The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-12-10
The way we Waste.

HE Way we Waste.
One of the facts brought promi
nentIy before the void during the
last few Years is, that France il
rich. The ease with which she hal
recovered from the disastrous wal
with Pruskis, and the promptness
/ with which she has met, not only
her own, but Prussia's enormoui
expenses in that war, have surpris-
ed all her sister nations Every
poor man had his hoard of money,
which he was ready TO lend to the
State. How did he get it? How
did he save it? Why is it that, in
a country like ours, where wages
are high and the opportunities for
making money exceptionally good,
such wealth and prosperity do not
exist? These are important ques-
lions at this time with all of us.
Business is low, industry is paral-
ysed, and the question of bread
stares muititudes in the face.
Well, France is an industrious
nation, it is said. 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 a
harder.working nation ttan the
French, with not only fewer holt
days, but no holidays st all. 1t is
said, too, that Franco is frugal
nation. They probably have the
advantage of US in this, yet to feed
a lsboring man and TO clothe la
boring man aud his family there
must be a definite, necessary ex-
pendituIe in both countries. The
difference in wages ought to cover
the differeube in expenses, and
probably does. If tina American
laborer spends twice as much, or
three times as much, as the French,
he earns twice or three times as
much; yet the American iaborer
lays up nothing, while the French
laborer and small farmer have mon
ey to lend TO their Government.
Their stockings are long and 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 they do not have any
advantage oyer US, as 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 writ
ten by DR.. William Hargreaves,
entitled, "Our Wasted Resources"
We wish that the politicians and
political economists of this coun-
try could read this book, and pom
der well its shocking revelations.
They are revelations of criminal
waste-the expenditure of almost
incalculable resources for that
which brings nothing, woase than
nothing, in return, There are null
titudes of people who regard tn G
temperance question as one of NOR
ais alone The men who drink say
simply, Eve will drink what we
please, and. it's nobody's business.
You temperance men are pestilent
fellows, meddlesome fellows, who
obtrude your tuppenny standard of
morality upon us, and we do not
want it, aud will not accept it. Be-
cause you are virtuous, shall there
be no more cakes and ale 2" Very
well, let US drop it as question of
morality. You will surely look at
it with us as a question of national
economy and prosperity; else, you
can hardly regard yourselves as
patriots. We have a common in
teres in the national prosperity,
and we can discuss amicably any
on this common ground.
France produces its own wine,
and drinks maiGly cheap wine. 1t
is a drink which, while it does them
no good, according to the showing
of their own physicians, does not
do them harm enough to interfere
with their industry. Their drink
ing wastes neither life nor money
as ours docs, 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 were expended by consumers
for liquor more than one hundred
and six millions of dollars, a sum
which amounted to nearly two
thirds of all the wages paid TO la
borers in agriculture and manufac.
lures, and to nearly twice as much
as the receipts of all the railroads
in the State, the sum of the latter
being between sixty-eight and sixty
nine millions. The money ofour
people goes across the bar all the
time faster than it is crowded into
the wickets of all the railroad sta
lions of the State, and where does
it go? What is the return for it ?
Diseased stomachs, aching heads, |
and slstternly homes,
idleness, govt, crime, degradation,
death. These, in various measures,
are exactly what we get for it. We
gain of that which is good, nothing
mo uplift in morality, no increase
of industry, no accession to health,
no growth of prosperity. Our
State is full of tramps, and every
one is a drunkard. There is de.
moralization everywhere, in con-
aequence of this wasteful stream of
fiery fluid that constantly flows
down the open gulIet of the State.
But our state is not alone. The
liquor bill of Pennsylvania during
1870 was more than sixty.fVe mil
lions of dollars, q sum equal to one
third of the entire agricultural pro-
ducts of the State. Illinois paid |
more than forty-two millions, and |
Ohio more than fifty-eight millions. |
Massachusetts paid more than
millions, q sum equal |
to five-sixths of her agricultural |
while the liquor bill of
Maine was only about four millions
and q quarter. Mr.. Hargreayes |
takes the figures of Massachusetts
and Main, to show how q prohibit |
tory law does, after all, reduce the
drinking but it is not our purpose
10 argue this question.
What we desire to show is, that,
With an annual expenditure of
5000, 000, 600 for liquors in the Unit.
ed States-and all the figures we
give are based upon official statistics
lit is not to be wondered at that |
the times are hard and people poor.
Not only this vast sum is wasted /: |
not only the capital invested is di- |
Verted from good uses, and all the
industry involved in production Ia
ken from beneficent pursuits, but
health, morality, responsibility, in
iustry, and life are destroyed. Six
ty thousand Americans annually lie |