The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-03-06
w. CT. U. DEPARTMENT
For God and Homo and Natics Land.

For God and Home and Naties Land.
The sale of intoxicating liquors has
long since lost all claim to public sup
port ON moral and social considera-
tons. Intelligent and good men are
unanimous in declaring it nuisance
in both these respects. To-day the
sole ground on which it appeals for a
legal existence is the financial consid-
Grafton. Business will be injured if
the sale of liquor is prohibited; and
this cry, as baseless as it is foolish, is
echoed by both defenders and apollo
gists of cruel and destructive tariff,
which not only preys upon every le-
ultimate business, but paralyzes in
myriad instances those for whom and
by whom business exists. If we think
carefully over this whole matter we
shall easily arrive at the following un-
derlying principles:
Trade or business is due to the re-
lationship of demand and supply.
People need certain things; other peo-
pie set themselves to supply those
needs, and thus trade springs up, and
business is transacted. If people need
ed nothing then there would be moth
ing to be supplied, and consequently
no business would be done. But we
need clothes, food, houses, books, tools,
furniture; and Immediately, in order
to supply these the whole business OF
clothes making, food producing, house
building, etc., etc, springs into activi-
ty. ...
For the sake of convenience trade
centers in villages, towns and cities,
and people so thither for what they
need, and find others there ready to
supply them. They exchange, they
buy or sell, and thus trade thrives and
prospers.
The business done will be exactly in
proportion to the amount that people
want and are able to pay for. If one
wants 500 worth of clothes and can
pay for them, the clothier and he will
| do lust that amount of business. II
not, then they will do less, and SINH
larly with all other transactions.
Business is ''helped" when the de-
mand for articles is increased: when
the ability to pay for them is made
greater and when the production OF
them is made easy and cheap. Bust
ness is injured" when the demand is
lessened, the ability to pay diminished
and cost of production increased. In
the light of the foregoing principles
the following propositions are clearly
of the utmost Importance:
l. The dram shop decreases the de-
mand for legitimate articles of trade
The great staples of trade are what is
eaten, worn or used to live in or work
with. If the dram shop really helps
business it must make people eat
more wear more, and use more build
ings and tools. But experience proves
the very reverse of this to be true. 1t
is the work of the dram shop to teach
men to tipple and drink and the more
they tipple and drink, the less as a
rule they are able to purchase in the
way of food, clothes, houses and i'm
plements. The demand for drink in
creases, and must be satisfied though
tho family goes without the requisite
supply of bread, clothes and the usu-
al comforts of homo. As the dram
shop gets hold of a mantle provider
for family-the baker and butcher,
the grocer and clothier, the tinsmith
and bookseller and all traders sell him
less and less. The bottle is sent out
for whisky where formerly the basket
went for bread and meat.
Suppose trader has full variety
store, and has fifty sober working men
with families for his customers. These
will spend on an average $500 each
with the trader, and so he will do a
business of $4,000 per year. Now let
the dram shop come, and teach all
those to tipple and drink. Will the
fifty tipping working men take more
or as much from the traders store as
they did when sober? Nay but they
will now spend on an average of $50 a
year in the dram shop, and therefore
have but $3.50 to spend with the trad
er, and his business shrinks from S15,-
GOO to S12,5OO The dram shop is
therefore constant and deadly enemy
to business inasmuch as always and
inevitably it decreases the demand for
the legitimate articles of trade.
2. The dram shop decreases the pur-
chasing capacity of the people. It is
quite plain that the purchasing capac-
ity of a community is measured by its
earning power. How then does the
dram shop effect the earning power OF
a community.
The first result of the dram shop is
to cause loss of time and idleness
Men spend hours in tipping, when
they ought to be at work. Men pass
| odyS Ill oplCtS duu I'll llhS "uSu UIiSy
ought to be at their trade. Men lose
situations on account of drinking and
are for days and weeks without en-
ployment, and earning nothing. Sup
pose in town you have two hundred
workingmen, earning Sl.50 per day,
Their aggregate earnings are $500 per
day, or $500 per week. Now, if dram
shops are set up in this town, and one
half the workers learn to tipple and
drink and lose on an average one day
per week, the earnings amount to $3.50
less per week, or $500 less per year.
In Great Britain it is estimated that
the labor power loses one day in every
six on account of drunkenness.-Prof.
G. E. Foster, NJ. p, in Timely Talks.
For Sale.
One mower; Price only $3.50. It
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