The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-04-19
What Rum Costs Those Who Do Not
Use 1t.

To count the cost of rum to the coun-
try from dollar-and-cent standpoint is
to take the very lowest view OF the sub
! ject. The mother of ruined son
would gladly give ten times what the
ruin cost, in money, to have her son re-
stored to her, and esteem the dollar
and-cent loss as nothing. The wife
cursed with a drunken husband would
be willing to continue in rags and semi
! starvation could she have her husband
| restored as he was before he was drawn
into. the fatal whirlpool and morally
wrecked. But rum has a money side
as well as a moral one, and there are
those who would consider the money
side, though they cared but little Tor
the other
Rum is the heaviest burden the peo-
pie have to bear. and those who do not
use it are compelled to bear il with
those who do. 1t can be demonstrated
that rum costs the United States mora
per day than did the support 81 the az
mics in the rebellion. It costs the coun-
| try directly more than the entire school
and religious systems pat together The
sum total of its cost foOts up more than
all other taxes combined 1t is the one
great expense that outweighs everything
else.
The city of Toledo has . population
of 10000 1t supports 800 dealers in
alcoholic stimulants. We take Toledo
as an example, the proportion holding
good everywhere the traffic is free or
licensed.
TO support these 800 places, there
must be paid out annually for LIQUOR
not less than S2,500,000. 90 over the
figures. Each saloon must average $40
per day; the could not wellive on less.
They do business every day in the wear,
st least in this rum-rdden city, which
makes the grand total 50, 100000 per
annum. 1t is perfectly safe to say that
it will not fall below $4,000, COO
But the loss does not stop wiah tina
mere loss Of the money. Were the
money taken from the people and
dropped into the harbor it would be bad
enough, but that would be better than
to use it as it is being used. A power
for good, when properly used, it be-
comes positive curse when it has to
be filtered through the gin-milIs and
beer-shops. 1t becomes then a positive.
aggressive evil. Els is not only wasted.
but It becomes the destroyer of those
who waste it. 1t not only absorbs the,
proceeds of labor but it DESTROYS the
power of labor. The workinoTnan
whose Saturday night in u beer shop
has extended over die Sunday and Sun
day night, is in no condition to doswork
of any kind on Monday. If he works
at all it is by terrifying himself with
more rum, under which he breaks down
before the week is half through. No
drunkard ever does. a full weeks work;
indeed the time comes as certain as the
rising of the sun, when work at all is
impossible. The 0runkard is not lazy;
rum has made him incapable: semi
starvation accompanies the half-work-
Jug stage, during which the family SUI
ferS from insui1iciency Of the necessities
OF life; and worse follows. In tho,fnal
stage they have nothing, and their caro-
is another burden upon the alrea "
rum-robbcd communities that harbor
them
Add to this already too long train OF
evils The cost of tie police system and
the criminal courts ninety per cent OF
which is chargeable'to rum, and put on
top OF that the costos penitentiaries and
Jails,. and some idea may be had OF
whatrum costs the people who do nos
use Ii
No drinking man feeds OF
clothes his family properly, or even ac,
cumulates enough TO build house. Ho
does, not even pay rent promptly, and il
never properly housed. The nccessi-
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