The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-23
The Omnipresent Curse.

The Omnipresent Curse.
Senator Blair, of New Hampshire, in a
recent speech in the United States
Senate, presented in striking light the
magnitude of the drink-evil. We quote
the following:
1T must be conceded that the use Of
intoxicating-that is to say, of poisonous
Liquors as beverage is the chief source
and immediate cause of more hurt to So
ciety and to individuals than any other
one agency that can be named. The
War of the Rebellion cost US fewer lives
and less treasure year by year during its
term of death and devastation than the
nation has sacrificed annually to the
Moloch of alcohol during the period
which has elapsed since its close. Pesti-
lencc has not slain 60, 900 victims i'll any
one year since the settlement OF this
country. If cholera and smallpox COM
bined should sweep away 100000 of our
countrymen in q season the nation would
organize as one vast funeral proce sion
and hang the heavens with the emblems
of despair. Famine is with us unknown,
or at least unnecessary, and whenever it
exists is crime either of the victim or of
the community, and not an excusable
misfortune in any case whatever; but in
other civilized lands starvation, even
during the last fifty years, has occasion
ally taught mankind that the terrible
word cannot yet be dropped from tho
human vocabulary as descriptive of an
evil, liability to which is extant among
men.
"Yet it may safely be said that since
the battle of Waterloo, now the. full Pc
riod of the life of man, there has been nc
one year in which the combined suffer.
ing and pecuniary losses inflicted upon
the Caucasian race by war, pcstilcnce,
and famine has equaled the total of de.
struction chargeable to alcohol in the
same lapse of time. Beyond this the
curse of alcohol has been not intermit-
tent and occasional, but perpetual and
inexorable, and 1 think, on the whole,
Increasing like the everlasting and un.
yielding pressure of gravitation and de-
pravity.
81 hazard nothing in appealing to
the consciousness of every one who lis
tens to me to attest that he has seen more
of evil flowing from this than from any
other one cause during his whole life
time; and should hardly fail if I as
serted that the personal sorrows and az
Hictiops which he has most to bewail
among friends, kindred, and the COM
nunity where he may dwell are traceable
% the same omnipresent Curse
Cost of Spirits and Beer.
The profit on thu sale of whisky by re-
tail is enormous, says an exchange.
There are in barrel of whisky thirty
one gallons. At retail there are "a
drinks in a gallon, and 1884 drinks in
barrel; cost per gallon, say $3.50. This
makes the cost of 81 gallons $77.50, and
1854 drinks at 10 cents drink are
$19S.4O. Deduct the cost, $77.5o, and
it leaves of profit for one barrel OF whisky,
$4,000. If saloon-keeper can sell
barrels month he receives $4S3.6O, and
and for the year $5,sO3.2O. Take out
for expenses, s1,5oO, and it leaves net
profit of 81, 303 20.
For barrel of ale of 81 gallons the
cost is about So. In gallon the num-
Der of drinks will average IS, at 8 cents
drink; this is 80 cents gallon, or
se7.o0 a barrel. Deduct the cost OF
beer, So, and it leaves of profit 1880
barrel, or on the 1,OO0,O 900 of barrels, at
S cents glass for beer and ale, of $275,.
000.00O
The cost to the people Of the United
States for distilled and fermented liquors
must be some $500, 900, 900 year. This
is an enormous sum for drink! And not
dollar of this vast expenditure adds
anything to the physical, mental, or
moral we'll being of our family, but
creates misery and evil beyond the power
of any pen to describe or any imagiDa-
ton to conceive.
The old Moravian town OF Salem, n.
c., has not permitted any liquor to enter
the place for 100 years. It is the banner
temneronce town of the country.