Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-12-11
Hard Times,

Editor 0fhe Banner: From all parts
of the land there is heard the voice of
lamentatiOn, the feeling is universal,
times are hard, money is close, a dark
| cloud has settled down over the whole
land, and with few exceptions affecting
every industry, and manufacturing inter
est. Everybody feels the pressure, and
are asking for relief. 1t is easy to ask the
question "What has caused the present
financial stringency?" but the direct ans
wer is more difficult.
Many claim and with some ground for
the position, that the tariff agitation,
with the uncertainty for long time of
the final issue, has much to do with the
present state of affairs. Certainly it is
easy to understand how that if there is
no protection to the product of cur home
industries, foreign manufacturers that
pay about one half the wages paid for
the same work in this country, can put
their goods on our markets at less cost
to the consumer than the same articles
can be manufactured in our factories,
which means large reduction in wages
paid employees, and therefore less money
to purchase goods. A man in our COM
munity recently remarked: "Of what
use is it to have goods cheap if you have
no money to buy with?" So say we all.
These others claim that much is owing
to eItravagant living, and no doubt but
that this has assisted in securing the
present crisis; for while many are eco
nomicsl and from their earnings save
portion carefully invested to be used in
time of need, many have the habit of
living by the day, spending as they 90,
and then when depression in business
takes place, their income being reduced
or temporary cut off, have nothing to fall
back on, they feel want keenly. 1t seems
to me to be solemn duty resting upon
every person, to lay aside part of their
earnings if possible, against the time of
need.
But there is another thing that needs
to be taken into account one that is of
ten overlooked, yet believe is an inn
portant factor in the solution of the ques-
ton before us, namely the liquor traffic.
At times we wonder why thinking, care
full men should so carefully pass this by.
Rev. T. f. Brown of Philadelphia in a
recent sermon on the disposition of Pha-
raoh as type of tyranny in all ages and
lands, said: "The saloon eats in single
year from the productive force of the Ma
ton, more brain and Drawn, and skill
and thrift, and heart and hope, and vital
ity, vastly beyond all that Rameses ate
out from the life of the Hebrew people
in moro than sixty years of his brutal
and oppressive reign" And no person
that will carefully examine the facts con-
cerning the liquor traffic, can honestly
deny the statement, for it is the cause
either directly or therwise of four-fifths
of all the crime, povery, pauperism, dis
grace, destitution, and misery in the land
an evil Of gigantic proportions, that stalks
abroad at noon day, and holds high car
nival under the cover of darkness.
Here are few figures that we do well
to ponder, as they may assist us in de-
Gliding somewhat where the money goes.
The annual expenditures in the United
States are: for all Missionary purposes,
ST million dollars; for public education,
So million dollars; for sugar and molas-
ses, 100 million dollars; for boots and
shoes, 100 million dollars; fer cotton
goods, 22O million dollars; for wooden
and worsted goods, 237 million dollars;
for meat, 3lJ million dollars; for bread,
sos million dollars; for tobacco, $50 mil
lion dollars; for liquor, billion 200 mil
lion dollars, The ordinary expenditure |