The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-04-20
T 7 rEEsIl.llPERANCE COLUMN.
written by special correspondent
WHISKY FINANCE.

AS some men cannot see into q
proposition only from a financial
standpoint the following extract
from tie National Temperance Al
manac or the statistics Of intemper-
ance, is offered to them for their con-
temptation:
There are 1925 places in the
United States where alcoholic bev-
rrages are sold. 5,652 distilleries and
$3.50 prewerles, according to Official
reports. The direct cost of this
liquor is over 100000, with an
indirect cost OF over $!o0,ooo,o00
more. To make this liquor it took
Is, 1885 ,745 bushels OF corn, 2,s3s,933
bushels Of rye. and 2,5Ol, ,307 gallons
Of molasses. All this material is tax
On from its rightGul ard legitimate
use and worse than wasted. The
revenue paid to the Government for
the year ending June, 1879. for dis
tiled and fernented liquors was
$63, 3,2o9,6o4 II, all of which came
out Of the pockets Of the poor drink
crs.
James Black, ESD, in an address
to the Cleveland Convention last.
June, gave'thc following summary of
statistics:
Car partisan statesmen and leaders
in their mad effort to secure or re-
tain place and power, give no atten-
ton to the drain upon producing
power and waste of resources occa-
sionei by the use aud trade in in
toxicating drinks There is prob
ably no one factor in all the range of
political economy so burdensour, or
so destructive of wealth, as is that of
tIe liquor trade. Dt. Edward Young,
Chief Of the Bureau of Statistics at
" ashngtop, in 1867 estimated the
cost OF liquors to the CONSUMERS of
the nation to be about 100000, ,0CN.
DIR. Hargreaves' calculation ["Was-
tel Resources" page 48] makes the
cost, in 1872, sss5, ,72o,o4s; adding
the consequential to the direct cost,
and the annual drain is about ST.
100000, 900. Taking the basis OF
DR.. Young, DR.. Hargreaves shows
["Was'ed RcsoYces," pages A 45]
TIE annual cost for intoxicating bev.
erages in the United States was near
ly onc-sixth Of the, value of it's man
utactures, which in 1870, by the-cen-
sus returns, were $4,232, ,3o5,442;
one-fourth Of asi&the farm ,produc-
tionS, betterments, and additions of
stock (in that year valued at g., A.
568,658), all the slaughtered animals,
home manufactures, forest products
market-gai den and orchard products
(Which were in value 1927 ,232,403)
were 592, ,182;7O7 less than the cost
of our nations drink-bil; that in the
same year our drirk-bill was $l45,-
621,27 more than the value at place
OF manufacture valued at $473 ,903,-
637) OF all furniture and house fix
tures Except stoves and hollow
wear), and OF all articles Of wear.
including boots and shoes, mems,
women's and chillren's clothing, all
the collars, cuff, gio7es mita, hats,
caps, hosiery, etc, etc, naarufactur-
ed in The country. Again, the value
Of all the food and food preparations
of 1870 was 5000, 1865, 5,57l, or $I9,-
059,539 less than the cost of drinks.
More startling still, DR.. Hargreaves
shows [page 81 that the cost of
liquors for ten years is nearly two
thirds of the assessed value (S9,9l4.-
78o, ,725) of all the real estate in the
United States, while the assessed
value ($4,264 ,2o5'9oD of all the
personal property of the United
States is but little more than two
thirds of onr drink bill for ten years.
He says: Because this capital is so
mlsspeht, our jails are filed with
criminals, our poorhouses with pau
pers, our asyIums, homes. and char
tiles with dependents, and our in
dustrious, sober citizens burdened
with taxes that would not be needed
bnt for this waste Of liquors. What
nation or people can long exist or
prosper who expend or waste the
value of so much labor for poisonous
drinks 90