The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-02-25


And looking, linger to count the COST 'i
Home, happiness, life, and hope Of Heaven,
All staked with demon, and lost. all lost
Jenny L. Emo, In National Temperance tAd-
vocate. ale. ,i,..afi 3Gtsl |
TEMPERANCE STATISTICS. Z
The Erroneous Statements Made Concern
ing the Cbst of Liquors.
Few are guiltless of unconscious ex-
aggeration. A good cause is damaged
more by exaggeration in it's support
than by opposition. The simple truth
alone is permanently helpful. Even
Temperance statistics are by no means
always accurate. Figures are often
made to tell most damaging lies Even
contrasts are frequently incorrect on
both sides. Ever since / first began to
read Temperance figures 1T has been
stated that the country starves its
clergy on S12,00O,0OO annually, while
hundreds of millions are lavished on
the saloon-keepers. Yet the Methodist
Episcopal church alone pays her min
listers over $9,000,000 each year. She
supports about one-ninth of the conn
trys clergy, and if others are as well
paid the whole sum is over $50, 900, 000
In similar contrasts, $s5, 900, 900 is often
put down as the cost of education. Yet
the Commissioner of Education in the
report of 1888 places the expenditure
for public education at S122, 500, 900. If
we add to this the cost of universities
So, 100000 - the cost of private and
parochial schools, probably $1,000, 900.
Us 100000 pupils are reported, and the
expenses of commercial colleges, schools
of law, medicine, theology and Of sec
ondary instruction, we shall not fall
below $15O,OOO,0OO as Americas annual
tuition bill AL 70 t.,.gV brtu'f
Again, some OF the best statistical
writer's fix bread at S505, 100000 and
liquors at 5000, OOo, OOO. This bread item
is the wholesale value of ''grist-mill
products" given in the. census of 1880,
The same table reports the, brewery
and distillery products at less than
$142, 100000. That the liquor output in
creases in cost vastly more between the
producer and the consumer than the
grist-mill product is acknowledged, bnt
the grist-mill product is by no means
the Nations bread bill If the FAIR val
uation of labor, fuel and rent were
added the bread of the people would be
found to cost scarcely less than 81, OOO,-
100000 Large additions must also be
made to the Wholesale figures Of the
cost of meat, cotton goods and shoes if
quoted in the contrasts. .hrt .sliiysbI
Further is the. common estimate of
5000, 600, 900 as the Nations liquor bill
reliable? Quite likely nearly that sum is
paid each yearto the liquor dealers Of the
country. 1t is, absolute loss, more than
loss-a damage to the consumers. Butts
it such to the Nation? One hundred mill
ion go into the Government Treasury as
internal revenue tax, and perhaps more
than half that sum is paid into mu-
nicipal treasures as license fees This
money certainly is not lost to the Ma
ton. Nor does the currency paid for
, drinks drop; out Of circulation or suffer
depreciation. 1t is there --all there---
and is just as useful as ever. when re-
turned to legitimate channels of bust
ness. To thisis often added very large
} if unequal sum for indirect cost OF
: the traffic. But what is lost? AL the
barley, hops, corn, strychnine, indicus
coculus and other ingredients used in
the manufacture are lost. The world
receives no return for them. No health
s strength or warmth, is secured by the
: outlay. No compensation to the com.
!, munity by increase of assets is rendered
i by the time of brewers, distillers anG
rectifiers. The labor of the army ,o1
a employees, saloon-keepers, clerks ant
{ carriers is lost. The immense annual
= value Of the plants, the store buildings,
= teams, railroad cars and varied proper
n ties used in business, is wasted. The
time of men spent in places of drink
n wasted during and after drunken de
6 baucheries. in sickness and early deatl
!. from drink, the cost of the prosecution
A of drinl-made criminals, of the supper
q of insane and paupers made by liquor
the cost of medical advice in sickness
!. the lessened value through life of tn,
= labor of children of drinking parents
because of lack of education, the gen
= eral depreciation of prices of real es
= tate and of profits of honest business
: all indicate total and incessant loss t,
the Nation, entailed by the. liquor trat
&c. That the figures of these IRE
y trievable losses, could they be ascer
Il tanned, would equal the usual estimate
!. of the direct cost of the traffic cal
4 scarcely be doubted, but that they cal
b legitimately be added to the direct cos
. and then charged against the murder
Gus business. doubt. There are man,
4 intricacies in this business, and m,
a pa,itical economy may be all wrong
4 Others. better versed. may set me right
e Rev. Henry Cplman, in n. W. Chris
a tian Advocate.
A MEMBER of Vienna's town council
| Ehau n rise in beer was rppor.ad want