Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-12-20

and figures. What l have to say being
mostly made up of figures will, no
doubt be somewhat uninteresting; yet
these figures when fully realized and
comprehended ought to stir us all to
energetic and persistent action for tenn
! perance. The figures following were
taken from the Secretary Of State Re
port; Census Report, County Auditors
books, railroad books, from personal
inquiries with men engaged in the Hq-
uor business and various other sources,
some Of which am not permitted to
name As will be seen the cost and
quantity of liquor is estimated, but that
estimate is based upon reliable infor-
nation and l know it is not too high.
I have no doubt in nv own mind that
it should be 25 per cent. higher, but it
is startling enough even as l have
given it.
I suppose your President meant by
saloon a public place where the princi-
pal commodity of merchandise is alco-
holic drinks, a place devoted principal
" to the sale of intoxicating liquors.
Of saloons there are forty-seven in
this county. Of drug stores and gro
ceries where liquor is sold there are
thirty-fve. Some of these might with
propriety be classed among the sa-
looms. In addition to these are four
places where cider only is sold and that
is sold regularly as business. Includ-
ing these there are eighty-six places in
the county where liquor is sold.
The population of this county in 1870
was 32,517. The increase has been but
little since. We may safely say that
our present population does not exceed
"a, ,O0O
In 1870 there were 8, ,696 males over
twenty-one years of age, 4,507 males
between five and eighteen years of age,
16, OIL males in all, and 16, 446 females.
Observing the same ratio in S4,-
900 we find (always dividing to the
nearest interger( one saloon to every
724 inhabitants, 361 male inhabitants,
or 1914 male adults. Including all
places where liquor is sold there is one
to every 106 male adults.
As the law fOrbids the sale of liquors
to minors and women do not drink (?)
it follows that every 1874 male adults
support a saloon, and every 106 sup
port a place for the sale of liquor.
l hope we may safely say that not more
than one-half of the male adult popula-
ton drink. If so, then every 90 of the
men who drink support a saloon and
every 50 q place for the sale Of liquor.
There are in this county 95 church
buildings or meeting-houses, several of
which are not now used for religious
purposes. The number of those which
are now in use does not differ more
than one or two from the number of
pla ces where liquor is sold.
There are ten high school, graded
school or academy buildings in the
county, one to every five saloons, and one
to every nine places for the sale of iq-
uor. There are 220 district school
houses in the county. So much for the
number of saloons.
OF course nothing so absolutely GER
tain can be said as to the cost Of these
places to the county. We can only es-
innate it. We might say that there is
the direct cost, the amount of money
actually paid by our people for intoxi-
cants; as this money is worse than
thrown away it is so much absolute
cost; then the indirect cOst-the amount
paid to support the paupers and luna
tics and prosecute the criminals It
makes, the time wasted in dissipation
bv those who drink, the loss of the
time of those engaged in the business,
for their occupation IS OF no earthly
good, and their time is worse than
wasted and lost to the public; and first,
as to the direct cost-the amount of
money actually paid for liquors.
have inquired of a number of
men who are now in the business,
and of still more who have at one
time been in the business, in regard to
their average receipts per day, and
have received answers all the way from
two dollars to twenty-five dollars.
From this source, and various others,
am led to take five dollars per day as
the average receipts for each saloon.
know this estimate is none too high. 1t
is safe to say that this money IS about
equally divided between the lighter and
the stronger drinks, that is to say that
about the same amount is paid at the
saloons for beer and ale as is paid for
whisky and the stronger drinks.
There is ne doubt that there is as
much or more money paid at the drug
stores and groceries for the stronger
LIQUORS than is paid at saloons. The
freight books of railroad companies
speak pretty accurately on this point.
On this basis we find that there is
paid for liquors at the saloons $235.00
per day and at the drug stores, ETC.,
S117.5O per day.
Allowing that these places are opened
for business only 313 days in year
(and many of them are opened S65
days. we find paid during the year, at
the saloons S73, ,555, at the drug stores
$50, ,777.5O, making in all $11O, $3.50,
which, if distributed among our people,
would give to every inhabitsnt of the
county 1926, to each male inhabitant
&c 30 or To each vntar 2lSOO II we