Smyrna times., 1856-01-16
WhiskeY and Dear Bread,

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Iu these times, when low prices for bread
stufs are more rarely the exception than the
rule, and when it is so difficult for laboring
men and others of small means to gain sub
sistence by hosest industry, it may be well to
consider the causes of this state of things, and |
inquire whether a remedy cannot to some ex-
tent be provided.
We can very we'll understand that ia times
Of general scarcity every article of food should
be high, but is not so easy to comprehend the |
reason for the same state of things in a season
of universal plenty. The Creator has blessed !
Man during the last year with abundant har- /
vests everywhere. The yield of the various
grains has been greater than in any previous
year. Notwithstanding this, there is a contin-
ual tendency of prices upward and no present
prospect of a reduction. To some extent,
doubtless, the prevalence of wasting wars in
the old country, drawing from the active pur-
suits of life thousands of cultvators of the SOIL
among others, has its influence, but this is not
the only cause There is another which is too
/ little considered by those who are affected by
| IT. duu WHlCu - pOtSub III It's luHuCuCG III JHie
respect, as well as others. We allude to
the enormous consumption of grain in the
manufacture of whiskey. This business has
grown to almost colossal proportions. The de-
struction of the means Of life in the process of
making that which destroys life, is incalculable
in amount All through the land the smoke of
the still ascends, and millions of bushels of
grain and other products of Gods bounty, in
stead of minstering to the necessities of his
creatures, are transformed by this agency into
the veriest instruments of evil that Satan has
devised to plague man, and fill his kingdom with
subjects.
The magnitude Of this business may be
Judged from the following statistics published
in one of our western exchanges. They refer
to one neighborhood only of our widely extend.
cd country. If the aggregate of the business
throughout the world could be viewed, the vast
magnitude of it would be astounding to the most
indifferent of casual observers:
, Everybody who has travelled by the Ohio
: river from Cincinnati to Louisville, has noticed
5 at distances of every few miles the dense,
4. black, far-rolling columns of smoke that beto-
, ken those places where DhtSkey IS manufac
: tured, known by the name of distilleries The
borders of the Ohio river between those two
j. places, contain quite number of those con-
o Germs where the liquid fire is produced. Per-
!. haps as much whiskey is made between those
= two points as in ten times the surface of any
X other part Of the world beside Every regular
e packet which runs to either city, from one TO
" the other, or from any of the intermediate
g ports is laden every trip with barrels OF IT, and
the whiskey business forms very important
y item in the traffic of many towns along that
d river.
l. We have been at some pains to get, from a
f. gentleman who is we'll acquainted with the
n business of the various distillerles on the Ohio
;, between Cincinnati and Louisville, statement
of the amount of corn Mashed" that is, used
ID up for the purpose of manufacturing into whls
10, key, within those bounds The figures will, we
n. imagine, rather surprise those OF our readers
,v who are not acquainted with the extent t.
which the business is carried on. We failed L
70 get the statistics for Louisville and Cincinnati
er where quite stiff business in that line is done
d, but we think every friend of temperance will
- acknowledge by the time we get through will
- our statement of the amount manufactured in
" termediately, that there is quite too large
a quantity produced for Legitimate "manufactur
ut ing purposes" l.3aj uf .la.e .Hs.fi -
- SOM mash 900 bushels Of corn per day; w
Nv Snyder, Jr,, Milton, mashes 500 bushels pc
M day; Root g. Co., Carrolton, KY, mash so
ut bushels per days distillery at Patriot, Ind, for
ief merly belonging to <. Case, mashes 500 bushel
,o per day; dlstillery at Rising Sun, 400 bushel
% per day; the Gaffs, at Aurora Ind, mash 30
ST. bushels per day; d smaller concern at Aurora
-- n,ashes 600 bushels per day; w. Snyder. Sr
,iIr Petersburg, KY. mashes 500 bushels per day
IN one distillery in Lawrencehurg, mashes 90
, bushels: another the same, aud still anoths
200 bushels when running
ter lssT New, Aurora, Petersburg, and lawrence
OF burg are all within sight of each other, and
IN person may stand 80 that be may see the smol
7I from tho distilleries that /" mash (cr destro
3 1to speak the truth) over one million bushels
my corn per year to manufacture into this poiso
us To obtain this result we take the above fgur
ing of Aurora, Petersburg, and Lawrenceburg d
sa, 4tilIeries, which make an aggregate OF 4,ut
y bushels mashed per day" We will suppose tn
ear thsrel are 900 running daysin the year. ana
me thaye the enormous sum Of one million Nv
lose hundred thousand bushels OF corn used ln q
Biz nnan,itictarc OF whiskey in these three pace
- tnf. Titse 10 3lqHihE5 0H 10 @AbiHf' Hf 'ti tt
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