The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-04-02
THE CAPITAL THAT WHISKY DE
STROYS.


Every man has a commercial value. /
1 can earn $1,000 a year am as good COM
mcrcially as a $50, 900 bond bearing 6 pc
cent interest III impair my ability t,
earn money impair my commercial val
ne. Here are a few actual living illnstra
tions which come within our immediate
scope Of observation.
Mr.. \. was doing good business and
his income was 50, 100 year His com
nlcrcial value therefore. based on q 6 per
cent. interest standard was SAC. 900 He
took to drinking and neglected his bust
ness, which went to the dogs as fast as he
/ did
Mr.. B. was making 800 on a good pay
ing job with reasonable prospect Of an
early increase. His commercial worth
was SIS, 1000 lie got into bad company.
He took to drinking and lost his situation.
his sef-respect and his manhood 4 char
table society buried him.
Mr. c. was yonng man who had GOT a
foot-hold in one Of our largest Manufacture
ing establishments He was bright. smart
and active and his prospect Of rapid ad-
vancement were favorable He got only
1929 year, but this made his commercial
value 81, 600 But he Vas unwise in
choosing his associates. lie learned to
smoke cigarettes and play billiards. Then
followed beer and whis ky. Under the
n 43ao.e :, T;,,,,,, J, ~ 5,4.,,, a.. ~ - :; H.:
ton, which the law called crime. lie
went to prison and his broken hearted
mother to her grave.
Mr.. D. was a commercial traveller, a
whole-souled generous fellow. as honest as
a gold dollar and loved By all who knew
him. His services readily commanded
81 800 year, which fixed his commercial
value at SEQ 600. Bnt Mr.. y had his weak
points, and one was that he couldn't say
no. He fell in with jovial companions,
and Of course adopted their ways Before
he scarcely realized the danger of the
course he was taking be found himself out
of situation, pennIess. aud beyond the
power Of reform.
These are only four cases. but their
counterparts exist everywhere. Ia these
four cases capital aggregating $92 600 is
just as effeotually wiped out as if it con-
sisted of buildings paying rental amount
ing to s5,520 Now if there are only
twenty-five cases Of this kind in this one
town Of S, 900 Inhabitants tand We think it
would be undertaking to put it at one
hundred 3 the capital destroyed by whisky
is equal to a eonllagration Of property, on
which there is no insurance, amounting to
two million. three hundred thousand dol
lars
If man should erect a fine house cost
ing $50, 600 and then deliberately set fire
to it, the people would have something to
say about it: and yet in this case it is only
a house that is destroyed, not human
soul!
o. this internal, devilish drink, Why viii
not people realize the full extent Of its des-
troying power and devote more energy to
suppressing it A healthy pablic sentiment
is more powerful than the most stringent
laws. Make social outcast Of every man
who drinks Shun him as you would
leper Make intemperance crime, a
crime follow by punishment, swift and
sure. Drunkenness has been treated
too mdulgently and efforts at suppression
have been directed towards the saloon
keepers. But try prohibition measures on
the drinkers end when you stop men from
buying you will at the same time stop men
from selling Western Pio,cnan