Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-11-03
News of the Day,
What Liquor Costs.

f ~ IA
but with liquor drinkers and sympathisers, II
the immense amounts expended for intox- m
icating drinks, fail to produce a like result d.
We have several times stated, that the Fl
amount of money paid by the people OF n. c
Carolina, would be more than sufficient to r
pay her entire State debt-priucipal and in :
terest. To many this may have appear I
ed a wild exaggeration, but let US submit the =
statement to the test of facts and figures {
We have before US a paper containing a
summary of facts, collected by a Legislative
Committee of another State, which happily
gives us data upon which to predicate our
calculations for North Carolina.
Let us say there are one thousand persons
in this State, engaged in the sale of i~ntoxica-
ting drinks-(and there are doubtless double,
perhaps four times that number)-let US put
down the average sales (not pro6ts) Of each
at Sc per day, land they could hardly afford
to paw clerk hire, house rent, &C., if they did
not sell at least this much)-this will give US
an aggregate of $4,000 six thousand dollars
per day spent forliquor. Liquor sellers hard
ly stop their business on the Sabbath, but
with many it is their largest sales day-then
let us multiply this Sc, 900 per day by the
365 days in a year, and welhave the grand
total of two million one hundred and ninety
thousand dollars go, 100, OOO) spent annually
in North Carolina for Intoxicating drinks.
How long would it take US to pay off our
State debt, if this amount was annually ap-
propriated to this purpose? A very few
years indeed.
But let US pursue these calculations in dol
lars and cents a little further. 1t may be
safely stated as a general rule, that he who
paws a dollar for liquor, loses another dollar
by the loss of time from his business, in con
: sequence of drinking; so that the abov'
:. amount might be doubled by this one item
but in our estimate we shall make no &C
: count of it; though it should be well undeI
e stood. that the real wealth of a State lie
II more in its productive en- ergy than any thin
y else.
n A reliable report states that the averag
+ life of Incorporate men is 40 years, WIN
that of other adults is II years-so that I'll
e. drunkard loses % years Of his life. In tn
nd State, at least 5000 persons die annually fro
90 incorporate habits. Suppose that, If the
were sober, each of these could earn 5000
year, the loss of productive energy to
sit State nav then be set down at one MILL
re dollars, ($1, 600, O00D
,re But let us look at other facts which mC
l;.oo4Ju o4foot fbo coher taY-D2Vlnp mort
of community. 1t is now generally ackno
Ike edged that three-fourths of the pauperism
Dns the State, is the result of intemperance.
ust On the criminal side of the record
bod figures are still more appalling. Judges
If prosecuting officers tell us, that more Il
y it three-fourths of the arrests for crimes
misdemeanors originate in liquor, and I
in fully th~ree-fourths of the expense for Il
prosecution has to be paid by the sober,
cry paying citizens.
the In view of all these facts, it is deemed
calls to say, that the cost of pauperism and cri
ula- occasioned by the use of strong drink,
one the various losses attributable to the s
by cause, will equal, at least, the amount
, let for the liquor drank.
the The account then will stand thus;
ted, Cash paid by the consumer for the
70. LIQUOR purchased $3.50
~ Cash paid, and lost, for pauper-
80 ism, public and private, and
q py crime, and various casualties,
occasioned by strong drink, an
,iph- equal amount, 81, l9C
anu $5 $50