Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-26

habitual use of alcoholic drinks to publ
health and public welfare by Homer o
Hitchcock, NJ. D., President of the Stat
Board of Health. Kalamazoo, Mich. wa
read. Ii gave a statistical account of tn
manufacture of distilled and brewed liquor
in the United States the hundreds of mil
lions of gallons annually consumed an(
the number of insane, Of idiots, and o
criminals, made so by TIE use of alcoholic
drinks. We copy a portion Of this paper
relating TO the economics of the question
the facts and figures of which are Sufficiently
startling:
What do the 10 900 DEATHS annually caused
By alcohol cost the nation? Theayerage cost
Of burial cannot be less than so per capita
giving the sum of $3.50 900. These 49, ,OOC
persons should each have had. according tC
"A table of working years calculated from
life tables by DR.. Edward Jarvis. and pub
lished in the fifth annual report Of the Mas
sachusetts State Board of HEALTH, 81. .4G
years of effective life From the best data
ohtainable We have bave been led to CON
cude that lcOhol shortens the lives Of those
who use 1t habtually OF excessively, twen-
ty-eight per cent. As this percentage per
tains To the whole life, including both the
developing and the effective periods. it fol-
lows that these 40 900 persons have each
lost 10 the nation twenty-eight per cent OF
/ b i6 years. or l6 0S years of effective life.
! giving total OF 7o4 900 years. These hg-
| ures are much below the actual los accord
ing To the expectancies OF Incorporate per
sons given above for, according 70 the
/ Va h.la 70 r.f. H.
iective life Is twenty-three years. within a
small fraction. On this basis the annual
loss of the nation of effective life from alco-
hOl l. l.l27 .000 years. Ii each effective
year of life Is valued al $50. the nation
loses on the first calculation Sll7 200 GOO,
ami on the second Sl6J 05O 600 Engiish
actuarle-, from careful observation aud cal
cu!atlonS, estimate that Tor every death
there are two persons constantly -ick
! We may therefore calculate that ior these
70 900 deaths from alcohol there are - 600
constantly sick from the sane cause. Thus,
/ IN single year. o. 900 years ui elective
| hie hre lost To the state. which. vaned at
/ ) $50 per YEAR. gives "a loss of ssl4 700 900
1 The cost of this sickness, At the very lowest
estimate. cannot he less than ) ljO per year,
or a total Of Sl+, 200 900.
ltlat do the insane cqltsed iy a'c0ioi at
p AsafE fNoa tfat MUM f4f 70 GfaI ~ nave
already seen that in q very moderate e-ti-
mate twenty-five per cenr uf the insane are
made 80 by alcohol thus, g.3jo of the
81, ,432 insane persons enumerated IN the
census tables are thus caused These re-
present in each year loss oi elective life
| Of 9,3jo years, which valued ; 100 per year,
gives a loss to the nation %! 81 i03.-
] zoo The average cost OF maintaining and
/ caring Tor these people cannot be less than
/ 81 per week for each. which l. the average
cost IN three State a~yiums ot HtS-achu-
sets This Will present q loss % the Srste
I Of II 96J, lcO. But. according ~ table
constructed by Mr. john l.. Copeland, and
[ also to the English Lilo Tables tquoted
/ hy DR. Edward Jarvis. page :-3 Of the
/ Fifth Annual Report ui Massachusetts State
Board Of llealth). the average lI,S Of cf-
/ teciiyc lie by their premature deaths =
( years each. Moreover. a. thl>, made By
/ alcohol are generally made ~ at or before
/ forty years ot age, the loss OF elective lite
I ol the insane should be based up.u ;hs loss
in the three tir-. decade>. VIZ. from twenty
to forty Inclusive, which Is al average for
each person, male and female. 90 l0.j years
This gives a total loss of Elective life FOR @ 3j5
insane OF o. 3j9 wears, which alta vaiGe of
$50 per year. gives a loss 10 the nation Of
Sli73o so. II, now. We adopt Lord Shafts
bury : estimate OF the percentage Of insanity
caused by alcohol. these figures -ncslI all
( be increased b. 10 per cent, and We should
have for loss OF effective lite 30 - years,
with an estimate value of So .313 .l50.
The annual cost OF supporting the insane.
rendered 80 by alcohol, would then be raised
TO 54.7l6 49,
Iyaat doe, tie ration oss b. hc- idiofs.
mute So by aratJi3 Iae whole number OF
I IdIutc persons reported IN the census tables
( j. 81 81. OF which. on the basis OF DR..
/ Howe's statistics. IL 9j3 are cause; hy alc0-
/ hol-the degenerate offspring of drankard~.
