The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-02-14
LIQUOR a Nd LABOR.
TAE FINANCIAL SIDE OF THE DRINK.
QUESTION.

ital, and to tile Count by the Saloon
Traffic.
Ine wage OF labor problem is one Of the i'm.
I,,n . : r,,s questions u . Of the day; It is p%recipitat-
ing crisis IN our country's history. Some So
luton to the financial problems that are upon
us must soon be renched-the
OF the comforts of life-or our Government c::j
Its Institutions will be taxed to their utmost to
maintain themselves. We are approaching con-
~ oftloms that nave beer present of the downfall
o. every great nation OF ancient or modern
tl'Ees-wealth and luxury on one hand. and alb
3 Eel poverty ave, ' Y and suffering on the other. aAv-'
been the ruin OF every great state SPEAKING
81 the downfall of Rome. Canon Farrar saws:
livery e age IN It's decline has exhibited the
1ect poverty; of wealth a monster, gcIgedlamid
a starving population"
Na " our own country; a recent writer for the
when the masses led by hunger will face the
cinsses protected by wealth." The laborer's
remIp aan s,1 IS a. 2 lust one: His sufferings ore
are Important considerations.
impartial Investigation will show the liquor
dEanic with It's attendant evils to be in no small
IL is certainly the wage-worker's worst enemy.
and its destruction would improve the laborer''s
condition to such an extent as to eliminate the
most perplexing factors of the labor problem.
1t brings into existence nothing OF value. but
causes great destruction Of that produced by
others, robs men of productive power, drives
- UAo Y WOEh III Hills ana 1aE-
tories, reducing wages and forcing hundreds of
men out OF employment. 1t is a great tax OIL
productive industry: 1t eats up the lnborer's
share OF the profits. destroys the worlds mar
kets, sows the seed of socialism and anarchy,
and defeats the laboror in his attempt to pro-
tect himself by proper laws.
]. The liquor traffic in no way produces any,
thing OF value, but prospers by the destruction
OF wealth produced by other occupations. The
wants OF man in civilized society are food, cloth
ing. shelter, and educational and religious adj
vantages. Those engaged in the manufacture
and sale OF liquors are constant consumers of
these necessaries and comforts of life-the
aid in their production. They consequently
i've at the expense OF others. Those engaged
in other occupations in exchange for what they
consume bring into the worlds markets that
which is useful and the exchange is all adyan-
tase.. The dealer in intoxicants has Produced
nothing OF value to offer in exchange. He pro-
duces nothing that supplies any need or fur
nishes any comfort. The expense OF his bust
ness aud the support Of his family is a tax on
productive industry, and is taken from the earn
ings Of labor.
2. The tax ON productive industry is enorm-
GUS. 1t eats up the laborer's share Of the prof
its. There are engaged in the manufacture and
sale OF saloon liquors more than $40, 600 persons,
In addition to these there are about 500, 900 per-
sons confined in iails, prisons, hosl itals, nsy-
tenths of whom, with their attendants, are rem
dered bythe traffic unproductive. Tie traffic
n!so demands an extra police force OF 10000, in
I'LL making more than LOCO, 900 persons, with
their families. that the traffic in intoxicants
renders dependent for the necessaries of life on
the labor OF others. To this must be added the
ing buildings and fixtures, and the cost of the
grain and other ingredients used in the produc-
ton of intoxicants. AL Of this immense ex-
pense is paid from the profits of productive in.
dustry. According to the usual estimates, this,
the direct and indirect cost of the traffic,
amounts to 81 5O0,0oO,GN direct s9oo,OO. 900, in
direct SD0,OO0.OOU annually, more than one
fourth the value of all manufactured articles
produced by our country in any one year. To
provide for this, the lnborers of the land must
toll harder and longer, and for less wages, than
would otherwise be necessary We're the traffic
abolished.
3. The liquor traffic, drunkenness, robs hun
drcds OF men OF the ability to provide for the
support OF their families, and drives women and
children into mills and factories. They, in order
to obtain employment, sell their time for a mere
pittance, and men having families are thus CON-
PEELED to work for reduced wages or lose their
positions. This reduction OF wnyes CiLlses stiff
other parents to put their children to work, and
of men are thrown out of employment and their
places filled with cheaper labor. The last United
States census reveals the fact that in 1881 there
were L. lS,OO children at work i'll factories.
These children ought to be in school, and
suffer n great Injustice in being thus early put
to work: The liquor traffic is largely RESPONSE
bic for this condition of affairs.
