The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-11-20
TEMPERANCE READING.
The PUN MAELsIRoM.

Annually for Strong Drink to Pay for
Nearly All tn. Necessities of Life.
In q lengthy and oarefully-prepared
article in the Chicago Inter Ocean Rev.
Wyland d. Ball, Mcpherson, Kansas,
gives some authentic statistics which
ought to arrest the attention of every
thoughtful person, and carry conyic-
ton to the minds of al intelligent
workingmen and political economists
as to the evil effects, from financial
standpoint alone, of the rum curse in
this country. Mr.. Ball says:
David Al. wells, Commissioner of the Treas
ury Department, in his report of 1867 stated
that during that year $1,4S3. 49,, S66 worth of
liquors were sold in the United states To
this sum G. b. Fowler, now Bishop Fowler,
Justly adds $s00oO0oOO toe waste OF time.
cost of insanity, 36.000000: for idIocy, $42,-
0OU. 900: for crime, 600; hospital services
and sickness. $1,000 0G0; pauperism, $50 coo;
accidents, $500O0,000, making the total drink
expense for 1861 in the United States, $780,
4l9, S66. For religious purposes were expend-
ed that year $35, 000, 900; for liquor, twenty
five times as much; for railroads, $6l.5S6, IA,
or one-fortieth of what was expended for
alcohol The entire cost of railroads from the
beginning UP TO 1867 was 81, Co., O5O, 100. which
was about one-half the cost of alcohol for one
year.
Now for a grand total that we may little
more clearly see what financial vampire the
liquor traffic is. The liquor traffic bill of 1867
we take this year simply because at this
moment the most ayailable-wonld pay for
oil the following products of industry and ex-
pense of education for 1880: All mems and
women's goods cotton goods, mixed textiles,
oil -c ON Unit nd WI dc
wooden goods carpets, all Touring and grist-
mill products, printing and publishing, boots
and shoes, slaughtering, tanned feathers, iron
and steel, agricultural implements, furniture.
hardware, glass; taxation for public schools
and the cost of public schools.
To proceed. The product value of the in
dustries of all the manufacturing establish
ments in the United States for 1880 was S5,o69-
579, 1871, or only twice our annual liquor bill.
The total value of al farming lands in the
United States given for 1880 was $10,197 096, 776,
or but five times what is spent yearly
for alcohol. The whole amount of perma-
nent investments in all the railway systems
in the United States, constituting in 1880,
under lines completed and under pro-
cess of construction, 97,9U7 miles, was
valued at So, 1872, ,S07, or only twice our an
nual liquor bill. The gross earnings of all
these lines combined for 1871 was $725, 600 600,
or less than one-third of one year drink bill.
Which, think you, we ask right here by way
of diversion, is the bonded and bloated mo-
nopoly of this country, rum or railroads?
There were in 1850 1l0 SOS miles of telegraph
lines, and 29l, 2l29 miles of wire. The gross
receipts derived from operating these lines
for the year 1880 were $16696. 623.35, or one
one hundred and sixtieth of the sum annually
paid for alcohol. The net receipts were only
S. $3.50 Out of these an actual dividend
of 81, 1885, AZ was declared. or about one-six
hundred and f1ftieth of the yearly liquor bill.
Which, we ask again, simply to jar the monot-
ony of figures, have commercial and laboring
interests most to fear, the Western Union or
the WHISKY union? Telephone statistics in
1880 were not complete with respect to
the number of miles of wire, but the net re-
ceipts of the year were $T70,516, which sum
makes scarcely a drop in the great liquor
bucket.
! The entire expense of our late civil war for
the five years included between the begin
ming of 1850 a<ld the close of 1864 was 81, 712,
35279 only little more than our liquor eX-
pense for 1851, a year of peace and prosperity,
in which our Governments war expenses
were 4l5. or less than one-twenty-Sec.
-ond of the liquor expense of the States orthe
same year: So we have in rum an illegtimate
traffic that annually costs us in money, to say
nothing of SORROWS, as much as four-tfths of
the entire rebellion and twice as much as
the war during its most expensive year,
1854. =.
There are to-day 100000 unemployed work
ingmen in this country, engaged either in
strikes, or tramping it, or sitting idly in the
market places. The winter is now staring
them in the face and with it suffering, starva-
ton, shame. Suppose these 100000 unfort-
unaJoS lau Ile sum QeVOUeQ annually TO
drink equally distributed among them. If
such was the case every man of them might
have bank account of $S,691, and if as the
devil and Tom Walker did in Boston, these
should go West and lend their money at two
per cent. a month, they might shortly become
rich.
