The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-08-01
w. c. T. U. COLUMN.
f,s1TED BY THE LADIES OF THE KE
NosHA w. c., T. u.

X WORCESTERSHIRE ."s.s.S..,.<;SsssS,.''>:''
A paper on the relation of Intem-
perance to Poverty read before the
w. C. T. U. recently by Miss H. NJ
Perkins:
Poverty and want are the two
greatest burdens of the mass of the
people, and how to escape the one
and to guard against the other has
occupied the time and engaged the
attention of nearly all the workers
of this and other ages.
In order to escape an evil we
must ascertain its causes by rcmoy-
ing which, we may in great meas
ure remove the evil. But what is
poverty : 1t has been aptly defined
as being the absence of health,
strength, and the ordinary comforts
of life.
Among the causes tending to pro-
duce poverty, all will agree, none
as SO potent as Intemperance, in the
common acceptance of the term.
1t has been ably demonstrated by
science and confirmed by common
observation that alcohol taken into
the human system, solidifies the
brain tissue, thickens the blood
narcotics the nerves, enfeebles the
muscles, and blunts both the men
tai and moral perceptions. It de-
stroys health, thus depriving its vic
tim of the ability to provide for him
self and family, this tends directly
to poverty. The money expended
for liquors is only one Of the losses
accruing from Intemperance.
The skilled laborer who uses slim
ulants, sooner or later finds that his
skill has left him and he can no lon
ger do perfect work. His employer
finds that he cannot be trusted as
his brain is not clear, his vision is
imperfect and his hand unsteady
consequently he is either left with
out employment or is obliged tc
work for reduced wages.
1t is a we'll known fact in all
manufacturing establishments more
men are absent from their posts of
duty on Mondays and those days
Immediately following public holi-
days than at other time and that
those addicted to drink accomplish
less on those days than on Others
hence to the cost of drink must be
added loss of skill and loss of time
in recovering from excuses. Nor
is it the Incorporate men alone who
are impoverished by this indulgence
We shall see that every artisan, in
fact every citizen, every man, wo-
man or child is in some way affected
by it. A Manchester VT, carpenter
stated under oath that not more
than IS per cent of the carpenters
were total abstainers while the mod
crate drinkers and those who drank
to excess made up the remainder
and that every carpenter was injur
ed by the habit, the drinking men
being improvident had nothing tc
fall back upon in times of pressure
and were obliged to place their la
Dor upon the market at the lowest
rates thus reducing the wager OF
the whole. The employer being
often embarrassed by the failure OF
drinking men to report for labor
suffers loss thereby and this proba-
bitity of loss has to be taken into
account in fixing the wages paid to
the whole, thus forcing the temper
ate man to make up the loss caused
by the Incorporate men.
Every property holder suffers
impoverishment in consequence of
this Intemperance. If IS per cent
of the crime and 90 per cent Of
pauperism of the country is the di-
rect result of intemperance then
are the property holders unjustly
burdened for the amount of taxes
paid for the support of the poor
and for the support and punish
ment of the criminals.
In the year ending June goth,
1886 Wisconsin licensed 6773 retail
| dealers in distilled and malt liquors
or one dealer to each Al voters and
these were paid in taxes on NAL,
and distilled liquors in all $2,353,
oo3.7o sum equal to nearly one
and a half dollar for every inhabit.
ant of the State. Our own town has
e licensed saloons which pay ar
aggregate of $11,5oo per year licen
Sc and we may safely estimate that
these pay an average rent of Soc
per year and that every dollar paic
for license and rent represent sale
of not less than five dollars making
the liquor consumption in the town
not less than $8o,5oo to which must
be added at least $4,000 for loss
Of time wasted through the effects
of drink damage to property anc
other indirect losses making the loss
direct and indirect to those who are
Incorporate not less than $500, ooo
per year which estimate facts viii
prove to be a low one. But let rs