Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-08-18
The Panacea For Poverty.

The Rev. DR.. Madison G. Peters, OF New
York, spoke recently in the Auditorium at
Ocean Grove, N. j.. on 1.-The Panacea for
Poverty" In part he said
Zone of the supreme problems of the
hour is the anti-saloon issue. The entire
amount received for tariff in 1895 was less
than S135, 900 900: the annual receipts from
customs for the three years ending June 30,
1894. was only Sill 100000.
"How utterly insignificant are these flg-
ures compared to the 81 ,OO0, ,OOO, 900 which,
it is reliably estimated, is the direct tribute
which the people OF this country annually
pay to support the liquor traffic! The or
dinary expenses of the United States Gov
eminent during 1895 was less than $685.
900. 900, so that the liquor bill for that year
was three times the amount required to run
the entire Government of the United States.
''No power that can be obtained by labor
combinations can help the laboring man
who spends his money in drink. What has
become Of the billions and billions of dol
lars in this country paid to the working
classes? Much Of it has gone for the me-
cessities of life, but it Is estimated that
fully one-half Of the drink bill of the
country comes out of the wages of the
workingmen
"The wage classes cannot support in
idleness and luxury 232,295 liquor dealers
and their families and pay the enormous
rents OF their dram shops and hope to pros
per themselves. There is no reason, il we
are a sober people, why poverty should be
known in America, the envy of the nations.
What, then, Is the matter2 Professor Pea
b. body, Of Harvard, writes to the Forum that
was that in 1895 the number Of persons Wis
iting the saloons Of that city every day
was 226, 1872, or nearly half the entire popu-
lation. If each person expended ten cents
the amount for the year would be S6,S02,-
$50, or more than the amount Of money
spent in public schools. fire department,
police department and public parks.
Following the estimate OF George B.
Waldron, based upon Government reports,
of $40 spent for shoes, tracing them back
through the tannery and factory, S2.S9
goes to pay the farmer for his hides and
S2.91 to the tanners and shoemakers. OF
$40 spent for suit of clothes 1928 goes to
the farmer and s2.77 for wages to the
spinner the weaver and the tailor, and so
on through the industries. But out of $40
spent for beer or whisky only ninety-six
cents goes to the farmer for his grain and
thirty-eight cents to the man who pro-
duces the liquor.
every time that a man spends a nickel
for bread instead of for beer he pays the
difference between sixty-eight Per cent.
and seventeen per cent. Not overproduc-
tion but underconsumption, is our trouble
now. You cannot spend your money In the
saloons and in the stores also Close the
demanded. The wives and children of men
who drink wear too few shoes, too few
clothes and have too little food.
More capital is invested and less
labor is employed in the liquor industry
than in any other industry in the
United States. A gallon OF whisky costs
about SO and contains about sixty-fve If
teen-cent drinks.
Now, II must drink, buy gallon and
make your wife barkeeper. When you are
dry give her fifteen cents for drink, and
when the whisky is gone she will have,
after paying for It, S6.75 left, and every
gallon thereafter will yield the same profit.
This money she should put awaysso that
when you have become an inebriate, una
BILE to support yourself, your wife may
have money enough to keep you until your
time comes 70 fill a drunkard's grave.
This was the advice an actor gave to his
friend. In spite Of the hard times last
year. the citizens of New York drank 5,05l,-
900 barrels OF all kinds Of liquors at a cost
Of s13s, ITO, ,20S.
'Now, this vast sum, diverted by law
and the Gospel to the purchase Of necessi-
ties, would give to New York such busi-
ness boom that we should have to work
night and day with two or three shifts
Of .workmen to supply demands. The
drink problem is the financial problem.
The palaces of the brewers are wreckage
palaces, made OF the wrecks of homes.
They are built with money coined from
tears