4. Our markets are glutted, times are dull.
wages are low, and the prices Of the necessaries
of life are out OF proportion with the earnings
of the working people. largely because of the
immense amount of money the liquor traffic
annually turns from the legitimate channels of
trade. 1t causes an improper or under-con-
sumption of articles of legitimate commerce
and crippIes every branch of useful industry.
To illustrate: We have in our country about
100000 drunkards and on a fair estimate 600, 900
families are suffering III poverty as a conse-
quence. Allowing five members to q family we
have 1900, COO people improperly housed, poorly
clothed, and scantily fed on account of drunk
enness.
Let these men cease their drinking habits
and properly support their families, and what
would be the result? Large numbers of women
and children would at once leave mills and fac.
tories, and men now unemployed could have
their places mud wages would advance, there
would be a greatly increased call for the varied
necessaries and comforts of life, and labor
would be in greater demand. If each OF the
100000 now suffering in poverty should annu.
ally spend all additional dollar for shoes and five
dollars for other clothing, and five cents q day
more for wholesome food, which could be easily
done, and would be done, if the drink bill were
cut of. it would be an increase of 81, 600, 900 all.
ing business. and 50 4.75O.O0O to the food pro.
ducers. Every branch of trade and line OF occu.
patton would feel the stimulus. from the farmer,
the woolgrowor and the cotton planter, all along
through the various, processes of manufacture
to the clerk i'll the retail store.
Still other things would happen close the So
looms OF the nation, and put gu end to drunken
ness, and soon families would come up from
cellars and down from attics and demand better
homes. There would be- IN increased demand
for lnborers md mechanics of oil kinds, and
then there would come u demand for lumber
for general hardware, for wool for carpets. and
for all the varied comforts and convenienccs
with which to furnish new homes.
The markets of the country would be revised.
and a new order of affairs would be ushered in.
With the present condition OF trade. markets
glutted, and wages low, the laborer becomes a
slave to circumstances and to the lnonopolist.
He must sell his labor for what it will bring,
for a days id1eness means suffering At
channels of trade the vast amount annu-
ally diverted by the liquor traffic, and mo-
no,polistic influence could be broken. for
labor would be i'll great demand, and the
Independence of the laborer restored. Under
the present condition OF crowded markets, it is
often to the advantage of tho manufacturer to
suspend operations for q time. or for a combi-
nation OF capitalists to declare q lockout. In
such times there is much suffering; the pride
the soil prepared for the seeds of socialism and
anarchy. 1t is not SO much the evil disposition
of the capitalist as the conditions that con-
| front hinl-warehouses filed with goods for
which there is no market. To illustrate the
connection OF the liquor traffic to the stagna.
ton of the markets and the consequent low
can city. and study this problem in connection
with it. l will, for illustration. use Racine,
Wisconsin. a city of 10000 inhabitants. Less
than two years ago. with the aid of the City
Treasurer, made an estimate of the amount
spent annually for saloon liquors.
The estimate was $4,000. A city Of 20,G0J
inhabitants will contain about 400 families.
If we should distribute the money spent ouch
year for saloon liquors among the more needy
half OF tho city, what wouid il buy for each oi
the 9, 900 families ? and " hat would be the result
on the markets of the city and the general condi-
tiono of the people? The Si75. 900 spent annually
for liquor would buy for these 1000 more needy
families
5000 tons of coal, at 81 per ton. ......... $40, OO1
G,CO0 bbls flour, at S. a Dbl. ........... 30,C0J
10000 lbs meat, at 10c per lb............ 20,00G
1900 bu potatoes, at soc per bu........ 5000
10000 lbs dried fruit, at 15c per lb....... 5000
100000 lbs oat meal. at SC per ID. ....... 5000
10000 cans OF fruit, at 15c per can........ 5000
1000 SIS carpets. 80, 900
1000 S2o 50, 900
i4,000 81 looks Aid AGO
1000 toys for children, 25c ench......... 1,OC
1000 mems overcoats, at SO each 90, UC
1000 boys overcoats, at 50 each.......... 90, OO1
1000 women's dresses, at $40. 90, COG
1909 girls dresses, at S3............... 2,0CG
1000 pairs mems boots, S4 per pair....... 5000
1000 pairs boys boots. SO per phir...... 5000
1000 pairs Wolnen's shoes, - per pair. COCO
4,cO) pairs girls shoes, S1.J0 per pair. 6,0OC
1000 mems caps, 81 each 4,OG
1000 boys caps, at 75c ach......... S,ON
1000 Wo1nen's hoods, 81 each........ 2,O0C
1000 girls hoods, 75c ach........: 5000
1000 mems suits, SIS 3O,OOC