Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-11-24

country like ours. where wages are high
and the opportunities for making money
exceptionally good. such wealth and pros
periy do not exist? These are important
questions at this time with all of US. Bust
ness is low. industry is paralyzed. and the
question of bread stares multitudes in the
| face.
Well, France is an industrious nation. it
is said. But is not ours an Industrious ma
ton, too? Is it not, indeed. one OF the |
most hard working energetic nations in
the world? We believe it to be harder |
working nation than the French. with not
only fewer holidays. but no holidays at al
and not only less play. but almost no play
ut all 1t is said, too that France is Il fru
gal nation They probably have the adj
vantage of us in this, vet to feed labor |
ing man and to clothe Il laboring man and
his family there must be 4 definite, ncces-
sary expenditure in both countries. The
difference in wages ought to cover the diff
ference in expenses, and probably does
Ii the American laborcr spends twice us
much. or three times us much, us the
French lie earns twice or three times as
much; yet the American lahorer lays up
nothing, while the French laborer and
small farmer have money to lend to their
Government. Their old stockings are long
and are full. The wine and the silk which,
the French raise for Their countries must be
more than counterbalanced by our exported
gold, cotton, and brc;,dsuffs. so that they
DO not have any advantage over US, rs Il
nation, in what they sell to other nations.
We shall have to look further than this for
the secret we are after.
There lies 4 book before Us. written by
DR.. William IIargreaves, entitled, Our
Wasted Resources" We wish that the
t politicians and political economists of this
! country could read this book, and ponder
. we'll its shocking revelations. They are
revelations of criminal wastc-the eXpen
dlture of almost acknowledgements for
that which brings nothing. worse than
nothing. in return There are multtudes
D Of people who regard the temperance
e question one OF morals alone. The
e men who drink say simply, 1--WE will
drink what we please. and its nobodys
t business. lou temperance men are pes
/ tlcnl fellows. me,!dlc>ome fellows. who
G obtrudc your tuppenny standard of moral
@ ity upon US. and we do not want it. and
e will not accept it. Because You are vrtn-
' Gus, shall there be no more cakes and ale? ,"
l.. Very we'll. Let u drop it rs :, question Of
X morality. You will surely look at it with
h us rs Il question of national economy and
If prosperity; else. you can hardly regard
a yourselves as patriots. We have a COM
Z mon interest in the rational prosperity,
@ and we can discuss amicably any subject
$ on this common ground.
s France produces lis own wine. and
f drinks mainly cheap wine. 1t is Il drink
e which. while it does them no good accord
e ing to the showing of their own physicians
H. 10 hon, i,,ta
If ferc with their industry Their drinking
4 W astcs neither life nor money as ours does
and they sell in value to other countries
: more than they drink themselves. Dur
It ing the year $50. in our own State of New
; ! ork. there We're expended by consumers
II for liquor more than one hundred and six
II millions of dollars. 4 sum which amount
; ed to nearly Iwo-third> of all the wages
" paid to laborcrS in agriculture and manu-
facture>, and to nearly twice as much rs
Il the receipts of all the railroads in the
State. the sum of the latter being between
t sixty-cight and siNiy-nine millions. The
II money of our people goes across the bar
: all the time faster than il is crowded into
o the wickcts of all the railroad stations of
e the State, and whcle does it go? Where
II is the return f,r il? Diseased stOmachS.
Ii aching heads, discouraged and slatternlv
Il homes, idlcnc>S, govt. crime. degradation.
Il death. These, in various measures. arc
J. exactly what we get for it. We gain of
that which is good, nothin--no uplift in
morality. no increase Of Industry no ac-
cc>sion to health, no growth of prosperity
Our State is full of tr;,mps. and every one
If is dlunkard. There i decentralization
J. everywhere, in consequence of this waste
:, full stream of fiery fluid that constantly
v flows down the open gullct Of the State.
il. But our State is not alone. The liquor
e bill of Pennsylvania during 1870 wis more
4, than siNtv-fivc millions of dollars a sum
n equal 10 one-ihird of the entire agricul-
4 tural product of the STATE. Illinois paid
/ more than forty-two millions. and OH,
,r more than fty-eght millions Ma>>ach
rs sets paid more than twenty-five millions
ii Il sum equal to tlve-Sixhs of her agricu,
1t ,ural products. while the liquor bill OF
rc Maine WAS only abou four millions and !
n quarter. Mr.. liargreavrS takes The figure.
in of Massachusetts, ana Maine To show how
l. 4 prohihitorv law does. after all rcIuc,
l. the drinking: but il is not oar purp ,>e tt
W argue this question.
q What We desire 10 show IS that. with
:, an annual expenditure of $500. 900 900 fol
y liquors in the United >tatc,-nnd all til,
: figures we give are based upon otfcia
of >taii>tic>-it i rot to be wondered ut tina
:, the times are hard and people poor No
t, only this vast sum i wasted; not only III,
= capital invested is diverted from good uses
II and all the industry involved in production
taken from bcncic,nt pursuits, but health
a morality. responsibility, industry and lit,
:. are dr>iroyrl Sixty ihn1>,nI American,
-, annu,llv lie Loyn in =, ,lrunkarI.s GRAY.
- II w.r. IA ,,cr :, I,.ir,, ;,,n ,L, al
;, Shoe, down INV ,hn1s3nI If orr vn,,ne
=, men every wear. than to have Them ~,
II through All tA' processes OF disease. 'r-ra
Il ''''o"' crime; III" 't>p''F t:H"iIh "hlcl
a lhrN ln'Vltt"lv pass.
e IN SIX hundred milll"ns Of dollar,