thousand dollars, and wines in pro-
portion. or course, the money expended must
always be in proportion to this increase Of i'm
portation. Who pays Ibis enormous sum fora
useless beverage? The importer hear one
say. True, but what does he do with tnIs
amount of liquors Transfer it to the retail
or al handsome profit. And what then be-
comes of III Consumer-you-wh at the
bar, in the fashionable saloons YOU, the gen.
teel drsm-dIinker, at an enormous profit Of
from one to two hundred per cent. finally pay
for al this useless importation BY the time
it is sold out, drink by drink, il has cost, IN
sh, no less than double its imported COST
Fourteen millions Of dollars thus given, worse
than given away And what becomes Of the
money? Seven millions are handed over to
the foreigners for what is drank, and the other
seven millions laid by TO pay for the excess
imported the succeeding year. Thus fourteen
millions OF money go out OF the country year
after year, with promising annual increase,
draining the nation Of its wealth, and directly
impoverishing the people. ...
Of what good is the rumsellsr, oh, my
countrymen, but TO render You and l., and our
| beloved country poor to take from the wLole
community millions and millions Of dollars
every year, without giyiag anything Of uss in
return, and handing it over to fo,eisG hands 10
enrich kings and despots, 10 build up tyranny
and oppression, at the sad expense Of our
homes, our firesides, Of life itself. Let rs
carry these calculations further.
:. There is imported about Two and half gal
Ions of liquor 10 each man, woman and child
lin the United States. The smount mannfsc
ltured at home fer exceeds this. All aMOU Mt
ing little shorto ten gallons 10 each soul. The
women nor ch ldren { course, never use. heir
shares about Que fifth OF the males, also, oi
|. the country never use Eny intoxicating
> liouors Whatever. Add, therefore, the shares
+ not used by these portions of our nhab-
itants 10 the shares Of those who drink, and
/ see the enormous quantity drank by about four
. millions OF our citizens. And who are these
r citizens these drinkers! Generally The no.
blest, the best. the hone and sinew Of the land.
, And when we reflect how injurious ere all its
effects, that the wise, the good, the working
class, sre, by its use, rendeied idle, wsSteful,
vicious and criminal-the TLm- sellers use to
, society becomes apparent. Look at the
waste.
, An hours time is worth some ething-say ten
. cents. 0ne-fi OF eur citizens drink, and IN
20 doing, must waste more or less OF their time.
|, Not q few lose day and night--all their time
Many lose half tteir time, still more fourh b,
/ and so on. The average waste cannot be less
! than one hour per day. Time is Toney. A,
i ten cents an hour, then four huadred thousand
. dollars each and everyday are lost-to families
to society, 10 government. At the end Of a
D year, fourteen millions six hundred Thousand
v dollars is thus worse than thrown away. A
years drinking is at the immediate cost o.
: $l4, 600, 900 for the foreign liquor; the home
MI manufactured, at least the same amount and
in time Sl4.60O,0O0, making the handsome
r sum of S42, 100000. Think of it reader, forty.
two millions six hundred thousand dollars, b,
/. the means Of the rumseler, Squandered-gone
o without one good in return for this enormous
outlay. This may be considered the least o.
al
E agree, and oil human experience confirms the
= statement, that alcohol, used as a beverage,
shorlens life. If fifty tn uSand annually fnt
untimely graves, land this is far short of tn,
number, If we take into consideration the dis
! eases, producing death, that are generated b,
the use Of this poisonous liquor, eighty revo
lutions numbers the last victim of the lou
millions souls Ten years may safely OF
deducted from the life Of each one of his grea
= army. A year of time is worth TO each ant
n every sober, industrious man, five hundret
e dollars. This is a low eStimste.
: Ten years lost is Eve thousand dollars. Fou
a million times this amount is twenty million.
OF dollars: An amount twelve men, counting
> twelve hours per day, at tie rate ofsixty dol
: lals per minute, could not count in hundred
yesrs lust think OF q generation of peopl,
e losing twenty millions of dollars Of time, be
= sides every year, money and idlenass, squan
! der foriy-two millions six hundred thonSant
dollars, and IN return receive misery Wha
: would this nis-spent money and lost labor no
n do, If properly applied TO the improvement @
our homes and our country. A palace woul'
n be The home OF every man the whole countr
II an Eden a school house, fitted as it shoult
!: be, in every neighborhood, with suitable an
y well-paid 10 cher; clothing the best, and FOO
in abundance, for all railroads traverse TO an,
from every mans door connect every town
village and hamlet thread the length an
breadth Of the land With tslegraphic., wires
In short, there is no useful thing it would no
y effect The countess blessings flowing fror
such an enormous source of wealth no ma
I could enumeraie. OF what good is the rum
selle : To deprive us of all these things.
-e IRA Yankee in one of our New Englan
towns, going into the market to buy mess @
IS sausageS, held out link to Tiger. his dog
ID Tiger rubbed hIs nose against them, as If
Fl smell a Bit and instantly bristled up and show
ed his dentals upon which his master droppet
rs them like hot potato.
+. "What's the matter ?,' demanded the ven
al der of pork. edo you find fault with n
in ssusages %
mo-" replied the Yankee, '1've nothin
agn the sassingers, only dog ,oon't eat doc
,. that's ALL"
. GT"What do you drive such pitifrl looh
IN ing carcass as that for3 Why don't you pr
good heavy coat Of flesh on him." asked
g person of an Irish caTtman about his horse :