Let us devote our few remaining words to
the strangest of problems, that of overpro-
duction as at least relieved, if not solved, and
we pretend to nothing save relief-as is sug-
gested by legitimate use of the immense
treasure, worse than wasted in the traffic in
strong drink.
In the same land where we hear the direful
cry of poverty and death is heard cry as
human against overproducti0n. Too much
to eat, yet many starving Too much clothing
yet many naked Too yS6tch labor, yet many
freezing. What means this paradoxical WALTZ
We know that abundance can not make us
poor. if properly distributed. In abundance
there should be satisfaction, leisure, wealth,
elegance. happiness. There is not too much.
There are too many who do not get enough.
How to send our products through all needed
channels to all needing ones, is the coveted
goal of political economists. Suppose every
family in this land could have all they wanted,
or actually needed, all they wanted or needed
to wear, to live on and in, would not
warehouses; musty and bursting with prod
ucts, be empted; all our spindles in the fac
tories, and lathes in the shops, and furnaces
in the mills be set running, and all the mines
be renamed. Think of the liquor bill of the
pay 2, TBS, 1856 men, women, and children an av-
erage sally wage for one year of So.
Suppose, for a final showing of the econom-
ical significance of the rum traffic we furnish
these laborers with years supplies from the
liquor fund of 1867. For the sake of convent
ence we will deal in round numbers. We will
see what can be done for 100000 working
men by a judiclous use of the afOre-name ed
sum. In providing. as shall be done in our
estimate, for theffamilies of these men, we
may be properly considered as providing for
the entire force of z, 8S5 before mentioned
Be pleased and careful TO keep in mind dur
ing the succeeding estimate to what extent
the various industries therein represented
must be quickened by such enormous de-
estimate be considered in It's bearing upon the
vexatious question of over production.
We will set them out with 100000
stoves at o each one me StoTe per
OO0,O0J: 100000 barrels of -four 10
barrels per capita, at ST. 100000; 100000 600
bushels of potatoes 70 bushels per CAPITA at
50 cents, $20,O0O0OO 100000 pounds of cof-
fee, SO pounds per capita, at 20 cents, $4,000
600; 1000 coo barrels of sugar. barrels per cap
ita at S2S S122 000 600; 50,000000 pounds of tea,
rs pounds per capita. at 80 cents, $z00OO,O9O;
100000 pounds of butter, $50 pounds per
capita, at 20 cents $780, 000 eco: ,0o0 cans
of fruit 100 cans per capita, at 1000 600; 500.
100000 cabbages, 250 heads per capita, at
cents, $4,000 OO0; 1000 900 hats, per CAPITA at
ST. SS,O00,0O0; 100000 bonnets, per capita, at
S4, $4,000, 600; 100000 pairs boots, 2 per cap
ita at IS, S20000,000; 100000 pairs shoes, per
capita, at $3.50, $4,000, Coz; 1000, 100000 bs OF
meat, $40 lbs per capita, at 10 cents, $780,
900; 1000 600 suits of clothes, 2per capita, al
$40, $40 C01, 600: 100000 suits of underwear,
per capita. at S12 $4,000. 600: 100000 dresses
4 per capita, at S. $4,000, COO; 1G0 100000
yards OF muslin, 30 yards, at 10 cents, $1,000
900; 1C0,0C1009 yards of calico. 30 yards pei
capita, at cents, $6.000,000; 50,000O00 yards OF
fian8el Is yards per capita at 40 cents, So
100000; 5000, GOO pair of gloves, per capita, al
30 cents, $4,000 900; 600, 600 pair of stockings
20 per capita, at % cents, $10,000.o90: 6000.00(
Bibles per capita, at 81, $1,000, 600: 40000,00t
school books, 20 per capita, at 80 cents, $50,
100000; 200000,000 library books, 100 per cap
ita at 81, 500 000, 600; 100000 yards of car
pet so yards per capita, at Is cents, $4,000,
coo; 100000 bedsteads, 4 per capita, at 81
$4,000, 900; 4,000,0O0 bureaus, per capita, a.
SO, $40 900; 1000 600 tables, 2 per capita a
81, $1,000, 900: 20.O00,000 chairs, 10 per capita
at II cents SIS 600 000 200 000 900 dishes, 100 pei
capita, at 20 cents. $40,0O0,000.
The sum of these estimates foots up at 81,
239, 900 900, leaving our pile, as can be readily
seen, not quite half spent Our riches grow
fairly burdensome. Let US heDceforth dis
-pense with them more rapidly and lavishly
Let us give each one of these 100000 Iaborine
men 500 for a Christmas present This do
nation will take 500, 0J0,000 of our remainder
We will presume that things are as they
should be- and hence that every man OF them
is married, 1t will not in such event pc toler
able to forget the faithful wives, so to each
ono of them we rive on Christmas morning Q