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

Ill Gs ~. VA " 1t1IIA i
WASTES OF LIQUOR.
Substance OF an Address Delivered In the
Second Presbyterian Church, Knoxville,
Tennessee, Sunday Night, May I'd, 1880,
by the Pastor, Rev. F. +. Sturgis.
I 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 a sense of peril and responsible
ity, and stir them up to such action as
the condition of things demands shall
be abundantly paid for my time and
pains.
I wish to lay before you simply the
financial or economic side of this subject,
side that affects every person in the
land. And by the wastes of liquor l
mean the direct and indirect losses it
causes to the American people by vast
ing their substance, earnings, time, health
and life.
There are legitimate uses for alcoholic
liquors, everybody admits, in medicine
and various arts and industries. But it
is stated on the very best authority that
sufficient alcohol is illicitly distilled
every year, and on which no revenue is
paid, to meet all the legitimate require
ments of the nation. So that we may,
without fear of exaggeration, character
ize the entire amount of intoxicating
liquors known to exist in our country as
an out and out quaste. It is of no good
whatsoever, on the other hand a positive
injury, as it makes no equivalent return,
. only destroying the means and bodies
and life and homes of the people; and
so adding nothing to the permanent
wealth of the nation. being lifeless and
harmful it comes under the head of de-
structive industry and may be set down as
a achoAsas and criminal aoaste.
- OUR NATIONAL WASTE.
In 1867, in these United States,
$1,000000 600 were invested in the liquor
business. In 1870 there were M1, ,715
licensed and unlicensed retail drinking
saloons, and 1876 licensed wholesale
liquor establishments, q total of 24S, 1891
places where intoxicating liquors were
sold.
/, The amount of liquor consumed in this
country in 1872 was 337, ,000, 900 gallons;
it would fill canal four feet deep, four.
teen feet wide and over 100 miles in
length. The 240, 600 saloons formed into
line would make street over thousand
miles in length. The drinking millions
in our country, five abreast would make
a solid column extending six hundred
miles. The drunkards FIVE abreast would
extend over sixty miles. There are one
hundred and forty funerals every day in
our country from victims of strong drank,
men gone down to drunkard's graves of
whom Gods word says explicitly they
shall rHt enter into the kingdom of
lfheaven.
{. First under national waste look at the
wholesale destruction of the products of
the Soil wheat, barley, corn, rye, etc.
Neaflv,if NOT over, 81, ,0O0, 900 bushels Of
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
aud sin Of man concerted into aoholly IN
nutritious and injurious drinks. Infinite
ly better were it for the whole .land if
this entire amount were annually buried
in the Atlantic ocean. These nearly
50,0OO,00O bushels of grain would fur
nish over GOO, 1000, 900 four pound loaves
Of bread, ,.or seventy mine to every family
in the land. How can a nation expect
long to prosper, or with what face ask an
omniscient aud righteous God to give
them fruitful haryests and keep from
them pestilence and famine when they |
are devoting the sacred products of hea-
ven to elements of destruction and death.
And what wonder is it that thousands in |
the land are half fed, and the times be-
come depressed and people clamor for
bread ltris publicly stated that every
year at least $50, 100000 worth of grain |
and fruit are destroyed in the manufac-
ture of the liquor consumed by the Amer
.ican people.
Next look at the enormous waste of
money directly spent for liquor in the !
United States. The American people |
claiming to stand at the head Of the
world in civilization and public example !
spend every year for intoxicating drinks
over $700,000,000. The assessed value
of all the real estate and personal prop
erty in the United States is about $l4,-
100000, 900; i. e. at that estimate, our
people drink down:every Is years the en-.
- ,,o t,xa of $ha ont1yat nn~
annual drink bill is 1-13th of the aggre-
gate war expenses of North and South
during the late strife between the States. |
1t would pay off the national debt in less |
than years. 1t would educate all the |
illiterate persons in the United States
pay all the taxes, support all the pau
pers, run many of the greatest industries,
and build churches for all the houseless |
religious societies in the land, with a |
vast surplus left over.
The total amount spent in the United
States every year for education is $685.
100000; for liquor $500, 100000; cost of
liquor over education $605, 100000.
The total amount spent to support the
Gospel every year is about $48, 600, 900;
cost of liquor over religion, $3.50, 100000;
amount contributed per inhabitant for
education, $500; for religion, Sill; for
liquor, per inhabitant, SIT; eight times
as much for liquor as for education, and
fifteen times as much for liquor as reli-
gion. Our people spend nearly as much
every year for liquor as they do for food
in 1870 more-$79.25 per family for food,
and sS1.74 per family for liquor.
Next look at the waste of time and in.
dustry directly and indirectly caused by
the liquor traffic. If the 100000 men
engaged in the liquor business in the
United States were productivity and prof
itably employed at $500 piece, it would
amount, according to representation
made before our National Congress, to
$SOO,0OO, 900 every year. The loss of at
least half the time of 100000 drunkards
in our country would amount, at $500