The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1874-08-13

We have before us the report OF Mr.. Rtltfner,
Superintendent OF the Virginia Board OF Put">
lie Instruction, for 1878, and we find i'll it, ar
rayed in startling figures, statement OF taxation
| for liquors, drank within the State, which fully
! accounts for the poverty, not only OF Virginia.
| but of all the Southern States while it also
gives the reason for the straitened circumstap1
ces of millions in the North. There are 1855
retail liquor shops in the State. II these shopa
| sell the average amount OF liquor sold by the
| liquor shops Of the United States, and there ID
no reason to suppose they do not, the annual
amount consumed is 10,622, SSS. There art
additions to be made to this from wholesale
dealers and patent medicines which aie bought
and consumed for their alcohol, that raise the
aggregate to $l2, 100000. There is no doubt
that the sum total exceeds these terrific figures
which leave out entirely the alcohol used for
mechanical and manufacturing purposes. This
sum exceeds the total value OF all the farm pro-
| auctions, increase in live stock, and value Oh
| improvements, of the year 1870, according To
| the u S. Census, in the seven best counties OF
| the State, and by just about the same amount,
the value OF the productions al forty tive smai-
| ler counties during the same year. The wheat
crop of Virginia, for 1870, was in round numbers
s. O0O 900 bushels. This, at $3.50 per- bllshel,
| which is more than was received, make exactly
| sl2 600. In brief, Virginia drank up its
entire wheat crop to the last gill;
! Mr. Ruffner presents other illustrative estt-
\
which we have cited. He then goes on to show
that the total taxation for State purposes, IN
Guiding legislation, salaries, courts institutions
| for dumb blind and insane, public schools and
Interest on the public debt only reaches the
sum of So, 500 600, while 10 add to this sum all
the local taxation, would not equal tne burden
which the. people voluntarily lay upon them~
selves. But this is not ali. The injury done
| to public order, and to pirate health and entel-
prise, is to be taken into account. Mr. Kuif-
ner believes that tile time wasted, the injury
ldone to business, and the cost OF crime, patl-
perissn, insanity and litigation resulting from
/ intemperanee would be more costly than the
LIQUOR itself Then the Superintendent, with
figures furnished by the distinguished English
actl,ary Nelson, in the interests OF Lille inSur-
ance shows how much valuable life is thrown
away in the State. Between fifteen and tWeI-
ty years Of age, the number OF deaths OF teil-
IDerate and Incorporate persons, is as 10 to IL !;
between twenty-one and thirty, 10 to oil; be-
4 tween thirty and forty, 10 to 80. At twenty
wears Of age temperate persons chance Tor
life is a. 9 years-intefnperate 1876; at thirty,
the temperate MANS chance is for 50 . years !
|intemperate, ID S. at forty years, the pfopor-
tionate chances are 2S.S to ll.6 years. linus
money. health, morality, industry, good order,
and life itself, in enormous sums go llto tnis
hottomlass caldron. Is there any return OF
| good for all this expenditures None. The
loss is entire and irraniediable. Ii the whole
: had gone over Niagara Falls, sonetmng Would
be picked up on the shore below, but nothing
is left from this waste. a bushel of grain
transformed into alcohol, and swallowed as a
beverage, is bushel OF grain annhilated. Il
all that is spent for liquor We're put nto huge
furnace, and burned, we should have the ashes;
but, as it is, we have no ashes except sncI as,
with shame and tears, we are obliged to bury
We have not displayed these figures for the
} special purpose OF reading a lesson to Virginia
for that State is no worse than the rest OF the
States OF tile Union but one Of her faithful OF
ticers has brought out the statistics, and tht
: country ought to feel very much obliged to hin
for them They give us the facts that account
a | for all our public distress. Our taxation fol-
: the legitimate purposes of government, and thu
payment of the public debt is q mere bagatelle
< by the side of the taxation to which the people
: Voluntarily subject themselves, for that which
harms them. We consume as q nation, $500.
0 0oO. 900 year in spurious liquors, sum which
only needs a very few multiplications to pay
r the whole public debt OF the country. II thu
tax could be entirely abated, the impetus tina
: would be given, not only to our prosperity, bu'
to our civilization, would soon place us 10 iteh
e tvance of every nation under heaven. ---I'r. 4
! &. Ao{la*d, in Se,Ebrey's for hk;