The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-04-02
What Whisky Does.

The n Y Independent has been exam
lining various official reports of our govern
ment and finds that
There are in the United States 10000
drinking saloons with 100000 dram drink
ers spending yearly $I,575, 100000.
From this army of 100000 we have
annually imprisoned for crime 100000, at
cost for litigation, crimes aud imprison-
ment of $90,000,O00.
From the same army 10000 annually
are consigned to drunkard's grave; con-
nected with the same are 100000 children
reduced to beggary. These figures may
be only approximately correct yet they
are sufficiently SO to make table of the
most horrible statistics.
Says another; If the families of drunk
ards average five persons, untold misery
and wretchedness are carried to more than
| 100000, large proportion of whom are
women and children
And this is the array of financial loss,
crime and misery, against which the senti-
ment of good people, and the efforts of the
crusaders are being directed. We are told
that through the influence of the ''Wo-
men S Movement" in a single district, in
one of the States, the revenue, largely de-
rived from the sale of intoxicating liquors,
has within two months been reduced $l54,-
COG.
But instead of this being hailed as good
ne1Us, 10 voice comes to us crying aloud
women, pause Take long look ahead
and view the possible effect of this stipend
Gus moral awakening By reducing the
liquor traffic the public revenue will be re-
nd a Of
is necessary to the maintenance of this gov
eminent, what is thus lost must be made up
| by taxation in some other form, and the
query comes-Are the crusaders ready for
| this issue?
All over this land, the voice of the earn
est women, who feel SIC rs theY only can
feel it, will, when ask"1 in one grand cho-
rus ring out the refrain-Let the tao come
upon tea, coffee, or any other luxury, if
need be, so that thereby will be swept out
of existence the traffic which costs us
our homes, husbands, fathers and sons.
Gentlemen cry Pause, Why should we
longer pause?' We have been pausing in
thiS city until the enemy has bound us
hand and foot
| But let US conGne ourselves, for the pres
ent, to the financial aspect If, as our
alarmist states, the total revenue to the
| United States from the liquor traffic is $5S,-
42S, 463, and that one quarter of this,
amounting to $l4, 407, lis, may be lost to
the government if this crusade against the
rum traffic be continued, let him put over
| against this loss the onequarter of the $780,
900, 900 paid for litigation, crime and im-
prisonment, as cited above, and he will
| find the balance changed in favor of the
government, and amounting to no less than
81 1872, 8S5, TO say nothing of the one quar-
ter million of the 81, 572, 000,0 900 spent for
dram drinking. This last gives us 1898
| 100000 saved by the reform of these drink
ers, and turns this amount into the pro-
ductlve channels of honest pursuit and ex-
penditure. All this and get no tar on tea
But, by carrying this comparison still
| further, we may see yet other lines OF
economy. 1t will give us ! 100000 drink
ers saved $4,000 rescued from crime
$1,000 snatched from the drunkard' S grve;
So 900 children spared the pains of perjury
and disgrace aud woman saved from an
amount of misery which no pen can COM
pute aud none but God pity as it deserves
Surely these are arguments which even
those who have enlisted in this singular
movement will heed.
What will zee do?
| This question comes home to US with pc
culiar force, when we remember that there
are, in this city, scores of places where
in our young men are lured on to financial
| physical and moral ruin, through the fell
| destroyer, lntemperance.
If lntemperance be the cause of so large
a proportion Of the poverty, crime, anc
consequent misery abroad in our land, is il
not time that it was banished from oul
midst, whether by moral sudsion, legisla
tion crusdding, or otherwise?
When Death waits at our door shall We
be SO fastldious, as to the plan adopted By
the physician in dealing with his patient
that we will thwart his curative agencies
merely to CRAFTY his prejudices, and there
| by sacrifice life?
1t is not difficult to show most conclu
sively, that financial, physical and mora
economy are upon the side of temperance
and that lnestimable extravaganza, in al
these directions, is the daily result of the
liquor traffic among u.s.
Can we afford this reckless squandering
of the very elements of success? Can We
afford to disapprove and cast reflections
upon those brave ones who are assuming {
hard and thankless task in behalf of hui
mainly, simply because the naodus operdad
is not pleasing to US \.