The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-01-06
VOL. XI---NO. 25.
The Way We Waste.

years, is that France is rich. The ease
with which she recovered from the disas-
trous war with Prussia, and the prompt
ness with which she has met, not only
her own, but Prussia's enormous expen-
ses in that war, have surprised 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 wa
ges are high and the opportunities for
making money exceptionally good, such
wealth and prosperity do not exist ?
These are important questions at this
time with all of US. Business is low, in
dustry is paralyzed, and the question of
bread stares multitudes in the face.
Well France Isl 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 than the French,
with not only fewer holidays, but no hol-
idays at all, and with not only less play,
but almost no play at all. 1t is said, too,
that France is frugal nation. They
probably have the advantage of us in
this, yet to feed a laboring man and to
clothe a: laboring man and his family,
there must be definite, necessary expen-
diture in both countries. The difference
in wages ought to cover the difference in
expenses, and probably does. If the
American laborer spends twice as much or
three times as much; vet the American
laborer lays up nothing, while the French
laborer and small farmer have money to
lend 10 their Government. Their old
stockings are full. The wine and the
silk which the French raise for other
countries must be more than counterbal-
anced by our exported gold, cotton, and
breadstufs, so that they do not have any
advantage over us, as nation, in what
they sell to other nations? We shall
have to look further than this for the se-
cret we are after. y - 80
There lies a book before us written by
DR., William Hargreayes, entitled, sour
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 criminal waste
the expenditure of almost incalculable
resources for that which brings nothing,
worse than nothing in return. There are
multitudes of people who regard the tenn;
perancs question as one OF morals alone.
The men who drink say simply, I'VE
will drink what we please, and it's no.
body'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,
and will not accept it. Because you are
Yirtuous, shall there. be no more cakes
and ale?p Very well, let us drop it as a
Question of morality. You will surely,
look at it with us as q question of nation
al economy and prosperity; else, you can
hardly regard yourselves as patriots.
We have common interest IN the
national prosperity, and we can discuss
amicably any subject on the common o
ground. -. .:,.:,.Ir......t.. h..;l.L :,
drinks mainly cheap wine 1t is a drink
which, while it does them, no good, &C
cording to the showing of their own
physicians does nos do them harm enough
to interfere with their industry. Their.
drinking wastes neither Life nor money as
ours does, and they sell in value to other
countries more. than they drink them
selves. During the year 1870, in our
State Of New York, there were expended
by consumers for liquor more than one
hundred and six millions Of dollars, al
sum which amounted to nearly two-thlrds
of all the wages paid to laborers in agrl-
culture and manufactures, and to nearly
/ twice as much as the receipts of all the
railroads in the State, the! sum of the lat
| er.being between sixty eight and sixty
nine millions. The money of our people
goes across the bar all the time faster
fban it is crowded into the wickets Of all
the railroads stations in4the State, and
where does it go?iicWhat is the. IetuEa
| for it? Diseased stomachs, aching heads
disco2lnlra ged and slatternly homes, ,idlenesss
gout, crime, degradation, death. These,
| in various measures are exactly what we
! get for it., We. gain of that which isl
good, ncthing-no iuplift in morality, no
increase Of industry, no accession to
health, no growth of prosperity. Our
| State is full Of tranips, and every one Is
drunlard. There'yis ademeraiizaGon
everywhere, IN consequence, OF this
wasted stream of fiery fluid that constant
| ly flows down the open gullet of the
| State q ''..;3t f-ti"' = - h.;- '"'i
But o,r State is not alone. The liquor
bill of Pennsylvania during 1870 was
more than sixty-iye millions OF. dollars,
| = ,,-, occnuo1 tn one.third of the entire
agricultural product of the State. Fill
uois paid more than forty-two millions,
and Ohio more than ffty-eight millions.
Massachusetts paid more than twenty.
| five millions, a sum equal to fve-sixths Of
her agricultural products, while the liquor
bill Of Maine was only about four mill
| lions and quarter. Dir. ,Hargreayes takes
the figures. of Massachusetts, and Maine
to show how prohibitory law does,
after all. reduce the drinking: but it is
not our purpose to argue this question:,
What I'VE desire 10 show is, that, Win
an annual expenditure OF S60O,OO0,OO0,
| for Liquor in the United States-and all
the figures we give are based upon official
statistics--it 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 diverted from good
uses and all the industry involved in pro-
duction taken from benehcent pursuits,
but health, morality; respectablity, in
drstry, s.nd life are destroyed. Sixty
thousand Americans annually lie down
in drunkard's grave. It were better to
bring into the field and shoot down sixty
thousand of our young men every year,
than to have them go through all the pro,
cesses of disease, degradation, crime, and
despair through which they inevitably
pass. .,. ,.u.,
saved to The country annually, now long
would it take to make these United osaIes
rich not only, but able to meet, without
disturbance and distress; the reyulsions
in business to which all nations gre
Eobla9 ETora ia a question for the states