The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-03

law their business, and the whole or
ganized power of the traffic in the
United States WILL if necessary, rush
to their defense and support 1t is this
organized traffic, with its vast accuznu-
latiodl and control of wealth, wrung like
drops of blood from its delnded vic
TINS, that lays its hand upon the great
political parties of the nation and cows
them into abject silence upon this
question, or causes them 70 formulate
such milk and water platitudes as we
sympathize with all wise and legiti-
mate efforts to lessen and prevent the
evils of intemperanee and promote
morality
OF what benefit are such planlSs
to the moral forces of the
nation that are engaged in a life and
death struggle with this monster vice
of the country? That plank will not
antagonize a single liquor vote in the
United States.
SLAIN ITS MILLIONS.
We have heard much in the recent
past of the great issues that are stir
/ ring the people of this country as they
! have not been stirred since the great
civil war; we have heard the senti-
ment that tariff has slain its thous-
ands, but gold has slain its tens of
thousands but, to continue the met
aphor, 1 want to add that where pro-
lection or free trade has slain its
thousands, and recommendation or BIZ
metallism has slain its tens of thous
ands, the liquor traffic of the United
States has slain its millions. Speaking
literally, the tariff and financial ques-
tons do not directly kill anybody, but
it is an undeniable fact that intoxicat-
ing liquors directly kill every year
from $4,000 to 100000 persons in the
United States, and that it is indirectly
responsible for feur-fffths of the muir
ders committed; 40 per cent of all the
railway accidents for a period of five
years, in which thousands of lives
have been lost, are caused by strong
drink.
When we lock upon the effect of the
traffic upon the economic interests Of
the country we are amazed at the dis
parity between the so-ealled great is
sues now primarily before the coun-
try and the liquor traffic. The revenue
Of the country derived from customs
or tariff duties has never exceeded
$3.50 600 annually, and for the last
fiscal year did not exceed $40, 600, 900,
or a trifle more than one-eighth of the
amount of the annual drink bill OF the
country; and whether the annual rev.
enue increases or decreases, there is a
steady increase of the eonsumptiCl OF
intoxicating liquors. Take another
comparison.
The total annual expenditures Of the
government are not to exceed one-third
of the amount annually paid for intox-
icating liquors, to say nothing Of the
added cost to the country caused by
the crime, pauperiSm and insanity
caused thereby. Compare it again with
the financial question. According to
( DIV IN 10 oi Nj q
1 few days ago, the total production of
the United States last year of both
1 gold and silver was less than 500, 000,-
/ 600, or one-tenth the amount paid for
| liquors. And yet, for the next three
months the people of this country and
] state will De in a paroXysm of excite
/ ment bordering on frenzy over the
t tariff and financial questions, and peo-
/ pie will turn out by thousands and
| tens of thousands to hear these issues
| discussed, while it is hardly possible
| to fill the smallest church in this city
/ to listen to a discussion of this thous-
and-fold more important issue. We
| have heard much recently of a meta
phorical crown of thornS and cross of
/ gold. But is it not literally true that
! the liquor traffic is pressing It's crown
Of thorns upon the brow of labor until
blood follows the gaping wounds, and
! is it not daily erucifying the men, wo-
men and children of this country upon
their license cross of gold?
DISHONORED GRAVES.
Is it not annually sending 100000 of
our citizens down to untimely and dis
honored graves? Is it not filing our
| jails and prisons, our aims houses and
| insane asylumS, with its victims? Is
! it not directly responsible for the ruin
/ Of thousands of our young men and
! blighting the lives Of thousands of our
young women every year? Is it not
driving wives and mothers to despair
and suicide, and robbing the innocent
] children not only of their food and
clothing, but leaving them fatherless
and motherless? Is it not debauching
politics and making the nation par
ticeps erimi1.is in the Infamous traffic
4 Let US look at few other COM
paratiye figures. The total exports
last year of agricultural products was
about $3.50, 100000 or only about two
thirds the amount Of the drink bill
and the total exports of all kinds did
not equal the amount expended for
strong drink; keeping in mind that the
drink bill is $1,000, 100000 a, year, let US
look at a few other familiar items.
The total value of cotton and wool
manufactures was only S450, 900, 900;
amount paid out for bread of all kinds
$500, 000, 600; for meats $300000 coo; for
boots and shoes, $22O, COO, 0GO.
The Forum for July contained an
article by Francis G. Peabody, pro-
fessor of social science in Harvard
university, giving some startling fig
ures in regard to the saloon patronage
in the staid old Puritan city of Bos-
ton, as well as some odieus COMPARE
sons of the amount expended in sa-
looms, with other legitimate expenses
of the city; the figures were carefully
secured under police supervision and
may be relied upon as being approx.
imately correct.
COUNTING THE COST.
The population of the city is giver
at 400. 500, rifle less than half a mil
lion: and the statistics shoA that ar
army of 226, 1872 persons, nearly one
half of the entire population, patron
ICES the COG saloons every day; averag
ing the amount spent at 10 cents fol
each individual indicates a daily eX-
penditure of $232,675. AT 300 days to tht
year, the annual expenditure would
reach over sc, GOO 600, which is an aver
age of over S13 per capita and ovel
81 900 for each saloon. Compare thi:
with other expenses. The total run
ming expenses of the Boston schoo
system for 1S94-95 was $2,061, 100 Q.
the fire department for the same year
81. 041. 296. The total bill for the police
department was $1,31S, 1856. The tota
expense of the city park system wa.
S2.241,S14 All these formidable expend
itures taken together amount to a
smaller sum than was spent during
the same year in the barrooms of tn,
city. A comparison with the living