The Portland daily press., 1899-07-21
Rum AND POVERTY.
New Estimates OF Economic Ef-
fects Of Intemperance.
Modern Industrial Organization In
tolerant of Liquor.

The most thorough and important
study of the liquor problem ever made In
this country Is being conducted by 1.-THE
committee Of fifty," Of which President
Seth Low Of Columbia university ID presi-
dent. and which is made up Of prominent
educators and sociologists. The first vol
ume given out by the committee WAS pub
lished some time ago and related to the
Legislative ASPECTS OF the question. Now
comes a volume from the press Of Hough-
ton, Mifflin a. Co. on the Economic As
poets Of the Liquor Problem" written
largely by John koren and embodying the
results of an inquiry made under the / m
mediate direction OF Prof. Henry W. Far
mum of Yale and the general direction OF
a subcommittee composed of Col. Carroll
ID. Wright, DIR. 2. R. Brockway. DR..
John Graham Brooks, Prof 4. X.
Gould. Prof. J. h. Jones and Prof.
Harnum. Other volumes to come from
the committee viii treat CT the physiolog.
icaI side OF the question and the substi-
tutes for saloons In large cities The
work CT the committee Is being conducted
In thoroughly scientific manner and
without regard to the conclusions which
the facts enforce. and we need not say
that 1t is a work of extraordinary concern
and value proyidina,. as the intent Ii,
an adequate body Of facts which may
serve rs basis fer intelligent public and
private action.
Economic science began to point out
some time ago the Disagreement In intoxi-
eating liquor with the modern industrial
organism. The parts Of this body have
become too complicated and its functions
too nicely adjusted to put up with the
devil-msy consequences of indul.
gence in liquor on the part of operators o
costly machinery and those holding posts
of care and responsibility. The railway
industry already in many cnses imposes
prohibitory rules upon employees, and
factories are gradually being forced 10 en-
list IN the side OF temperance as q mers
business necessity. One by one the doors
OF industry are closing to the over-drink-
Ing laborer.
But the phase of the question dealt
with in the present volume Is more espec-
tally the relation Of drink to poverty and
crime The committee had not the means
to conduct sweeping Inquiry, and it is
Of little consequence that 1t had not; for
the closer study of certain typical dis
tricts or institutions will ield thorough
ly representative, and hence quite as
truthful and valuable, results. Accord
lngly. the Investigations was confined to
over 1900 inmates, whose indivic ual
cases were looked into, to learn of the
relation Of liquor to crime; and to many
organisations, almshouses and
children aid societies, TO learn of its
relation to poverty. restitution and
pauperism.
The average results do not quite sup.
port the old estimates OF what rum was
doing to destroy society, but they are bad
enough. In the height OF the temperance
agitation, sober authority was not want
ing for the statement that rs per cent OF
tie pauperism in the United States was
caused by drink and two-thirds of the
crime. Recent Investigation has pared
these percentages down, until, according
to Charles Booth, who has done so much
work among the poor of the East end Of
London, they reach as low as IA and 10
per cent to represent the proportion of the
poverty and pauperism caused by drink
In that quarter.
The statistics of the committee of fifty
London figures, but far below the old
temperance estimates. or tho poverty
coming within the observation of the
charity societies included in the inquiry,
about rs per cent could be traced directly
or indirectly to liquor. Of the poverty
found In almshouses 81 PER cent could DO
traced to liquor, and in the case OF desti-
tuition Of children As per cent was found
to he due TO the intemperance Of parents
or guardians or others. These figures
closely accord with those given by the
Massachusetts bureau OF labor statistics.
which found by investigation three years
ago that about 80 per cent of the paupers
In almshouses in this state had been
brought to that condition by the personal
use OF liquor. and that 10 per cent could
trace their misfortunes to the intsmper-
ance of parents and others.
AS for the political condition of those
pnuperiZed by rum, the committee finds
that aliens make the best showing. only
70 per cent OF those OF them who ara In
almshousee having been brought thsre
by rum. Native-Dorn perrons come next
at 90 per cent and naturalized citizens
next at l3 per cent This conclusion must
beithat those nationalities most addicted
to the use Of liquor.are nore.apt to become
naturalized than other nationalities COM
ing to the United States. And this Is
borne out by the fact that the reports
from charity organizations show that
those nationalities which afford the small
est percentage of liquor cases are Italy,
Russia, Austria and Poland--whose emil
grants are comparatively slow In aoquir-
Ing citizenship here; while Germany
comes next in order, Norway and Sweden
next, the United States next, and Eng
land, Scotland and Ireland highest In
number Of such cases. Two chapters of
the book treat Of the liquor habit In it's
relation to the negroes and Indians. 1t
is found TO be not very prevalent among
the blacks, and reports from large num-
Der of Correspondents In the South show
that the practice OF getting drunk in
crowds on holidays Is giving way TO more
moderate indulgence at home land to the
sub5titution of beer for distilled spirits.
Gases of poverty due to liquor, coming
under the observation Of charity organ.
izations, amount to only per cent in the
casa OF negroes. and IL per cent in the
almshouses; while the whites show per-
centages of 10 and 90 per sent in the same
schedules.
Crime cannot BIO attributed to single
GAUGE so easily as poverty, and In the
committee tables, made up.from personal
inquiries among "a, 402 conviets, an at
tempt is made TO show how far intemper.
anoe was a second or third cause as we'll
as first. 1t is found that LIQUOR was one
Of tho causes of crime in nearly so per