The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1890-10-02

TEMPERANCE NOTES.
- CONVINCING FIGURES.
Oar Natlonal Drink BIl and the People.
who Payslt.
55s.sYou can not have your cake anu eat
it. too" So reads the immutable law
which we all some time mournfuily
learned in childhood. Anation can not
drink its iucome. and have it too
What people spend for drink they can
not spend for food. clothing Or dwell
ings; books, schools o. churches- Il =
man spends 500 4 year for drink he:
can not spend that 500 for clothes Tor
himself or family, for food or fuel. az,
Guy Of the comforts of life. This Is not
. mere abstract argument but truth
which has awful PRACTICAL, demonAtra'
ton in every community. we Oil knoM
families utterly wretched because eh6'
husband and father drinks up the earn
ings which might support them in.nom.
fort The Nation is only . eollectien o.
families: According to the latest est1:
mates, which have passed unchallenged,
tho criticism 81 those staunch liquor
papers, the Chicago Champion and the
Brewers journal, the whole Nation Is
spending more than 81, 100, DOC, 900 ans
nually for intoxicating liquors, and in
creasing the amount at the rate OF $780,
DOC, 900 = year. BY 4 fair: deduction Of
all receipts from State and Nstte6Sl
taxation of the traffic it would easily
amount to . clear- 81, 600, O0O, 0oe, for,
which she Nation receives no, return:
IL our population H. sc, 600, 000, that;
amounts to &16.66: for every man,
woman and =. child; At tho milf:
tary rate of one able-bodied IMAM
for every five persons; that
would give $50 cash loss every te4f ;fef
every able-bodied man in the Natiot'
If one-half of these do. not drink. that
will carry the amount which the aver
age drinker wastes up to $3.50 annually.
It easilH amounts to $780, Few are the
~dkinking men ~hd:are content with less
than i've glasses of beer day, making
Is cents day and 500 year; for men
who drink every other day, get It some
how on Sunday. From their point OF
view they must have it. Add In &C.
casional "treats" and ':sprees"!-. and
''whiskies" at ten. to fifteen cents .
glass, and you see i,how easy It is to
overrun 500. Now, for the nusn who
is earning $500, or even $500 = year,
think what a terrible draft that 500 for
liquor IS upon the subsistence of his
family: So IS ti1e expenditure Of 81. OOo,-
600, 900 terrible draft tpon the fami-.
lies of the Nation ....-~.....
Let no man fatter himself that he
does not have to pay part of that tfrou-
sand millions because he does not drink
the liquor. If one-half of the men in
the Nation were to fire of their wages
. in gunpowder as fast as received, would
not the other half have to pay for. the
fireworks? Certainly they would. for
they would have to support the men
and the families of the men whose
wages had gone up in smoke. It is just
the same when wages 60 down in drink.
This is the greatest cause of hardship
to the working-men. Far be it from US
to say that all their poverty is caused
by drink. There are thousands sober,
faithful and industrious. to;iiDg with a
devotion that is sublime to support
themselves and their dear ones amid ILL
adjusted social conditions. The drink
ing man is worse rival than the China
man: When he Is sober he can do
nearly as good work as another man,
but being always under the harrow he
IN ~ IN $o N,,<A
wages. SO he brings down the wages
{ of every man who works with him. The
Incorporate man does not support his
wife and children Hence his wife must
go into the wage-market, to work for
what she can get, and bring prices down
still lower. The sober working-men
must pay for the support Of the wives
and children of drunkards, for the ar
rest trial and conviction of -drink-crim.
inals, and for the support of their fam
lilies while they are imprisoned. They
MUST pay, too, for all the idle time and
spoiled goods caused by drink in the
factory, for all these things increase the
employers expenses, and are sure to
cut down the workman's wages.
The .tradesmen pay their part, too.
We will suppose that at .the first four
corners beyond the drinking-man's
home there are four business places
No. is a;saloon. No.2 is grocery, No.
8 dry-goods store, No. 4 q boot and
shoe store. Just beyond'lives his land
lord. The working-man: receives 3l2 in
wages Saturday night, and starts out to
spend it as follows:
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