The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-04-03
One Cause of Hard Times.

Rev.sDr. Mears, President of Hamil-
ton College, recently delivered an ad-
dress on the subject of drink as cause
for hard times, from which we are in
debted to the Rural Home for the follow
ing extracts:
What is the secret of large part Of
the depression and distress which the
civilized world is suteringl War, in
deed, and enormous standing armies, es-
pecially in the Old World, are in a large
part to blame, and the consequences of
civil war in our own country are doubt
less still felt, and enter largely into our
present suffering. But how can a people
extricate themselves from such embar-
easements when it is actually spending
six hundred millions year for what is
at least needless indulgence, and a
source of incalculable waste and loss
You must actually double these figures
to get at the cost in money alone OF the
liquor traffic, to say nothing of the de-
struction of physical, mental and moral
force, which cannot be put into figures,
but which is far more deleterious.
suppose that we can stand this i'm
mense drain for time; we have stood
it, and in prosperous times the nation
is actually so prosperous that it seems as
if it could stand anything. The cost of
the liquor, to-day, is an average tax of
nearly two hundred dollars per annum
upon every family. Such tax for no
advantage whatever, but rather posi-
tive nuisance sure TO breed other
nuisances and to bring heavier taxes, if it
were seen in this light, would be felt to
be such an outrage that it would kindlc
universal discomfort aud rebellion. We
talk about economy, and at the national
capital some extraordinary performances
as well as some extraordinary efforts
have been witnessed by an observing
country. There Is no measure of econ
omy which would he more effective than
the universal suppression of the liquor
traffic. The saving to the country i'll
two years would equal the nations debt
as it now stands.
We have an immense amount of dis
cussion, some of it ominous and threat
ening, some of it doubtless redolent with
the fumes of strong drink, upon the re-
lations of labor and capital. If labor
would deny itself indulgence in strong
drink it would find itself by and by
transformed into capital. Capital is
nothing but the fruits of labor well bus
banded labor expended upon strong
drink soon becomes beggary, the drink
ing workman soon becomes the worth
less tramp If the loud and profane
ranters who are stirring up the passions
of the laboring classes and endeavorine
to array them against the more prosper
Gus portion OF the community would
turn their eloquence against the dram
shops, they would teach their too willing
listeners where the true source of most
of their misery is to be found.
Yes, it is true that capital is the Ell
envy Of labor: it is the capital invested
in the liquor business. 1t is true there
is race of bloated bondholders who must
be overthrow; it is the race who hold in
bonds the beer drinking and whisky
drinking workingmen. and who are
bloated with the earnings of labor, trans
ferred So easily from the emaciated
purse of the sons of toll to the till of the
indolent saloon keeper. 1t is true We
need laws to prevent certain unjust and
dishonorable methods of accommodating
capital; it night even be fair and
right to compel the surrender OF some of
the fruits of scandalous transactions
which, but for their vast amount and re-
spectacle surroundings would be called
gambling: but what class Of men could
be more fairly summoned TO disgorge in
the interest of the laboring man and the
poor, than those who have made their
gains by pandering to the vicious habits
of the laboring classes, and whose wealth
is the exact counterpart, of the poverty
of THEN victims