The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-10-26
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANcE.
Or. Swallow Shows by a Remarkable
Grouping OF Facts tho Part That In.
toNicants Play in the Degradation of
Labor-Total Cost of Liquor Business.

DIR. Swallow Shows by q Remarkable
Grouping OF Facts tho Part That In.
toNicants Play in the Degradation Of
Labor-Total Cost Of Liquor Business.
The following article is an excerpt from
m address delivered by DR.. Swallow az
National Park, n. j., on Labor Day, Sep
TENDER 5, 1904:
Abstinence from intoXicants, The rSe OF
OF which as q beverage has never helped
one human being, but has ruined millions.
Tor time and eternity, would go far toward
adjusting the difference between labor and
capital.
We now crave your indulgence while
we present a few figures culled from the
National Bureau of Statistics, at Washing
ton, showing the part that intoxicants play
IN the degradation of labor. We think it
demonstrates the fact that labor's greatest
enemy is the Government-sharing and Gov
ernment-protecting liquor traffic.
In the manufacture. and sale of liquor,
less money is paid for labor in proportion
to the cost to the consumer, than in the
manufacture and sale OF any other COM
modify.
II a laboring man buys 500 worth of
boots and shoes, he buys S20.7l of labor.
In buying. 500 worth OF furniture he
buys S23.77 of labor.
In every $40 worth of hardware he buys
S24.l7 of labor.
In every 500 worth Of clothing be buys
Sl7.42 of labor.
In every 800 worth of cotton goods he
buys 1851 of labor.
In every 500 worth of mems furnishing
goods he buys 1854 of labor.
In every 800 worth Of worsted goods he
buys sl3.55 Of labor.
Tn o,,ar,, chm ,.ortb of ,.ooron oool. ba
9, In i. every 500 worth Of liquors he buys
If eight laboring men spend $500 for
furniture, hardware, clothing, cotton,
worsted and wooden goods and mems fur
nishing goods, they contribute Sl47.43 to
labor, and at the same time they bring
valuable supplies to their families, they
stimulate business and add to the demand
for labor.
Ii the $500 is spent in the saloon only
1894 goes for labor, the families are made
w%retched, and the men themselves are.
made worse physically, financially and
morally, their jobs are imperiled and they
have wasted their money. Liquor is labor's
worst enemy.
We quote from Rev. James H. Mohorter,
OF Massachusetts,, the following paragraph:
| ioA CFCly PI We lSCCiSc ilohi IHS itlaaos
business we lose $3.50. This is the kind
of economy for which the license parties
stand. The loss from the saloon business
is about as follows: Loss from drunken
ness is estimated at so per cent. of the
cost of liquor; loss to sober men, 5 per
cent; loss in pauperism, l per cent; loss
in insanity and disability, 2.5 per cent;
in sickness, IA per cent; labor Of liquor
makers, 40 per cent; total, 1853 per cent.
Thus the indirect cost foots up about 1855
per cent. of the direct cost. The direct
cost in 1900 was S l,l72, 493, 900. This gives
as the actual cost Of the Nations liquor
business for 1900 the m sum Of
1884, 95S, 900. The revenue from the traffic
for the same year, amounted to 500, DOC, 900,
or just 81 out of every $3.50 cents of the
cost. If this is not business stupidity, will
not some one tell us what is? In 1900 the
city of Boston received 100000 from the
liquor business, but it paid 500, 900 900 to
maintain courts, police. hospitals and to
sustain its paupers. Why do we practice
such financial folly? In our attempts to
remedy the saloon i'll by the license we get
the worst of the bargain.
In a government. where the people rule,
a nsjority of them have a right to dissolve
the partnership existing between the Gov
ernment-that is, themselves-and~ the
liquor traffic. They have a right further,
to prohibit the manufacture. sale, impor-
tation and expectation of all lntoxlcants
for beverage purposes.