Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1896-06-26
w. c. T. u.
BY \ MEMBER.
THEGREAT DESTROYER
Five fiillion Daily.

Considered solely as financial
issue, the question of lega;ized
liquor traffic by reason of its abb
sorption of money by the mil
lions without beneficial returns
ought to set every good citizen
solidly against its perpetuatlon
as business. Would that the
masses could but realize the
magnitude Of expenditure it in
wolves.
FRYE millions of dollars buried
in the sea every time the sun
sinks beneath its pillows would
not exhaust our finances as does
the liquor traffic authorized by
the vote of this Christian nation.
Half a score of Dlen counting
silver dollars half a lifetime
would not count enough to meet
our drink expenses for a single
year. All the gold California
ever gave to our people would
not pay the interest on the debt
of a single decade. Oh, the
wickedness of such waste! Who
shall account for its results?
It is a SUM sufficient to buy
home, with all the home COM
forts, tor every American family
in the uation; a sum sufficient to
build a school house i'll every
township, and educate every
child, white and black, rich and
poor; sum sufficient to enable
every American laborer to live
in comfort, without even an ex>
cuse to strike for higher wages
or sue for shorter time.
We boast of the fact that we
have paid billion dollars on the
public debt i'll ten years whereas
we have wasted enough On drink
to have paved the amount ten
times. Every rising and setting
OF the sun witnesses the transfer
of five millions of dollars from
the pockets Of the people to the
Golfers of the traffic. Every
child born to the nation comes
burdened with a debt imposed
by the infamous business as a
portion of his legal inheritance
from the nation and OF his voting
father.
There are thousands Of mell
now living, during whose life>
time there has been money
enough spent through drink tc
buy up the United States from
lakes to gulf and from ocean tc
ocean. Ifany man questions our
| figures, let him consult the res
cords.
This liquor traffic which OUT
votes can prohibit, but prefer tC
perpetuate, is more burdensome
to our laboring millions than
would be all the standing armies
of despotic Europe. She is bur
dened with her army eXpendl-
ture, with the belief that it is for
the protection Of her people, and
yet we are free to extend to her
Our pity. America is burdened
with her saloon expenditures,
with full knowledge that it is for
the destruction of her people,
and yet adnlires herself is q
model Christian nation God
pity us III Our blindness and sim
fulness, in thus wrongfr1lly deal
ing with our fellow countrymen.
Our laboring men sink under
their burdens, not knowing
whence the cause. The taxpay>
er cries out against hard times,
not knowing the source Of his
grievance. Our toiling farmers
though richly blessed with fertile
sell, genial cline and crops
abundant, work and worry and
fret because their progress is
backward rather than forward.
The wage earning millions
work and worry and complain
because iii the presence of steady
work and fair pay they do MOI
prosper, never seeming for once
to realize the fact that the saloon
is stealing the bread from the
wife and children at home, while
the husband and father revels il
drink at the dram shop. We
such is the fact.--T Z. Ray, IL
| tile Soldier.