The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-09-11
About Whiskey,

The following statements and startling ealcu-
ations are presented on this subject by the
Christian lnteligencer:: agg- -
An item in one of our exchanges states that
Louisville, Kentucky, has five whiskey distille-
ries and thai during the past six months they
have produced nine hundred and fifty-six thou
sand eight huadred and eighteen gallons of
whiskey. 1t does not state how many bright
hopes these five distilleries have blasted, how
many brilliant young men they have ruined,
how many heart-aches they have caused, hew
much crime and misery they have produced,
how many drunkards' graves they have hlieds
The men who manufacture or sell whlskey have
no fondness for statistics of that kind. And, IN
truth, it would be an appalling anda diticuis
investigation to trace out all the thousand evils
WHICH these few distilleries in g single one OF
our cities have lained upon our country and
people. n. -: fe-.t..,-, ,e;..., -,
item, not of moral or religious character,
which are more easily computed. For instance,
how much time has been wasted in the mere
act of drinking the product Of these five distll-
leries, and what has been the cost in dollars
and cents of the time thus lost? It is fair to
presume that all these gallons-nearly mit-
lion--haye been consumed as beverage: The
average "drink" of dram drinller is one gill,
and in the six months production above men.
toned there are thirty millions, six hundred
and eighteen thousand, one hundred and sew
enty.six gills or separate drinks" Now,e on
the presumption that each man spends fifteen
minutes only in going TO and from the place
where this beverage is sold, and in drinking it
when there, the total amount of time consumed
in drinking these millions of gills would be
seven hundred and sixty-fye thousand, four
hundred and ffty.four days, of ten hours each,
which have been worse than thrown away, at
loss to the tipplers, counting their time to a De
worth mo more than $3.50 s. day, OF sl,9i9,eSo'
for which, at ten cents drink, they paio so2-
061, ,S17, or an aggregate OF 45z, wnicn
prodigious amount is just so much aostracteo
from fhe productive wealth of the country, and
from the means of that portion of our people
who drank this six months product of FIVE
whiskey manufactures of a single one of our
cities. If we multiply these figures by two, we
have the wasted time and the cost of it for
wear namely, over one million and half Of
DAYS wasted, at a cost Of So, 3,S27, ,270, or total
cost in time and money of nearly S1O, 1000, 600.
And to this product of the distilleries of a sim
Gle one of our cities be added the lost time
and money caused by the product of the myrl-,
ads of distilleries in our country at large, ana
the cost of time and money occasloned by the
offenses committed under the influence OF whls-
key and expiated in as th and s prisons or u, and me.
shame and misery, and anguish and broken
lives, and impaired bodies and early and
shameful graves, it makes total so terrific
that we cannot understand how the manufac-
turer or vender of liquor can contemplate it
without horror or without abandoning his in
famous occupation, conscience stricken and in
panic of remorse.