/ |, We correct these table, ace r!iu-, % the
views OF F. Il. SAnborn, We have a.
the probable whole number %. iI9t per
/ sons - .O4n and the number trac5able % al
c1hul OF H. effects l. $50. The average
/ co>t ior the care and support lt these un-
Tort unate~ must bc at least $50 per year.
making a loss IL the natI1n ui s. 562 600
3 Allowing tu4t one nail ot these persons. II
they were uoj imbeciie. w0Gd die before
maturity. and thus would have NJ effective
I ilie. tno5e remains tor fhe others a loss to
The nation vi all the effective lite tn Which
/ yhey might have been entitled. or 31.i6
years each giving total loss Of $40 .JuS years.
with an eslImate value OF 81 ,9o6 200 As
/ crime nay properly be considered lu one
sense hrt a form or symptom ef disease,
and a. it has been ana perhaps tan lY .-1own
that al least tEree-tOurth- OF che crimes
committed IN this nation may -~'"ed
more or les directly 10 the Influence OF
alcohol. IN our estimate of rhe losses Of
the nation from alcohol. the cost Ot the
. chine, committed annually IN tuc country.
uni traceablr to the Influence of alcohol,
should be included. Also their cost IN the
direc, destruction pf property. she ,n-l of
effective life by murder aud tnr punishment
OF criminals and the cost 10 Directing. ar
resting, couvIoiing, and puni-t.ng the
criminals Greatly % my regret have at
( hand no reliah!e data from wHic7 M ap-
proximate estimate pt these llamrf-.' losses
to the nation may b. computed jnink it
l. plain however. thai they must re count
I'd by hundreds nt millions The ,l-s. too,
from accident, by sea and land annually
caused by alcohol, including loss oi proper
" destroyed, and ch;ctivo lIie lost by pre-
mature d,ath 81 those Killed, AuI.I loot up
10 millions. Also, u paupert~n be not a
disease Il certainly has veg close
: relation to the diseases and diseased
condition of the system csu>ei hy al
eohui. and the losses OF the nation tor pau
I perlsm thus caused should al>l be included
in this estimate We have. however, no
reliable data from which We ara ahio to ex-
press these losses III figures. NJ doubt,
however, the annual losses srrm crime, ac-
clients aad pauperi~m attributable tn alcD-
hOl would equal 0- exceed : OOe 900 900.
shall close this paper with a iew brIei
propositions which | shall bo glad 10 have
freely discussed by the association. 1t any
subject demands the immediate, careful,
earnest, and practical consideration ofevery
branch OF the Glyernmept-tienerai State,
OF muuicipal-tollowed nv Wise and efficient
legislation. this does Drunkenness, Is one
OF the greatest IL rjurieS to the State, and a
such should be punished a. \ crime. lip
ping shops. bars and drinking sllouns give
origin to and promote tnI- evil. and, a
enemies 20 the State, ought to be absolutely
prohibited. W hIis 1t l. right. proper, anC
Wise tor the t,eaeraI Government to levy
tax upon the manufacture OF alcoholics, ,botf
for revenue and restriction, 1t Il not
wise. ju-t or expedient Tor 1t 10 levy tal
upon the retail sales OF these liquors. for
however it may DO technically considered
! men do count paying a tax 10 the Genera
GJverEment Tor selilng intoxicating drink
D sort of Justification of. and protection to
their business. This tax has been the great
est obstacle to the execution OF the prOhlb
itory laws Of the several S-ats- rhe gov
! erI4cnt 4O~tH Tar III IRE IN tue mural thtt
of such tax than Is gained IN revenue
Every business j. rightfIlly hei rs~poasl
bic for its evil effects. Every SAFE t'oyern
ment should at once institute, BY a compc
tent commission, careful inquiry a. 20 tb'
amount If los it suffers from the traffic II
alcoholic drinks, and should assess tba
amount upon the dealers tquitabiy, accord
ing to their sales. Sdch d proceeding il
each State would in i've years entirely ab1l
ish the traffic, and would vastly nure TO tht
benefit of public health and welfare. If tn
General or State Governments continue, i'm
plicitly or directly. To encourage and protec!
, or even permit, the sale Oi Intoxicating
drinks. should they not at once erect, eqinp
ant officer spacious asylums. where they
may send :or the donhle purpose =. punish
IDent aud cure thuSe who have becomI
druukaTd4. poS,e.-ei Of a yitiated and dc
PRAYED appetite? In other words, doe.
not the principle of ssll-pro:eeJiOn requir,
that Govornment should either protect theil
q II