The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-04-19
The Two Parties aud the Liquor Ques
tlon-The Receipts from Internal REV
ANDERSON, MoSRoE Co., ". vA.,O
April 10, 1882. !


Editon tntettigenesr;
A Democratic paper published at Hunt
iugton, W. Va, called the advertiser, con
tains the following article, under the heat
Of "Who Drink the Liquor"
1.-THE Commissioner Of Internal Revenue
publishes statistics showing the number
and location Of the retail dealers in, Liquor
in the United States, the number Of whole
sale dealers, the number Of distilleFies and
the total production in gallons for the yea
ending July !, 1881, to which is appended
the population OF each State and the mum.
Der in each State, and the number Of per.
sons TO each retail dealer.
THE figures show that there Is, taking the
country over, saloon to every 294 people,
and that In the States which voted for Gar.
field, there Is one saloon TO every 200 PEG.
pie, while In the States which voted foI
Hancock there Is only one saloon to every
400 people. 1t Is to be remarked, too, that
the Southern States show q much smaller
ratio OF saloons than the Northern and the
Western States.
1T Is worthy Of note, in regard to West
Virginia, than 1t has larger proportion OF
population TO each dealer In spurious
liquors than any other STATE IN he Union.
With her great Democratic majority, and
her antt.prohibition Legislature, West Viz.
giniQ drinks less liquor and has a less mum.
Der ofdeaies than even the State OF Maine.
where prohibition Is set up as an example
for the country"
Now, propose to show the iallacy Of this
statement OF the AdrertiRr. That paper
says "that in the States which voted for
Garfield there is saloon to every 200 peo.
PIE, while in the States which voted for
Hancock there is only one saloon to every
400 people" This is easily explained. By
reference to the report ofthe Commissioner
OF Internal Revenue, It will be seen that in
the States which voted for Gaffields there
were, for the year ending June so, 1881,
only twenty Illicit stills captured and
twenty men arrested for running them while
in thirteen Of the States which voted for
Hancock there were S3S Illicit stills captured
and l49O men arrested II nav be true
that there are more saloons that pay their
license tax in the North than in the South.
but we must consider those illicit still honse
where lincolnshire" liquor is sold in any
quantities, and those "jIg barrooms" in tho
South, set up at nearly every crossroads
camp meeting or political convention
which are not down 10 the Commissioners
Report. We will also see tina lin the past
five years the extraordinary sum OF $685.
600 was spent for the suppression Of frauds
on the revenue in Rren Southern States
tina: voted tor Hancock" while in the
Northern States the sum was so insignifi.
cant that the Commissioner does not even
state it. Even in West Virginia, "with
her great Democratic majority" there has
been number OF men and stills captured,
besides hundreds Of persons arrested for
illicit retailing. Yet, in Maine there is not
one single illicit still!
In 1870 there we're in Maine to her ESQ.,
600 inhabitants, S43 saloons; in 1880, to
her CHS 045 population, there were only
$50 saloons, q decrease OF about u per
cent In West Virginia, in 1870, to her
~, 600 inhabitants, there were 543 saloons,
but in 1850, to her population OF CTS, 1893.
and her great Democratic majority" Mere
irere 10 saloons, an increa% of about so Der
cent by this Democratic majority"
In the year 1881 the revenue on the lio,.
nor used in West Virginia amounted tod
S+52, 1858. In the same year in blaine,
the revenue only amounted to S., 457. O5,
q difference Of over $3.50, 900 on the liquor
used by the great Democratic majority"
"DoDo" DIsTMcT.