The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-08

increase Of produss or dsnSnufioss d
work. Has II added 70 the sum d,
mass Of the pyo5nct Of the coumuni
|ryy Tnle=s this method sh9ksId effhe,
sfdd 70 the present product Of 50 cents
worth per head per day OF reduce thu
cost OF making thai product. what e.
fect wouid Is have on the general con
sIltIon OF society
We next come 20 the nostrum "a
s'hstT money. The advocate OF Sal
1noney. or OF the unlifaifed Coinage 81
low priced siIyer. alleges that 81 ws
had more nzoney in eirrulztion xasss
would be higher. and then each mar
could buy more, because be would
hsEe more money 70 SPEND Does nc,
experiences prove that AT tanr~r M,
with the standard Of vains. which Is
shs form Of coin Is made use OF "a ar
instrument OF exchange. tends Il
diminish the production OF article.
necessary Tor consunaptiong Have
aoE al such undertaking ended in re.
ssriesing credit and therefore IN sairnin.
lining the product and in raisinr
prices much higher and much faster
than wages have been advanced n
not credit one OF the prime factors in
abundant production
tnless large supply Of geAeaIIe.I
cheap money should increase the psD
|dnct above what ~ cents a day vii
nov buy, 50 that the greater quanfity
OF money would pEsehase still create,
quantity OF produce, might not the
only effect be that the rich would te
come richer while the poor would Be-.
es1rne poorer. as has ever been the case
when the stability OF the standard Of
value has been tempered uith by leg
islatiOn or when the standard OF value
has been deprecated.
Is rot the malignant influence
OF al depreciation - The value
0I the currency Of q country 70 Ii
found chiefly In lis effect on credit Il
not credit prime factor in making
prices III 20. does not credit depend
upon the quality rather than upon the
quantity OF the circulating medium
What constitutes credit Does not
the farmer who plants q crop, o. the
manufacturer who bays q stock oi
crude material, grant 3 credit 10 the
future when he does so7 VIII not ell
hss undertakings be restricted when
there Is any doubt whether the money
received for biz product. after all hf-
labor has been expended upon it, will
be as good as that which he pays on,
for hrs labor a. the beginning Of the
season. VIII not product then be
diminished During the civil var,
when the greenback was depreciating
did not all private credit granted fy
one man 10 another finally cease
Did not prices rise faster than wages
The prohibitionist SAYS stop DRUG
ing and everybody viii be
IL may perhaps be true thar
dram-drinking can be stopped by leg
islatiou. but as yet the method does
not appear 10 have been very success
full Let il, however. be admitted
what does IL come tor The expendi-
ture for liquor. in the manufacture OF
which certain part OF the grain and
other products OF agriculture and q
certain amount OF fuel has been con-
surned, now averages about 4 cents
per siaJT per head OF the population. or
about SIS year per capita. In the
typical community Of 600 people this
would come 10 SO, 900 a year. or ~
per cent. OF the total product. TO that
extent a great benefit might ensue II
the larger part OF the force now ex-
pended or wasted in the production OF
spirits and beer could he employed in
some other way. How can il be
done? Ii would involve the necessity
OF finding other occupations for the
farmers and growers of grain and hops.
and for the distiiiers and brewers, AZ
well as for dealers who nov get their
living by providing liquor. TO what
extent would this change affect the
community as wholes Ii is admit
ted that large part of the crime and
OF the public expenditures for prisons
and reiormatories is due TO intemper.
ance; bat, on the other hand. il the
statistics are accurately compiled, not
only OF those whose productive ca.
pacity is impaired by the use OF liquor
bat also OF those whose pro-
ductfye capacity Is not inn
paired by such use, or II the sta
tistics were complied Of those who
make . temperate or moderate use of
liquor as compared 70 those who are
incorporate. the percentage OF intem-
perate persons and the percentage of
persons whose ability TO work Is inn
paired, would be small. If each
reader will consider his own acquains-
ance, or the members OF the eommu-
nifty in which he lives, rich and poor,
and take note OF all who ever drink so
much as 20 impair their productive
energy, he will probably be surprised
at the very small number and the very
small percentage OF the whole who
will be included in that category.
Therefore the question must be asked
10 what extent would the disuse OF
liquor increase the product or improve
the distribution of products now
measured on the average at so cents
worth per head each day, more or
less Is there not a greater waste in
the use of food than there Is even in
the expenditure for drink Admitting
TO the fullest extent all that NAV be
as 90 The tad effects of
liquor. may il not be held that dys-
pepsia caused by bad cooking Is as
bad or even a worse evil, whether con-
sidered materially or morally. than
the moderate consumption of liquors
which constitutes their average use
/; hes been my purpose Ia reciting
these various proposed reforms by
methods or by special or
ganixaiicns, TO present them in way
that viii bring each 20 the test, by APP
plying each one TO the conditions of
small community and to the measure
Of the present average product of this
Ii would be useless even TO
TO state the manifold bearings
Of any one OF these so-called reforms
In an article of moderate compass. |
have therefore tried 10 present rthe
other side in each case cited. and to
put questions in such a way as may
raise doubt as TO the efficacy OF his
special process, IN the mind even Of
the most strenuous advocate of each
ranacea for the admittedly
narrow conditions under which we
now exist. I'm the end, the common
sense OF the people will seize upon and
hold fast every element of truth that
is 20 be feand in each and all of these
reforms, and vii! reject al
that is shallow, tallaeious. or purely
selfish. In that way society grows
and reforms itself