The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-12-28
MY POCKET"

The Liquor Question from an Economic
Stand Point How 1t Affects the
Farmer.
The following significant article APP
pears editorially in late number of the
Farm, Field and Stockman:
In a former issue we reprinted q me-
mortal respectfully received by the
United States Senate at it's last session
on the politico-economics of intoxicants.
This subject is far too often treated
along lines of glittering generality.
The individual pocket is the true object
i've point. Records of courts and of con-
ventions, and of expert testimonies, have
for more than a generation gone to
prove that nine-tenths of the crime,
pauperism, insanity and such like-with
all that means to tax payers come from
the use of alcohol. These records and
testimonies show that the grand total
of yearly cost of alcoholic drink in tho
United States is several times the nine
hundred million dollars suggested by
some Temperance publications. Nine
hundred million dollars of waste can he
shown by pretty fair analysis of customs
ing from the use of intoxicants in this
country. These returns represent APP
proximately pure liquor. But it is we'll
known that not quarter of the liquor
sold over the bars of this country is pure
liquor.
But all this. even after the mass Of
intelligent people accept it as true, will
not lead them 10 efficient action.
Not till the problem reaches the voter
formulated to touch that magic point
my pocket" will he be sure to act as if
he realized that 1.-The shortest line be-
tween two points is straight"
Take the farmer as an illustration.
Like every other member of any indus
trial class, his prosperity depends on
general prosperity. If the merchants
and mechanics, and the railways, manu-
facturers and other corporations are in
prosperous condition-not otherwise
he can get fair prices for his products.
IF individuals who compose 1.-The
masses" are generally doing we'll in
their business, these other classes and
com binations will have a similar ex-
perience. And the farmer, whose prod
acts are the foundation of them
all, will not be an exception. Work.
ing from the circumference-the
masses-to the center, the individual,
we find that each of these millions of
centers or individuals is financially
prosperous, exactly in proportion to the
average spending of individual incomes.
If half of those who should be the con-
stituents of a country merchant ars
spending a greater part of their earn
ings for drink, that merchant has COR
respondirgly hard work to make ends
meet The farmer for whom that mer-
chant is measurably banker and medium
of exchange feels the pressure at every
point of his financial experience. Every
one of score or more of mechanics
who help to consume that farmers sur
plus has3his share of shortage, because
people are spending all they have to
spare for drink. instead of for the prod
uets of these skilled workers. There
fore, these mechanics can not buy freely
of the farmer and he loses that best Of
all markets-a home market.
To sum it all up, the farmer may as.
sure himself that if his net income is
$1,000 year under license-high or low
it would be $1,000 if his neighbors
were spending their surplus for honest
products of labor and capital instead Of
for drink. This loss is million dollars
for every thousand of such farmers, and
500, 900 for every 100, 600 of them.
This line of fact, philosophy and action
will lead to the central citadel of hard
times" and to its capture. Let each
farmer use this philosophy as the lens
with which to scrutinize the condition
of his particular pocket.