The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-12-29


1t is no eXaggeration to say. in ths'
light of this estimate, that for every
dollar that is spent for proper food.
clothing and the other necessities and
comforts of life, something like fifty
cents is spent for rum. That il, one
third the money that should be spent
for these necessaries, and which would
be, were it not for the accursed rum
power, goes into the Golfers of the
latter. If the latter were pulverized
between the upper and neither mill
stones law and popular opinion, an
added sum, equal to one-half their
present receipts, would accrue to the
men who are engaged in producing
and supplying these necessaries of life,
to the people Of this country.
Here is a vast field for the labors Of
the political economist. Here is
solution of the problem OF hard times,
which is the veXing one to which We
all are seeking II permanent solution.
If the expenditures of our people for
useful and needful articles of food,
clothing, etc, were increased one-halt.
| the domestic trade of the country
would be increased one-half. Tho
| only ones who would suffer would
be the men who make and dealin rum;
but the increased expenditures in
other lines would require 81 corre--
spending increase in the means of pro-
duction. Our farmers would find sale
for One-half more Of their productsS
our factories would need to be in
creased in number, or their force OF
operatives be enlarged; our merchants
would enlarge their stores, and new
ones would be added; and the in.
creased demand would furnish labor
for tens of thousands more of work
ing-men and women.
1t is to be remembered that whom n
man spends money for rum, he gets no
equivalent for his money. He buys a
coat, which lasts him for months; but
while he is wearing it, he drinks d
dozen times its cost, and has nothing
| tangible to show for the rum he has
imbibed, unless it be the evil that it
does him. And it is not to be forgot
tea that the number of men it takes to
produce a thousand dollars worth or
drinks of rum is much smaller than it.
takes to produce one thousand do lars
worth of food, or clothing, or any
| other necessary of life. The vast bulk
of the money paid for rum goes as
| profit into the pockets Of the saloOnistS
| in any other case, the bulk of it is paid
to working-men as the cost OF produo-
ton. 1t is the one form OF traffic
which pays the least, in proportion, to
the labor which produces it's staple,
because it requires compa"at Vely less
actual labor to make rum than -lmost
any thing else.
| 1t is traffic without ono redeeminS
| feature. II is an ulcer in tho civilian
ton of the Nation, eating cut tho
vitals. 1t is burden on every legiti-,
mate occupation, robbing each and
every one of Them Of one-third of it's
legitimate trade. Every manufact~
urer, every farmer, every producer OF
food or any other nece5s ary OF lifes
every business man whose occupation
is the traffic in any of these neces-
saries and comforts of life, should
look upon the rum traffic as his own
personal enemy, robbing him every
| year Of one-third Of the sales he would
make were it not for this Internal
burden, OF which he must carry his
share so long as the cause is allowed
to exist. From a position of indif-
ference, all these classes of people
named should spring into active OPP
position to this Internal tax upon the
people and the legitimate trade and
industry of the Nation. Toledo BtQde--