The Evening critic., 1882-03-04
Facts for Anti-Prohibitiouists.


ALEXANDRIA, VA, March !, 1881.
win you please publish the following In tho
columns Of your paper for the benefit oithe
nnti-prohibliionists OF Mexandriap
Many fail to see the reasons why there Is
such a strong crusade against the manufac-
ture of and sale OF ardent spirits, and whenever
the subject is mentioned they Immediately
cxclaim: "The revenue, you can't do without
Il: too much revenue Is derived from Its sale,'
but they never once count the cost OF tho re-
suit occasionod by It's sale, but our reasons are
so strong, so plain and so reasonable that any
candid and sensible person cannot escape their
force. The only reason they give for opposing
the movement Is, "The revenue derived from
Its manufacture and sale Is so great that II
would be tco great n loss to the Government,
and IL is my purpose, II possible, by giving
these few facts, to convince them that their
reason Is no reason, but a lame excuse TO
cover from the world their true and only OK
cuse; their own desire for drink. oar reasons
are numerous and weighty, and would occupy
too large space TO present them at one time;
therefore, only give few and ask those i, who
and II then they can step over reason ana eX.
claim: "The revenue, the revenueV' we snail
Ecgin 10 think that they are "yold OF under
standing and almost useless to tribe with them
any longer"
Take Virginia, our own State. By careful
estimate IL has been found that x12OOO,o0O
are spent yearly by our people for liquor as
beverage. For every dollar spent two must
be added for consequences. We have, there
fore, $4,000, 600 paid by the people OF Viz
ginia yearly for liquors, plus results. The
census of 1870 gave the value OF live stock at
s2s,0oo,00o lacking $1,000 600 of balancing
our whisky bill The wheat crop was esti-
mated at 100000 bushels, and at 81 per
bushel, would, with the live stock, Just pay
our liquor bill.
In 1873 DR.. Rufrner placed the cost of
running the State Government, including So
CO0,00O interest on the public debt, at S3, 50O,-
COO, and yet VIC pay yearly $36O0OOOO for
whisky, plus results, or enough to run the
State Government for five years. The average
value OF all the farm products OF the State OF
Virginia is placed by DR.. Green at $50 l61,-
75d, out OF which and other resources we pay
for liquor, plus results S36,000,O0C. Is II
wonder that Virginia stands No. ~
In the foremost rank. The editor of the Alex
nndria Gazette said In n recent editorial that
local option was va the worst possible means OF
have stubborn and ignorant Legislators, Into
whose heads 1t is impossible to beat the least
idea OF the advantage prohibition by Leglsla-
ture would be to the welfare of the State. Then
we have 10 try the mi1der form OF prohibition
local option, the best means we can get, IL get
II at all, from the present Legislature. But be
II as IT may, having had no experience in the
natter his opinion goes for naught, and 1t
| would benefit the editor II he would study this
matter more, and help the cause, instead OF
forever making a lame excuse. This is indeed
sad picture for the Old Dominion, but,
| nevertheless, too true. Gov. Dix once said that
.lquor was the cause of four-nfths of the crime,
| pauperism, and domestic trouble of the great
| State of New York. Gov. CASTOR said that
"liquor has been the prolific source of poverty,
| wIetchedness, and crime, and that Its progress
| everywhere heralds only misfortune"
In 1870 the census showed that the wages
paid In all Il me a SS NT .hls M county on
| 1872 S7OO,0OO,O0O for whisky and other in
toxicating drinks. This has been increasing
liquors, including the imported liquors In this
country, was 5000, ,O00,0OO now multiply this
by three, and you will have the enormus sum
Of S2,SsO,00O,OO0 spent for liquors, plus
results in 1877. The 4OO0O,O00 bushels o.
wheat used yearly in this country for distilla
tion, instead of making 6O0,O0O,OOO four
,.vaI ~ h.aa nd 1rnta fnfy apat
family in the entire country with 75 loaves
each, as it should do, is making murderers
prisons, courts and penitentialies, and Is als6
slowly but surely, in the estimation OF the
world, lowering the dignity of the nation O
nations. Kansas voted prohibition by 20,O0(
majority-''well done for Kansas'--and we car
do as much, II not more II we try. They sa!
"there will be as much sold, If we had loca
option, as there was before" They do not us
that as an argument against 1t; they know 1
is false. Read what the Mayor Of Augusta
Me-, says: IF we were TO say that the quantit.
OF liquors sold here is not one-tenth 50 larg,
| as formerly, We think 1t would be within thu
TRUTH Mayor Kingsley, Of Portland, says
81 believe that the liquortrade is not one
tenth as large as formerly" Governor st
John, of Kansas, says: "The success OF tn,
| prohibition law has produced revolution II
the State. And now for "the revenue" o
which they boast. 1t has been found, by
| careful and Just estimate, that "a per cent. o
| the crimes committed in this country were
committed under the influence Of liquor. l
that be SO, then there would be only 10 pc
cent. Of the present number OF convicts, ha,
we prohibition, and would OF course save til
Government just 81 per cent. of the amour
required 10 support the present number c
convicts. 1t has also been stated, on goo
authority, that 1t not only requires the revenu
derived from the manufacture and sale c
| liquor, but one-third much again fror
another resource 10 support tho prison en-
courts, etc. If that be so, where is "Jli
revenue" of which you boast? You max
nothing (but criminals); you lose; you los
not only your revenue, but SO per cent. OF tn
amount fro m other resources required to SUI
port the prisoners you made by license.
that the prosperity that leads 10 peace an
happiness? No; but prosperity that is ruiz
ing and making wretched the homes and hope
T that would be otherwise were this curse Of tn
| liquor traffic prohibited.
. Then another strong reason We have &c
fighting this monster is, that the consumptio
of alcoholic liquors as a beverage shortens Iii
1 to a considerable extent. 1t is the opinion
the highest medical and chemical authoriti,
"that alcohol is poison, and cannot be classe
0 as food" and "does not help Digestion" an
sis not the source Of physical force" and tn
"patients require food rather than stim
lants," and that alcohol is a brain poison, al
that II produces, when taken as n beverag
a alcoholic rheumatism, and that alcohol
, inks cause apoplexy, and that there is
!; risk In disusing II suddenly and fully, and tn
, physicians should promote abstinence from
and that alcoholic drinks greatly shorten lii
The following table, from Mr.. +. G.. p. Nelso
. proves the above. He says; 1.-THE average
hol as beverage, is as follows: Among be-
a drinkers, 21.7 years; among spirit drinker
1877 years; among those who drink indi
criminately, 10.1 years" Legislators, you a
committing a crime by not prohibiting 1t. "rl
f expectation of liquor drinkers, from the tin
!, Of 1 coming such, varies with the vocatio
Among mechanics, working and laborin
q, mer, IS years; among traders, dealers al
=, merchants, II years; among professional me
and gentlemen, Is years; among females,
& years" The above Is the average and 1t wi
!. be noticed that professional men addicted
$ strong drink are shorter lived than drinkers
{ other pursuits, but enough; In conclusion,
a ask every one who reads this TO help the eau
along, and remember shat vote against h
II prohibition OF the liquor trafiic is a vote
:, keep dead-fall In the way TO entrap and dc
Al troy not only your neighbors' sons, but p'
8, hals your own"
- A TEMPERANCE SUBSCRIBER