The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-31
THE PEOPLES BEVERAGES.

The question of whether or not the
temperance cause is making any pro-
gress in this country is one that can be
answered only by answering the ques-
ton as to whether or not it is progress
to decrease the consumption of spiritu-
Gus LIQUOR while increasing that of malt
and vinous beverages. 1t is held by
some that the most temperate people
are those who drink wines and beer /;
that while these beverages are intoxi-
eating, the quantities necessary to pro-
duce drunkenness are so large that in
toxication results less often than when
WHISTLES, brandies and gins are drunk.
On the other hand, it is argued that
stimulants are taken only for the alco-
hol they contain, and as consequence
the beer-drinkers and wine-drinkers con-
! sumo lot of unnecessary and really
deleterious liquid to obtain the alcohoI
| that the whisky-drinkers take in a
compact form. The advocates OF malt
point. out that the German, who drink
beer almost exclusively. and in quanti
ties that astonish others, are not a
drunken people, but when they quit
beer and indulge in whisky they soon
become intoxicated Again, Americans,
whose stimulant is largely whisky, are
as free from drunkenness as a people
as the Germans. There are arguments
on both sides of this question, and the
assertions of the advocates of malt and
spirituous liquors can be apparently
maintained by illustration. Whichever
is the more injurious stimulant, it is
certain thatin this country the consump-
ton of whisky is steadily decreasing,
spirituous liquor being supplanted by
malt and fermented beverages. Some
statistics recently published show that
in 1860, the consumption of spirits
amounted to 86,000,0 GOO gallons, or two
and four-ifths gallons for every man
woman and child in the country,
the population then being 31,000,0 600,
The'same year we consumed 100000, 600.
gallons of malt liquors, or about three
and one-fourth gallons per capita. In
1884. the population had increased to
81, 900 900, and the consumption of spir-
its had fallen off to 100000 gallons,
or one and one third gallons per capita.
In both years, it should be understood
that the consumption included the
spirits used in the arts and manufac-
lures as well as for beverages. In the
twenty-four years the consumption per
capita has fallen off more than one
half, the population of 81 100000 con-
Stunning Is per cent more than the pop
ulation of 100000. But during the
same period the consumption of malt
liquors has grown from 100000,
900 gallons in 1860 to $4,000 900 gallons
in 1884; or from one and one-fourth
gallons per capita in 1860 to nearly
eleven gallons per head in 1884; in the
same time the consumption of wine per
capita has been little more than
doubled.
lie OCCtucQ POOpASI
therefore, is to change their beverage
from ardent spirits to the milder ones.
Whether this tendency is in the interest
of temperance reform, is some
thing that time will best determine.
The unfortunate and discouraging fea-
ture of the business is, that the police
court dockets and criminal statistics
show no material change as result of
the peoples change of beverage. There
is as much drunkenness to-day in pro-
portion to population as there was twen-
ty-four years ago, when whisky was
almost the only stimulating beverage,
malt liquors being very little known.
The consistent temperance reformer
would fight against all intoxicants with
equal and uncompromising determine
ton to suppress the use of every beyer-
age that produces drunk"