The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1875-12-02
The Superior Times.
SUPERIOR, THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 1875.
The Way We Waste.


fore the world during the last few years is,
that France srch The ease with which she
has recovered from the disastrous war with
Prussia, and the promptness with which she
has met, not only her own, but Prussia's
enormous expenses ia that war, have sur
pIlsed all her sister nations. Every poor
man had his hoard of ready money, which he
was anxious to lend to the State. How did
he get it? How did he save it? Why is it
that, in country like ours, where wages are
high and the opportunities for making money
exceptionally good, such wealth and prosper
ity do not exist? These are important cues
tons at this time with all of u.s. Business is
low, industry is paralyzed, and the question
Of bread stares multitudes in the face.
Well, France is an Industrious nation, it is
sad. But is not ours an industrious nation
too? Is it not, indeed, one of the most
hard working and energetic nations in the
world ? We believe it to be harder-working
nation than the French, with not ONLY fewer
holidays, bat no holidays at all, and with not
only less play, but no play at all. 1t is said,
too, that France is frugal nation They
probably have the advantage of us in this
vet to feed a laboring man and to clothe a
iaboring man and his family there must be a
definite, necessary expenditure in both coun-
tries The difference in wages ought to
cover the difference in expenses, and prob
ably does. If the American laborer spends
twice as much, or three times as much. as
the French, he earns twice or three times as
mach yet the American laborec laws up
nothing, whilethe French laborer and small
farmer have money to lend to their Govern
ment. Their old stockings are long and are
full The wine and the silk which the French
raise for other countries must be more than
counterbalanced by our exported gold, cotton
and breadstuffs, so that they do not have anv
advantages over US, nation, in what they
sell to other nations. We shall have to look
further than this for the secret we are after.
There lies book before US written BIZ Dr.
William Hargreayes, entitled, "Our Wasted
Resources We wish that the politicians and
political economists of this country could
read this book, and ponder well its shocking
revelations. They are revelations of crimi-
nal waste--the expenditure almost incalcul-
eble resources for that..which brings nothing,
worse than nothing, in return. There are
multitudes of people who regard the temper
ance question one of morals alone. The
men who drink say simply ave will drink
what we please, and it's nobodvs business
You temperate men are pestilent fellows
meddlesome fellows, who abtrude your tup-
peny s.andar Of morality upon US, and we
don't want it and will not accept it. Be-
cause you are virtuous shall there be no
more cakes and ale ?" Very well, let US drop
II AS question OF morality. You will surely
look at it with Us a question of national
economy and prosperity; else, you can
hardly regard yourselves as patriots. We
have a common interest in the national pros
perity aud we can discuss amicably any sub
iect on this common ground.
France produces its own wine. and drinks
mainly cheap wine. 1t is drink which, while
it does them no good, according to the show
ing Of their own physicians, does not do
them harm enough to interfere with their in
dustry Their drinking wastes neither life
nor money as ours does, and they sell in value
TO other countries more than they drink
themselves During the year 1870, in our
own State of New York, there was expended
by consumers for liquor more than one hun
bred and six millions of dollars, a sum which
amounted TO nearly two-thirds of all the
wages paid to laborers in agriculture and
manufactures, and to nearly twice as much
as the receipts of all the railroads in the
State. the sum Of the latter being between
sixtv-eight and sixty nine millions, The
money of our people goes across the bar all
the time faster than it is crowded into the
wickets of all the railroad stations Of the
State and where does it go? What is the
return for it9 Diseased stomachs, discour-
sped and slatternly homes. These. in vari-
ous measures are exactly what we get for
:, Ue cain of that which is good, nothing