Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-07-08
TAXATION THAT KILLS.

lAAallDN lfltI NlLlLS.
We have before us the report of Mr. Ruff
ncr, Superintendent OF the virginia ooaru OF
Public Instruction. for 1873, aud we find 10 it,
,rrayed 10 startling figures, statement OF tax
a,;,n for liquors, drauk within the State, which
tully accounts for the poverty, not only OF |lr-
sIpla, but of all the Southern States; while 1t
also gives the reason for the Straitrucd clrcum-
stances of millions in the North. 1hre are
..,SIti retail liquor shops III the State. III these
Shops sell the average amount OF liquor sold 10y
the iiouur shops of the United States, and
there Is no reason 10 suppose they do not, the
annual amount consumed is SO, ,622, SIS. There
are additious to be made to this from whole
sale dealers and patent medicines which are
bought and Consumed for their alcohol, that
raise the aggregate to $l2,O00,UOO. There Is
no doubt that the sun, to,al exceeds these ter
lilic figures, winch leave out entirely the alco-
hol used for mechanical aud manufacturing
purposes. This sum exceeds the lotal value OF
all tie farm productions, increase 10 ave stock,
and value of improvements, Of the year 1870,
according to the y. S. Census, 10 the seven
best counties Of the State, and by just about
the same amput the value of the productions
Of iur;y-fvc smaller counties during the same
Var The VII; ut crop of Virginia, for 1870,
was in rcurd numbers, S UoO,0OO bushels.
This, at Sl.5O per bu>hcl, which lSrmore than
was received, makes exactly Sl2 0OO,uOO. ln
brief, Virginia draUk up It's entire wheat crop
10 the last gill
Mr.. Rutiner- presents other Illustrative
estimates, but nothing can add to the force
ol those which We nave cited. He then
goes on To show tha. the total taxation for
State purposes including legislation, sal
aries, courts, institutions for dumb, blind
ID insane, public schools aud Interest on Tie
, uIiic debt ouly reaches the sun OF So 3uO0OO,
while TO add to this sum all the local taXatlon.
would rot equal The burden which tue people
voluntarily lay upon themselves. but this Is
not all The injury doue TO pubic order, and
10 pliate health aud enterprise, Is TO be taken
into account. Mr.. Rutfucr believes that the
,ue wasted, the injury duuc to business, AID
the cost of crime, pauperl>m, insanity aud hi
CATION rcsul,ing from intempcrancc, would DC
more costly than the liquor Itself Iheu the
Superintendent. with figures furnished by the
distiug uishcd English acluary, Nclson. IN the
interests Of Llie Insurance, shows how much
valuable life is thrown away III the State BE-
tween fifteen aud twenty years OF age, the nun-
Der of deaths of temperate aud lntemperate
lcrsous, is as 10 to Is; between twcuty-onc
aud thirty, 10 to 81; between thirty aud iorty,
l0to 10. At twenty years OF age temperate
person chauce for life is 44.2 yearS-iutenpe-
rate, 1876; at thirty, the temperate mans
chaucc is for So 5 year.; Incorporate, Is 5; at
forty years, the proportlonate chauces are 2S.S
to l.G years. Thus money, health, morality,
industry, good order, aud lite ITSELF i'll euor
nous sums, 90 into this bottomless caldron. Is
there any return of good for all this cxpcndi-
turc? None. The loss is entire, and IRENE
dab!c. If the whole had gone over Niagara
Fails, something would be picked up, on the
shore below, but nothing is LETT from this waste
4 bushel of grain transformed into alcohol, and
swallowed as a beverage, is buShe OF gram
aunihllated Ii all that is spent tUr liquor were
put into huge furnace, aud burned, we should
have The ashes; but, as it is, we have no ashes
except such as, with shame and tears, we are
obliged to bury
We have not displayed these figures for the
special purpose of reading lesson to Virginia,
Tor that State IS no verse than the rest OF the
States Of the Union; but one OF her faithful Of
tcers has brought out the statistics, and the
country ought to feel very much obliged to him
for them They gives US the facts that ac-
count for all our public distress. Our taxation
Tor the legitimate purposes OF government and
the payment of the public debt is mere baga-
tvle by the side of the taxation to which the
people voluntarily subject themselves, tor that
which harms them. We consume, as nation,
$4,000 900 year 10 spiritu@us liquors, SUN
which only needs very few mutiplcatlous TO
pay the whole public debt Of the country. II
tins tax could be entirely abated, the impetus
that would be gwen, not only to our prosperity,
but to our civilization, would soon place us In
advance of every nation under heaven DR. j.
e.. H0lttuld III ScrJnerS Tor July.
CENTERs OF THE UNIVERSE. The faculty
that some people have OF making themselves,
to all intcuts aud purposes, the centre OF the
universe, is thing which | covet every day OF
my life Ot course great many peop lie really
believe that they arc these centers, or that cen
ter--but it is the select few who really compel
every one else to believe it, whom envy. 1t
must be glorious consciousness. Such sense
OF largeucsS such PupiSh pride, without the
slightest tlugc uf any of the Pope's personal
humility. 10 thuk of bringing the whole
realm of literature, art, religion to the test OF
one slr 10 thiuk Of going to hear new
oratoro, net tor the mere vulgar purpose OF
enjoying it, but iu order to sec how you Will
like it..
10 be sure. passing from one such ccptcr to
auother among your friends is apt ia create an
ecmcut of confusion, Sumcthlug like that sup
posed BY Warner to be produced 10 the minds
Of those who dwell by certain river In the
provinces, which first runs one way and then
another, and then vauiShas altogether. -Scr16
mcr for JuLy
IINHE EDUCATION AL ASSOCIATION OF
4 VIRGINIA holds its Ninth Annual Ses-