The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-03-17
FROM FARM TO BAR-RooM.

Illinois is the great corn state and
Peoria is the center Of It's most prolific
belt. Peoria is a great grain market
and especially for corn Vast ouanti-
ties of the golden grain are shipped
into that city for general. distribution
and loaded into its mammoth eleva-
tors by the hundreds of thousands of
bushels. a great deal of corn is shipped
from Peoria, but vast quantity is
used there. There is more corn used
in Peoria than in any three cities in
the union, even though these cities be
New York, Philadelphia AID Chicago.
The reason is obvious, says the Peoria
Herald Peoria is not only the center
of the great distilling interests, but
there are located two of the greatest
sugar houses in the country. Down
the capacious maws of the great dis
tilleries are poured every day 20, 000
bushels of corn. The sugar houses
use from 5000 to 10000 bushels more.
each day in the year. To supply the
constant demand the product of 1000
acres of rich corn Ia nds is daily shipped
into Peoria for home consumption.
Aside from these there are fully 5000
bushels used daily for other purposes.
SO that it is safe to estimate that fully
1900, 900 bushels of corn are used in
that city annually for manufacturing
and other purposes. The greater part
of this is manufactured into spirits.
1t is wonderful to consider the
changes made by bushel of corn in
fr.,, ha y a.
the glass of the consumer. These
changes are various and far.reaching.
They are other than financial. But
consider simply the mere element of
value. Corn was sold the other day in
Peoria for 50 cents per bushel It came
all the way from Nebraska, perhaps,
where it brought but % cents. In
transit two dealers received a commits.
sion of 1 cent each. The railroad COM
pany received cents for its freight
and other charges. The distiller paid
So cents. He took and converted il
into four and half gallons of finished
spirits and fed one of his steers on the
refuse. The distiller sold the spirits to
q local dealer for S5.12, of which Uncle
Sam received 81. 05 as a tax on the spir-
its, leaving balance to the distiller of
~ cents after he had paid SIS cents for
his corn. The spirits, after being well
watered and compounded, are sold at a
profit by the compounder and rectifier
to the dealer, who sells out at 10 cents
a drink. The four and one-half gal
Ions have swelled to nine, and before
it gets through it swells many head |
and also the revenue of the city where |
its lines may be cast. So that, in it's |
travels from the Nebraska crib to the |
Chicago saloon, that bushel of corn /
has increased in value from % cents to |
many dollars, and with its constant |
running mates has furnished employ |
ment to at least TO fifty men or more |
and has contributed to both the nation |
al and municipal revenues. Such !
magic there is in the juice of the golden
corn. Of the juice of that one bushel |
of corn, at least 100 persons have i'm
bibed, from the pious old lady who
took it for ia grippe" to the jolly old
topper who took it for ''the tight"
To resume, that bushel of corn was
thus scattered on the highways of bust
ness and pleasures: Farmer, % cents;
So cents; commission men, 2
cents; distillers, ~ cents, - cents;
feeder, 10 cents; Uncle Sam, s405;
and rectifer, % cents; re-
tail dealer, SO; city, So. The con-
sumner got whatever was left in the
spirits, each according to his strength
Or weakness