Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-05-03

Persons
Crlmean war 1904 ~
Italian War uSj9). Observation-Disclosures. Is coo
war of sleswick llOlstein..........-.... 3,uU
American Civil War
The North .9SD.OOJ
The SJnth--- .--.-.---.52O,UuJ
soO.OtC
War between Prussia. Austria and Italy
in ls66. 6..-..-..----......-......... iJ OOO
Expeditions to Mexico, Cochin China,
Morocco, Paraguay. etc....... 65.0O
Fran 'o-German War OF lS10ls7l-
France ..l55,oOO
Germany y.-.-.-.........6 go OuU
Turkish Msssacres OF Christians in Bull
garia. Armenia, ETC., ls?6-77....-... 5000
Total................ I,si5 900
II. COST, ls5.-77.
Crimean War. ar..-.---................ $l,7o0,O.OOOO
Italian War of fIs5s..........- 3oJU 200
American Civil War
The North.--.s 10000 600
The South. 23J0,OOOOO
7,OOoNC0O % .
S.osvck -Holstein War........ 5000 90
Austrian and Prussisn War lS66... 100000 100
Expeditions TO Mexico. Morocco Par
asuay, etc, SAY only ).-....-.. 200 600 90
Frarco-Prussan War....-.......... 3,LOOUn,OoO
Total sl2.655OOo, 900
The loss of life is equal to about half the
population of the whole metropolitan area; !;
we may vaguely imagine what would he
the consequence upon production and
consumption of absolutely dcpopulating
the whole of the west and north districts
OF London. The loss of 2.iI3, 900. 600
sterling of capital (sl2 900 ,0OO,00O is
equal To about ten years revenue ofall the
governments OF Europe and North Amer
lea. But public revenue is applied in
the payment of services and the promo
ton of public works, which are to large
extent useful. The $4,000 100000 OF
money have been absolutely annihilated.
Further, the tortresscs, ships, artillery,
etc. destroyed by war, have to be re-
placed by capital taken. over series OF
years. from productive purposes. The
same remark applied TO pensions and re-
wards granted to manned and disabled
soldiers and sailors.
In the above is included all the great
wars from 1852 to 1877. the total killed in
all being ,yiS,000. Before commenting
ON the cost, let us for Il moment compare
that with the whisky war in the United
States, leaving out all the rest Of the
world. From the best authority, it is
estimated that .0.000 people die annually
in the United States, which deaths are
caused by the use OF Intoxicating liquors
Many statiSticans put the amount As high
as $4,000, but to be ON the safe side, we
put it at the lower figure of 1000 II year
for twenty-five years. giving Il roll of vic
tins TO the rum traffic OF $50, ,0oo-only
l9S, 600 less than all the wars in the same
length OF time. Is il any wonder that the
almshouscs are filled with paupers-the
widowed wives and orphaned children of
the men slain by the rum iiend ?-and still
l,n p,,t
terrible death roll, let us look for n mo-
ment at the cost OF this whisky war. BY
referring to the table above it will be seen
that the cost OF all the wars in the past
twenty-five years amounts to the sum of
Sl2 ,Gj5, 900, 900. Let us. compare the cost
of the worlds war bill with the drinking
bill OF the United States
Dr. Young. Chief OF the Bureau of Sta
tistcs. estimated the sale of liquor in 1871,
to he $500, 100000. This is known TO be
very low estimate but multiply that by
twenty-five, and we have Slj, ,O0O, 900, COO,
or s., S3j 900 more thar the cost of all the
wars during the same time.
Careful estimates show 5Oj ,2GO persons
engaged in the wholesale and retail liquor
selling, anu 40 .j6i in making liquors. The
labor Of this army of j45 ,62l men is d-
rect and total loss to the nation. At two
dollars per day. or $500 per year, engaged
in some lawful branch of industry, this
would add 10 the wealth of the nation.
$212, SIP 600 per annum. 100000 drunk
ards lose hall their time by drinking,
making u loss OF $50, coo. At Il low
estimate, there arc l,4Oi ,323 made tip
piers, and il they lose but one day a week,
it amounts 10 $liG,0i6.592. These three
items amount TO sos, SCI ,j92.
The actual drink bill of Georgia in the
year 1871, rs taken from the government
statistics. amounted 10 nearly SlS 5000. 900.
Is there any wonder we complain OF hard
timcS7
Besides this. 10000, 900 bushels of grain
are annually destroyed Add To this the
cost OF paupcrism, crime. jails. courts,
etc, comprising three-iourths OF our taxes.
and we begin TO see how our national re-
sources are wasted, what occasions bad
trade and hard times Here we have the
real Labor question" solved.