Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-06-27
FACTS AND FIGURES.
AN ARTICLE WELL WORTH CAREFUL
READING.


Comparison of Figures That Ought to Star
tie Every Man who Has More Regard
For His Country Than His Party.
BY DIR. A. HUNTsINGER, MIsHAwAKA, IND.
Abraham Lincoln said Feb. 90, 1912,
In speech delivered in Springfield, Ills:
whether or not the world would be
vastly benefited by the total and final
Punishment of all intoxicating drinks
seems to me not now an open question.
Three-fourths of mankind confess the
affirmative with their tongues, and be-
ieve all the rest acknowledge it in their
hearts,"
There were 229,936 permits issued by
the United States government to retail
liquor dealers in 1893. About 40, 900 of
these permits were issued to druggists,
leaving 1s9, 1896 to saloons. If these sa-
looms were placed in two rows, allowing
20 feet to each, they would make a solid
street $50 miles long. Two men to each
saloon would make 879,872 bartenders.
These marching down the street, going
to their work with white aprons on, two
abreast and three feet apart, would make
column 1870 miles long.
The amount of liquor sold for bever-
age purposes for the year ending June
80, 1898, was /, LAS, 1888 1857 gallons. This
would fill canal feet deep, 6 feet
wide and 1,543t miles long, and would
flow At miles day. All of this liquor
must pass into the circulation of the
blood and through the hearts of those
who drink it. The annual cost Of the
liquor bill in the United States is 81 ,2OO,-
900, 900. Three cent drinks cost in 10
years $746; in 25 years, $3,111; in so
years, 1854 Three 10 cent drinks a
day cost in 10 years 81 ,472; in Is years,
$6, 1892; in so years, $54, 1852.
One million dollars in gold weigh
S,6s5.s pounds. One million dollars in
silver weigh $500 pounds. Therefore
it would require 1913 tons of gold, or
$3.50 tons of silver (coined), to pay
the liquor bill of the United States
for single year. The silver would
make a chain of dollars, nine to an inch,
set on edge, 2,1O4 miles long; if placed
fiat, 28, 400 miles long. Indiana's liquor
bill is about $40, 100000 year. In sill
yer dollars placed fiat, edge to edge. it
would cover the entire boundary lines of
the state, including its tortuous river
lines.
Much has been said about the tariff,
and millions of dollars are spent each
presidential campaign on the tissue"
Let us see: Imports free from duty,
1893, $519,52O, 9O6; imports dutiable,
1898, $421 ,s41, 115. Value Of total i'm
ports, 1893, $941, 1861 ,421; value of total
exports, 1893, $3.50, S76, 90S; total value
of imports and exports, 1898, 81 ,722, 1885,
800, which would pay the drink bill Of
the United States nearly 10 months.
Total losses by fire in the United
States, 1891, were $181 1850, 400; pensions
paid year ending June 80, 1893, $685.
OLA 1854; $685. schoolteachers last
year received $50, 900, 900 for their years
work. This would pay the liquor bill of
the United States only "a days.
Muntel's Dictionary of Statistics gives
the annual cost of living in the United
States as $1O,0OO,O0O 200. It gives the
annual increase of wealth as 81, 342, 900,
600. By adding these items together we
find that the productive power of the
United States is about $12, 342, 000, 900.
Now the liquor bill is about 81, 200, 00O,-
600 annually. So it requires about one
tenth of all the productive power of the
United States to pay its drink bill each
year. The Temperance Almanac (1894)
puts the indirect cost of the traffic as
follows: Labor lost caused by drinking,
$40, 900, 900; sickness caused by liquor,
500, 000,0 900; crimes caused by liquor,
$37 500, 900; insanity caused by liquor,
ST. 900, 200; pauperism caused by liquor,
Sc, 900, 600; total indirect cause, $500 500, :
600; annual drink bill, $1,000, 000, 900;
total direct and indirect, 81, 800, SOC, 900.
1t requires about one day out of seven of
all the productive power of the United
States to pay the direct and indirect cost
Of the traffic.
There are 100000 homes in the
United States affected by the drink
habit. Allowing four to each family:
IL, 900 900 persons are affected. These,
marching four abreast three feet apart,
would make a column /, 704t miles long.
It is said there are $50, 200 confirmed
drunkards in the United States. These,
marching two abreast free feet apart,
would form line 300 miles long. II
causes 1000 criminals a year. These
marching down this bloody street two
abreast would form q line 90 miles long;
1,460 of them are wife murderers. It
causes $4,000 deaths year. Allowing
10 rods to each funeral would make a
procession $500 miles long; 219 funerals
must pass given point each day, max
ing procession nearly seven miles long.
Two thousand deaths occur annually in
Indiana, making a funeral procession
62a miles long, reaching nearly from
South Bend to Logansport. But here