The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-10-03


help in the great enterprise, even il
they do not drink. How is that? Well
every one knows that the sale of farm
products is painfully slow. While
women and children in The city art
starving, the farmers of Illinois, Kan
sas and Dakota are lamenting over corn
crops that shake like Lebanon and
wheat-felds fair as the garden of God
Ii you could bring the surplus harvest
TO the deficient stomach, there would be
rejoicing at both ends of the line. 1t is
not mere question Of transportation,
for you might pile that grain in sky.
touching elevators in the cities, and the
starvation of the poor go on all the
same. They have not the money to buy
with. and they never will have while
$1,000, 100000 is wasted for intoxicants.
But, now. see here" says some
farming friend, "isn't all the beer and
whisky made out of grain? and doesn't
that grain have to be bought of the
farmers? What difference does it make
whether the people buy it in the form
OF food or in the form of drink?' 1t is
the difference between 25 cents and $50
per bushel. According to tho report
Of the Bureau of Statistics of tho
United States for 1889, there were used
in the manufacture of Intoxicating
liquors. $3.50, S63 bushels of corn The
total of all grains so used was 2o,99O,.
ga bushels. If we consider it all as
corn, and divide tho total expenditure
for liquor in that years., 100, 000 900 -
by the number of bushels, we have a
little moro than $50 a bushel which the
drinkers paid for their grain in the
form of liquor. Sold as corn, the
bushel of corn brought the Western
farmer something like 25 cents. Sold
as liquor it brought the liquor dealer
solid $50. But observe, the farmer
only received his IS cents just thu
same.
Now, the people who have paid $50
for corn in the form of liquor will have
so much less money to spend for corn
in the shape CT corn. II we suppose
the retail price of corn to them would
average so cents, then tho $50 they
have spent for corn in the shape OF
liquor would have bought 100 bushels
of corn in the shape of corn. But be-
cause they have paid $50 for one bushel,
they can not buy the other ninety-nine.
The farmer has all those left on his
hands. and is poor for lack of sale for
his splendid crops.
Is it not evident that the farmer can
not work alongside of the diStiller, the
brewer and the saloonkeeper and live2
He can not sell corn for % cents and
have the saloon-koeper sell it for $50 to
the very people who would otherwise
buy of him.
But would they buy tho grain il they
did not buy the liquor? Take wagon
load of meal in twelve-pound sacks
down among tho poor tenements, and
offer to give sack to every needy fam.
lily, and see how far you would drive
before you would have an empty wagonl
These people woefu'ly need your grain,
but you can not sell it to them because
the saloon has exhausted their buying
power.
The same would be found true Of all
that on certain day suit of clothes, a
pair of shoes, dress-pattern, a suit OF
gnderclothing, etc, would be given
freely to every needy applicant. You
night use military strictness to guard
against imposition, and nevertheless ii
would be question whether the whole
retail stock of any city would not be
exhausted within twenty-four hours.
The only thing that keeps them in the
stores now is that the people who need
them most have not the money to buy
them.
The money which is spent for liquor
can not be spent for any thing else
The saloon is sucking the blood OF every
honest industry. 1t is keeping US poor
as Nation in spite of our splendid re-
sources. just as the individual drinker
is kept poor though earning ample
wages. The sober people of the Nation
suffer with the Incorporate, just as the
drinking mans family suffer with him.
Rev. j. c. Fernald, in Chicago Ad.