The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-12-18
Does it Pay 2

The following quotation from the very
excellent temperance lecture recently
delivered by Rev. J. d. Pierce in the
Baptist church satisfactorily answers the
above question:
The police force of Portland in 1878
cost the citizens S2S,3I6 %. OF this s.,
S57 7S was paid by individuals, L sup
pose, as license; S4,714 40 by fines i'm
posed on arrests, and Sl6,S52 l3 by
special tax upon all citizens. 1t is of
course very difficult to determine for
lust how much the liquor interests were
responsible or how much might be saved
by their abolishment, but as the law
Judges mems guilt by overt acts, we
NAV form an approximate estimate by
the nature of the cases arrested.
From the report of Mr.. n. b. HaLlocki
President of the Board of Police Com
missioners, for year ending December
/ 81, 1873, 1 gather the following statistics:
Grand total of ,gSS
Total of city arrests - iaAO
/ For drunk and disorder y y----.------.- %
| Lying drunk in the streets-.-.--.---.---- 81
Total from uQuOr.--.----- oSS
| Thus sixty per cent. of all arrests mace
| in the city were directly from drunken
ness, and probably many of the remain
/ ing 23I arrested for ''disOrderly conduct
4 sprung from the same cause indirectly.
But, says one, the heavy licenses must
/ be counted on our oside. think 1t
hardly fair that after man has rem
dered another unfit for service and
brought him into n condition by which
he is fined for his habits, that he should
count this fine on his credit. The poor
fellow who is ruined in purse and in
character ought at least to be credited
with his fine rs contribution to the
general wealth.
Now, suppose in the fifty-eight saloons
there be one hundred Taxpayers, or
! about one-twentieth of the voters in the
city. BY their business three-fifths of
all arrests are made at an expense of
three-ffths of the police force, 4. G., OF
S2S, ,317 73, or Sl6,99O. OF this there are
paid i'm licenses 8, ,S5T rs; fines, 81, ia 40;
total, S7,572 IS, leaving deficit Of their
share, according to the fairest reckon
ing of S9,3l7 81.
This, o temperance people of Port
; land, is the bonus for which you are pro-
tecting the liquor interest among you.
, IL some may think last years arrests for
drunkenness to be above the general
average, L will simply state that in 1872
: the total city arrests were l,2l9; for
drunk and disOrderly, LII, or over
a ninety per cent. In 1871, total city
cases, ,423; drunk and disorderly, 1,O99,
nearly so per cent. of all arrests made.
{ And vet men are so wise as to say that
\ without the aid of the liquor interest it
!, would be very difficult To sustain the
police forceI 1t would be needless.
lTwo-thirds of the expenses would be cut
down, and only one-fifth of the receipts
withdrawn while the men who are now
C living from hand to mouth, with no
taxable property but their poor heads,
j which last relic whisky is forcing under
Al n br
Il their earnings, prOlOnging their lives
!, thus adding to two departments of tax
able property in our city. Does it pay
II But it makes money lively, say oul
: business men. Well, if this is all lei
: us perfect some scheme by which this
., money may fall into more hands. 1t Is
nothing but fair since all need money
u to secure happiness, that rotation o.
8 benefits be secured. Suppose the follow
:, ing plan be tried: l would arrange with
: the drug stores to secure liberal supply
of arsenic and white lead. The grOcers
} should all agree to mix a little with
e their flour, or perhaps this could bC
r more easily done at the Touring mill
not indeed to produce instant death, fol
: this would bring reaction, but like the
y lead from water pipes, to deal out SLOWLY
i its poison, undermining health. Mean
D while, pleasure should be multiplied Il
wear out those not otherwise reached
Physicians would soon say, "Times art
{ lively" and be thankful. Suspicion
S would be aroused by the number o
deaths, courts called, juries impanneled
lawyers fees multiplied, and another
class made happy. These classes, find
|. ing money so lively, would build better
: houses, employ laborers, multiply ser
wants and artisans, fill their houses
with costly furniture and fine silve
{ ware, thus sharing their happiness anC
s making money plenty there. Some o
: our bachelor friends who now feel too
poor to support such an item of extrav
gance as = wife, would increase thei
: goods and turn over new leaf int
: matrimonial blessedness. Straightway
s an onslaught would be made on our dry
A goods establishments, millinery store
and dress makers shops, which wouI(
restore the needful to another class o
pockets. The minister would not bt
forgotten, but wedding fees would b,
multiplied; the day laborer would haV
q plenty of work, the undertaken wOult
have full hearses and full pockets; tn
livery mems horses would learn vel
i the road over the ferry and eontribut
: to their masters wealth, and everybody
would be happy! HorribleI you say
But is it not your theory that lively cir
e culation of money makes men happy
= All! how about those aching hearts beref
of their life companion? How about tn
broken family circle? the pale-faceC
!, children pining on the verge of tn
Il grave? How with that young man
y blasted hopes? How about the eontin
ual depletion of population? Wht
would be left to enjoy the money after i
n IS gathered? Who would prize tn
drachmas coined from the hearts bes
:, blood of their friends and companions