Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1868-11-19

Rum which taxes the country every
year to an amount exceeding the
whole principal of the National Debt
Let us look at the figures. Commissioner
Wells reports to Congress, from the off.
cial and sworn returns Of the retail liquor
dealers of the United States, that the val.
ne of the liquors retailed by them over
their COUNTERS and drunk when sold is as
AMOUNT OF SALES OF RETAIL LIQUOR DEALERS.
iInais i11 :,
Illinois. Ills, ,g'3 945
Onio.. .i1l ,12f SO
siassachnsetts.. I,39ol5
mary ................ ~ ,5il $50
ilssousi.. .5f ,j29, ,S.S
ihuiah .1l HIS $50
CalHOfnia .0J,F2i ,0SU
NeniucRy .-.................. oJ.Z2 ID
Wiscon sin SIS SIS
y icillgan.. .52 ,1Si 10
iowa. ,o-2 ss'
Connecticut. .-................ ,.35, ,O0l 23U
New Jersey. a., +,S I49
SD! " -
Rhoie lsianu. lO,23i 241
New hampshire. ..l2,52A 10
minnesota. "lir9f9.o
DIST. Co umbia 10 ,39t $40
Vermont. 60, $1,000
Kansas SOB ,S5i
louisiana II, ,t2l i,W
tennessee. 63o
EeorSia.. ySl', ,fs
Ai'ipha'
ltNaS loI ,-e
south Carolina. l0b bi0,t2J
Noflh Cafohi..
West virginia ia
ARKANSAS. -................-. I,eoS,52u
Delaware. ~, ,631
HlSslssippi. .................. .....4 iJo, 81 J
oregon. ~ = !.
NeFaf.i. f5So IS.
.;a 10 io'i ~ -
The Territories. ...............HlB9 lB9, f0t
Total. 81 ,iS}, ,i9i ,s5S
The mere value of the liquors drunk by
the people in one year in the United States
ia. therefore, nearly Fifteen Hundred Mil
liens Of Dollars, or thre fiths of tho Ma
tional Debt As the amount of taxes paid
by the retailers is propOrtionate to the
amount of their sales, we might safely
assume that the real quantities sold are
much larger, but We are content with the
retailers own figures.
But this is not ell. In he manu-
facture Of this omount of liquor it is safe
to estimate that the materials used, inelud
ing corn, rye, potatoes, hops, and other
crops, and the labor, are worth fifty per
cent of the liquors produced. This leaves
the distillers and brewers a net profit sf
one hundred per cent Oh their active capi-
tai invested every time it s used, which
surely ought to be enough, as they can
turn " their capital four or live times in
year. If this estimate be correct, there
are DESTROYED or consumed in making these
liquors $750,000,000 worth of grains of
various kinds, potatoes, grapes, hops. and
labor. e., this value uf these articles is
deducted from the sum total of tee useful
industry of the country, and contributes
in no degree to its support. The rye con-
sumed in making whisky would have made
bread. and its withdrawal from the supply
of rye for bread makes every loaf of bread
dearer. So OF the other grains. Adding
the value OF the food prodacts and labor
which are withdrawn from all useful chan
nels aud practically destroyed in the man.
ufacture of spirituous liquors, we fluid the
total destruction of values amounts to
50, 24O. 100000 per year, or considerably
more than the interest bearing portion of
the National Debt.
But this is not the entire taxation which
the people pay to sustain Free Rum. "
TO arrive at the grand total we must still
add the loss to the labor. health, and in
dustry of the people which results from its
Scientific research has
,.Own, and scientific men substantially
agree, tha. Alcohol contains no nutritive
principle whetever; thar it acts while in
the system like ether. chloroiOrm, or any
other poison, to derange the healthy ac-
ton of mind and body that all men, with
ont exception, can endure more heat o.
cold, more labor or exposure, more depi-
vatiun and pain, more mental or physical
toll, without it than with it and that it is
no sooner taken than lungs, stomach, skin.
and ev ry other organ of the
body combine in Il common effort to expei
it. Indeed, the only instance in which its
utility is clearly proved is when poison has
seen introduced into the blood. AS by u
snake bite for instance, aud it is necessary
to saturate the system with some antagon
istic poison equally venomous
While the benefits of this vast waste Of
wealth are thus reduced to the minimum,
no limit can he assigned to the evils re-
suting from its consumption in the form Of
liquors. Twenty five cents worth Of these
fluids may unfit man for business fifty
,ents' worth worth may place his entire
property at the disposal OF swindl, r, and
.evpntv-Gvc cents worth may cause him
10 murder his vile. his pare Is, o. his
hi dren. But merely the titnc wasted in
and the destruction OF proper
y resulting from the carelessncss and |
crimes of intoxicated per onS. may be- |
estimated at $500, ,00o, 900 per AMMAN, and
,;cn this is far below the truth. This i
,rings our annual taxation for"Frce Rum"
lp to S25 50J.000. or considerably more
han the entire principal of the National
Debt. In o;le- words, if there were no
pirtuos liquors drunk i'll the United
;tctcs the people would save enough there
" to pay off the entire National Debt
within one year The people of Great
Britain, France, Prussia, Austria, aud
Russia o,ull do the same with their ie-
pcctive debts Is it not strange that the
Democratic party should feel so srievous