The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-07-12
A TEMPERANCE COLUMN,
THE DRINK EVIL MADE MANIFEST
IN MANY WAYS.

Economic Aspects OF the Liquor Problem
"A Vast Sum Of Money Taken From
Our Population Without Any Return
OF value-Drink's Relation to Poverty.
The New Voice devotes considerable
space to the book Economic Aspects Of
the Liquor Problem" recently published
by the "Committee OF Fifty" The book is
one OF the most valuable contributions to
the discussion OF the liquor question that
has recently been published. It is true
that it's conclusions with regard to the part
played by drink In causing poverty, paup.
erism, and crime are not as radical as the
views usually held by temperance reform
ers; but, accepting simply the conclusions
arrived ut by MIR. Koren, who has done the
work for the committee, traffic that In
the light Of conservative investigation fs
to be charged with even twenty-five per
cent. Of all our poverty, thirty-seven per
cent. OF our pauperism, and fifty per cent.
OF our graver crimes, and that sends out
into the cold world almost forty-six per
cent. OF the destitut g children Of the land,
can safely be pronounc ed national curse
OF colossal magnitude, and Its abolition by
law can most reasonably be demanded.
Still the exhaustive treatment OF the sub.
iect given by this volume neglecta one OF
the most important economic aspects Of
the drink question, and one that we believe
can not be too frequently or too emphatic-
ally called to public attention. One Of the
most serious, II not the most serious,
economic relations OF the drink traf1c Is
the fact that vast sum Of money is every
country's population without any re-
turn OF value. The sum Is known to
average about q billion dollars annually,
or, to attempt to make 80 vast an
amount more tangible by comparison, to
substantially equal the total gross receipts
of all the railroads In the United States.
The taking OF this money from those who
spend 1t, without valuable return. means
for some OF them poverty, but, what is q
much more important fact, 1t means that
all OF them have less money and some Of
them practically no money at all with
which to purchase from others the neces-
stiles, comforts, and luxurles Of life. We
are almost constantly confronted In tho in
iustrial world with what Is glibly termed
'oVer. production, but the thoughtful stu
dent Of conditions knows that there never
has been any real production. II the
actual asonable needs Of the whole people
were satisfied, there would be no trouble
some surplus in agricultural products or In
manufactured commodities. And why are
not the peoples wants supplied2 The
saloon can in large measure answer the
question.
Illustrate the case simply enough IN this
way: Suppose group Of citizens A, B, @,
and D, who spend a large part OF their
earnings for drink. which they buy Of one
E. F would be glad to sell them potatoes;
G would be glad to make them shoes; q
needs their patronage In stoves and in
furniture; but their trade with E, the
saloon-keeper, prevents their trading with
F, G, h, and I to any profitable extent, and
also In considerable measure depriyes
these latter OF the trade which they would
have from each other under more pros
porous conditions. The poverty OF A, B,
c, and D may be readily recognized as due
to drink; but when F can't pay bis taxes
because these men spent for beer the
money they ought to have spent for pota-
toes, and when G loses his job because they
buy no shoes, and when H makes an as
signment because 80 many Of his neighbors
use heaps OF scrap.iron in place Of decent
stoves, few people ever think OF tracing
the cause back to E's saloon. Yet there
the cause often Is.
The whole story OF the economic aspects
of the liquor traffic will never be told till
Mr.. Koren or some one else shows US the
relation Of drink to the poverty Of thou
sands who never drink.