The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-03-07
POWER OF DRINK.
Article First

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Article First.
We propose series of artcles-one each
week-in all at least five, upon another phase
of this hydra-headed subject, phase which
we are free to confess, on it's very presenta-
ton, to our mind, is at once appalling and
overwhelming. We mean, the destructive
poacer of strong drink. We cannot expect TO
compass this subject, since to do this, would
be to expect what no mind of man has ever
attained, and which, from its very nature, no
mind of man-no matter how profound or
far-reaching- ever be able to attain. Its
history involves the record of human misery
in all it's million-fold qualifications, as well as
the largest proportion of the untold miseries
of the eternities to come. We can only hope,
then, to touch, here and there, the surface of
this stupendous subject, leaving the great
body of it unrevealed until that time when
under the light of the eternal throne, s'God
shall bring every work into judgment, with
every secret thing whether it be good, or
whether it be evil" And yet we cannot.
dare not, pass it by without at least causal
glance. The destructive poaoer Of strong
drink! Why, it's visible everywhere writ
ten as with blood all along the pages of
sacred and profane history. From that far
distant day when Noah, its first recorded
victim, lay drunk and uncovered in his tent,
down to the present hour, it has ranged the
world as the furnishing vampire of the pit,
sucking the blood of the nations, destroying
society, corrupting the fountains of virtue,
impeding christianity, desolating the home,
blasting with physical and spiritual death the
bodies and souls of men and peopling hell
with untold millions of eternally hopeless
victims But we must not allow ourselves
to be carried away by the general character
of our subject Let us look at it in few
special particulars. It's destructive power is
seen,
1st In the aoaste of national arealth. We
know dry statistics are uninteresting and
tedious and we are 10th to employ them, and
yet we must ask your indulgence to just few
to show the colossal magnitude of the fearful
evil We will abridge as much as possible
and not enter into details, forcible as they
might be to many. The figures we present
are not the result of our own researches, but
have been copied from official documents
issued by the United States treasury depart
ment for the fiscal year ending June &c. 1871.
They were compiled by Mr.. Ovid Miner and
published in tract entitled "What 1t all
COSTS" tract by the way, which should have
universal circulation
| The treasury books show that there
was imported during fiscal year 1871,
of liquors, wines and cordials,
OF this there was exported and consum-
ed abroad gallons, .....-....... 2eesS4
Leaving for home consumption, ... s 10, 2s2, 56s
The retail cost of this. at 10 cents
| glass or $500 per gallon would .oo
D' gallons @ @ ea,sooooo
| Exported and consumed abroad gals. 7S0153
Leaving for home consumption, gals. 61,51ss47
Retail cost at $500 per gallon. 1868, 11sos2
New York; barrels, ................ 100000
| Retail cost at 10 cents pint or $24.00
barrel. $loosVou,ooe
| Revenue officers believe that ten per cent
of all liquors, imported and home made Gin
some sections of the country larger percen-
tage) are struggled or concealed SO as to es-
cape taxation To give the whole amount of
national dram-drinking, this should be added
to the enormous aggregates above; but we
set off the unknown quantity against what
may, perhaps, be used in arts and as medi-
cines. The direct yearly cost, therefore, to
the people of this country, for intoxicating
beverages, may be stated thus:
For domestic distilled, ............. 1863 lls esq
For fermented Observation-Disclosures. l6S,ooO,ooo
Total,. ...............-......-. solo'oi4,4So
lQlb ID IIlSutlul ototCAOhs anu 40 90 "a az
as frightful, being far below the maximum.
DR.. Hargraves, an eminent statistican of
Reading, Pa, who has given much time and
labor to this work, fully confirms the above
estimate in every particular, except that he
makes the total cost of liquors for one year,
(1S6O) 1913, ZOO, 900, over 300, 000,0 900 more.
The difference in time being eleven years
may account largely for this. Honest Horace
Greeley, than whom none was more careful
and accurate in statistical matters, fully cor
roborates the above estimates. But throwing
away the extra 100, O0O, 900 of Mr.. Hargraves,
and taking the estimate of Mr.. Miner of
$616, S14, 400, let us see how it stands by
comparison. By the census of 1860, we find
the value of the six leading productions OF
the United States were
Flour and meal, 1924 0Oo, wy
Cotton goods. Ilo.uoo,ooo
Boots and SHOES, so,ouu,ooo
ClOthlng... so.ooW,ovs
Books, newspapers and job printing!. 100000
| Total s61O, 00O, 00O
| The total cost of intoxicating liquors that
paid duty and were consumed in the United
States was according to Mr.. Miner, $616, S14-
400 or nearly 1000, 900 more than the value
of all the flour, cotton goods, boots, shoes,
wooden goods, clothing and printing Take
another fact. The total debt of the United
States on the list of March, 1869, was in
/ .,,xohare S00 0Q0 000 This i'm