The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-05-27

b1coad HEesbyterian Church, Knoxville,
Tennessee. Sunday Night, May ed, 1880,
by the PAstor. Rev. F. z. stw,ss.
purpose to address you to night,
Christian friends and fellow.citizens. on
the wastes produced by the liquor traffic
in our country, State, county and city.
And if can present before You such
facts and figures As will startle our peo.
pie into sense Of peril and responsible
ity, and stir them up to such action as
the condition Of things demands shall
he. abnndantly paid for my time and
pains.
wish TO lay before you simply the
financial or economic side of this aubiect,
side that affects every person in the
land. And by the wastes of liquor
mean the direct and indirect .osses it
causes 70 the American people BIZ vast
ing their substance, earnings, time, health
and life.
There are legitimate uses for alcoholic
iiquera, everybody admits, in medicine
and various arts and industries. But IL
is stated on thevery best authority that
sufficient alcohol is illicitly distilled
every year, aud on which no revenue is
paid, TO meet all the legitimate require.
ments .! she nation. So that we may,
without fear of ezaggeration, character
!ze the entire amount of Intoxicating
liquors kucwn to exist in our country as
az oatE and out tsaste. It is of no good
whatsoever, Oh the other hand positive
injury, as it makes no equivalent return,
. only destroying the means and bodies
and life and homes Of the people and
80 adding nothing to the permanent
wealth Of the nation, being lifeless and
harmful it comes under the head of de-.
St'ucttve Industry and may be set down as
a arhokesdls mud criminal iCasts.
er OUR NATIONAL WASTE.
In. 1867, in shese United States,
$l,0OO. .O00,0 600 were il nyestcd in the LIQUOR
business. In 1870 there were 24I,715
Licensed and unlicensed retail drinking
saloons, and 7,276 licensed wholesale
liquor establishments, total of 248, ,991
places where Intoxicating liquors wsre
sold. -,
The amount of liquor consumed in this
country in 1879 was 397, ,0O0,O0O gallons !;
1t would fiji o canal four feet deep, four
teen feat wide and over 100 miles in
length. Tho 2A0, GOO saloons formed into
line would make q street over thousand
miles in length. The drinking millions
in our country, five abreast would mako
solid column extending six hundred
miies. The drunkafds five abreast would
extend over sixty miles. There are one
hundred and forty funerals every day in
our country from victims of strong drink,
men gona down to drunkard's graves of
whom Gods word saya explicitly thew
shall not enter into the kingdom of
ssheaven.
First under national waste look at the
wholesale destruction of the products of
the soil, wheat, barley, corn, rye. ctr.
Neatly .iR not over, 80 900 900 bushels az
precious grain and fruit are DESTROYED
every year in the manufacture of the
Liquors annually consumed by our people.
This vast quantity Of grain, given to feed
the body and prolong life, BY the lust
and sin Of man converted into acltoliy tn
rutritseris and injurious drinks. Infinite
~ better were it for the whole Hand if
this entire amount were annually buried
in the Atlantic ocean. These nearly
5o,00O,OO0 bushels Of grain would fur
nish over 600, ,000, 900 four. pound ioaves
OF bread, or seyenty-nins to every family
In the land. How can o nation expect
long. to prosper, or With what face ask an
oms;scient aud righteous God to- give
them fruitful haryesls and keen from
them pestilence and famine when they
are devotiDg the sacred products of hea-
ven to elements of destruction snd death.
And what wonder is it that thou sands in
the land are half fed, and the times be-
come depressed and people clamor for
bread 1t - publicly stated that every
year at least $50, 600, 900 worth OF grain
and iruit are destroyed in the lnan1faG-
ture OF the liquor consumed by theAmer-
sican people.
Next look at tho enormous waste of
money directly spent for liauor in the
United States. The American ,peopla
claiming to stand at the head of the
world in civilization and public example
speud every year for intoxicating drinks
over SOU, 900 GOO. The assessed value
OF all the real estate and personal prop
erty In the United States ir abont Si4,-
1000, 900 ); !. e, at that estimate, our:
people drink dOwnevery 25 yeara the en-
tire value OF; the country SEVENTH. Our
annual drink bill is 1-13th of the agere-
gate war expenses of North and South
during the late strife between the States.
IL would pay OF the national debt in less
than 3 years. lG would educate all the
illiteTate persons in the United States
pay all the taxes, support all the pau
pers, run many of the creates industFies.
and build churche Tor; all the houseless
religious societies lin the land. with .
vast surplus left over.
The total amount spent in the United
States every year for education is $685.
000,O00;. for liG.s;orsSlGS, 100000 cost of
liquor over education $500, ,000,O 900.
The total amount spent to support the
Gospel; every year 10 about $48 ;000, 900 !;
cost of liquor over religion, $3.50 o,00O, ,000 !;
amount contributed per ihhabitanS for
education, $500 for religion, Sill for
liquor, per inhabitsne, SIT eight times
as much for liquor es for education, and;
hflaAns tiraea an s.snch Eae linsnr .as rel;ss
gidn. Our people spend neatly as much
every. year for liquor as they do for food
in 1870 more-$79. .25 per family for food,
and $8l.74 per family for liquor.
Next iook at tnp wasic of iim1 zIiG In
dustry directly and indirectly caused by
the liquor traffic. If TIA 600, 600 mel.
engaged in tbe LIQUOR > isiness in The
United States were productivity and prot.
itabiy employed at $500 piece, it VIC Id
amount, according to Representation
made before our National Congress, to
5000, 600 every year. The loss of at
Z leeet half the time Of 600, 900 drunkards
in otir country woaid amount, Mt $500
each. to $500 900. The loss of labor
of one day n week of ], 100000 tippling
persons would amount every year TO
$40 900.
Then 100000 public paupeIs; caused
by liquor, in onr country, with their
2Q0, GOO dependent children, cost the Re.