Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-09-03
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
a BUSINESS VIEW.
what the Rum Tranie Costs the Legiti
mate Business Of One City.

INT hEEDCI6 III 1AA0CAA1 AA1-oN tA1e
their business is every whit as legiti-
mate as the sale of food, or of clothing,
or Of furniture. or any other retail oc-
cupation. This is not true. Dealers
in these and the thousands OF other
articles of daily consumption and use
are engaged in supplying the natural
wants of humanity. The saloon keeper
is not. The former gives 10 his custom
er an equivalent for his money. The
saloon keeper does not Rum is neither
food nor clothing, nor does it supply
any need of the healthy human body.
1t is a poison which Injuries, and in
large enough doses wiz kill The men
who sell it are not on the same plane
as retail business men. Instead of
catering to humanity's needs, they
pander to its vices. Their occupation
is on the same level as that of those
who traffic in the souls and bodies of
women to satisfy mems lust
There is no legitimate business that
would not be largely benefited If this
traffic in liquid ruin were destroyed.
We viii enter into a little calcula-
ton t o show how much the traffic
costs Toledo. We think it probable
that there is not a saloon in the city
whose average sales are less than $40
per day. Unless the saloon keeper take
in this much at least, he cannot live;
for, though the percentage of profit in
the retail sale of liquor is enormous,
yet when the first cost of the liquor,
the rent of the room. and the cost of
fire, gas, taxes and other expenses are
taken out, there would be too narrow
a margin for profit if the saloons sales
averaged less than $40 daily. 1t is said
that the large and fashionable saloons
on Summit street claim to average
$500 and over per day. We think
that the average of $40 per day
for all the saloons in the city IS proba-
bly, too low. However, we would soon
er err on that side than on the other,
and so will let il stand.
There are, according to the collector
Of internal revenue over 800 saloons
in this city. For convenience in
calculation let us take that number.
Assuming the average of daily receipts
to be only $40, the moun paid over
their counters is over So, 900 daily, and
over 81, SIS 900 yearly. 1t viii be
noted that we omit Sunday, and do
not take into calculation the illegal
sales OF that day, which are very large;
hence our estimate is very low If we
make it 50. 200, 600 yearly.
Think of what hat 81, 900. 600 a year
loses to the city and to all legitimate
lines of business and you will begin to
have a faint idea Of what the rum traf-
fc costs Toledo in a purely business
way every year, 1t does not do a cents
worth of good to those who buy it. nor
TO their wives and children. The
amount spent for rum is simply that
much flched from other necessities
and comforts. Ii there were not a RUM
hole in Toledo that s., 600, 900 would he
nearly all spent with business men in
legitimate lines. The men who now
pay it out for liquor would then spend
il for more food or that of a better
quality: for better clothing for them
their wives and their children;
for better furniture, home comforts
and the little Injuries Of life. They
would live in better houses; they
exist on a higher plane, A por-
ton Of it would probably be saved and
put away in savings banks as a deposit
times Of sickness or misfortune,
or when old age shall come.
Look now for a moment at the bust
ness side of this state of affairs. Let
the retail merchants of Toledo consider
for a moment the value to themselves
Of an additional expenditure of 50, 900
per day from retail We
nave no means of knowing what is the
average total amount Of retail sales
laily in the city, but we are quite GER
ain that the regular addition of
Z, 900 to the total for every working
in the year would give such a boom
% the retail trade as it has not ex-
)erienced in years, and it would be
permanent. 1t would not be only for
me day, but for every day in the week
ind for every week in the year. If
here is any class of the community
whose own interests should prompt
hem to be bitter opponents Of the rum
raffic it is our retail merchants.
The benefit of the suppression OF the
sloons of Toledo would not be confined
0 the retail business and TO the drink
ng class of her population; nor would
he enormous sum added to the legiti-
nate business transactions be the only
'enefit Toledo would derive. There
would be less crime and disorder: the
Expenses of our police force and our
and prisons would be diminished, :
While the burden of pauperism would
e much lightened. There would be !
lore men who would buy lots and build 5
thereon; men who are not now !
AK payers would accumulate their saw
lgs and become such. The effect !
Tould not be for one year, but 60 on l
each succeeding year. The I
asis of taxation would be broadened, !
be rate of taxation would be lowered; 2
here would be such an increase in the $
emand for staple articles that it would r
robably increase the number of our T
stail establishments. and add to the c
- n