The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-02-22
5000. 600 600

As proof of the correctness of the
above, it may be stated, that during
the last fiscal year the receipts from re-
tail liquor dealers who paid, each, $25
for licenses, amounted to $3.50, 900,
indicating that there are 146, 900 retail
ers of liquors in the United States. BY
including those who escaped paying
license fees, estimated at 1000, the
number is increased to $50, 900, who,
on an average, sold at least $4,000 worth
of liquor each, making 5000, 900, 900,
as above stated.
In 1870 the national bar bill was
$G10, 425, 10. That same year the
value of all the slaughtered animals,
home manufactures, forest productions,
market garden products and orchard
products was 1927, 242, 4O3, or $92,-
1872, ,707 less than the cost of our ma
tion's drink and drunk bill for that year.
In that same year articles of wear
and furniture and household fixtures
exclusive of stoves and hollow-ware)
were valued at $473 So3, S37, which is
$145, 621, 273 less than the cost of liq-
uor for the same year. 1t will be per-
ceived, then, that our nations drink
bill was one hundred and forty-six mil
lion more than the estimated value, at
the place of manufacture, of all the
furniture and house fixtures, all the
boots and shoes, mems, women's and
children's clothing, all the collars,
cuffs, gloves, mittens, hats, caps, ho-
sierY, ETC., that were in that year man
ufactured in the United States.
All the breadstuffs for that year were
valued at 5000, 365, 571, or $40, O59, $50
less than the bar bill of the country.
If to the original cost of these bread
stufrs you add thirty per cent. for prof
it's of dealers, etc., before they reach
the consumer, you have the food of
the nation costing $161, $50, 132 more
than the liquor consumed, and We be-
lieve we may safely say, if we include
all the liquors consumed for which no
tax is pmd, that our drink bill is larger
than our food bill.
Is it any wonder then that we have
an army of 116,00 paupers in our
poor houses and double that number
tramping the country like locusts, de-
youring every green thingl Texas's
part in this liquor business is as fol-
lows: 90 distilleries, A breweries,
1864 retail liquor dealers, 900 whole
salers, $40, $40, 900 aggregate sales;
there were 21s inhabitants to each
hquor dealer; there were A male
adults to each dealer; Texas produced
6271 gallons Of spirits, 1898 barrels
of beer, etc. These were our statistics
in 1879, based upon the internal reve-
nue. reports for 1879 and the census re-
ports for 1879.
In thirteen years, from 1860 to 1872,
there were consumed in the United
States 9, 96a, 926, Os6 gallons of liquor,
costing SO, 7sO, 16l, sos. What an i'm
mense sunni and what have we to show
for it, but diseased bodies, corrupted
souls and more than 100, 900 paupers.
In Austin we have, say, sixty liquor
dealers whose sales aggregate $1,000
per day, or $1,000 a-S each, and Aus
tins liquor bill, in money, is $500, 900
per snnum.
Fellow-citizens, study these figures,
and the more you study them the
more you will be astounded. And
when you have realized the enormous
sum thus expended, ask, what do we
get in returni Is our city any more at
tractive to good peOplei Is good order
enhanced by i'll Is life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness bettered by
this expenditurel
Suppose that one-sixth ofthe amount
Of Austin's liquor bill were expended
on our streets and our public buildings,
would not our mechanics be kept busy;
would not our stores sell more goods;
would not our children and our wives
be better fed and clothed; would not
our conscienccs be in better condition;
would we not be better OF every wAyi
weprOpOse now TO compare the cost
of liquors with that Of the products Of