The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-07-05

honest. The plain fact, which every
thinking man knows, Is that the only
dangerous ingredient in whisky is the
alcohol. This Is what maddens men,
what breaks down their health, what
stimulates them to crime. The coloring
matter and the essences are very small
In amount and have the least apprecia-
bic effect upon the system or upon the
mind Of the drinker. They can be safe
ly disregarded In their entirety. 1t Is
the alcohol which Is the devil, and if a
man is going to drink alcohol that which
L. produced by modern processes in the
great distilleries is no more or less
harmful than any other. Our fathers
and grandfathers will bear ready wit
ness that in the old days, when there
were nothing but these same crude pot
stills all over the country. whisky was
fully as devflish h not more so than IL
Is to-day. The drunkard of SO years
ago made himself notorious by his foul
crimes. his cruelties, his outrages upon
family affection and upon the decencies
and proprieties Of life. The pot whisky
OF half century ago was even more
fatal to the careers Of men than that
which is distilled to-day. Then men
drank only pot whisky. and the curse OF
the demon was felt all over the land
even more bitterly and blastingly than
1t is to-day. A man who takes alcohol
in any shape into his stomach takes an
active. yirulent poison which perverts
his brain, wrecks his faculties and ruins
his constitution. 1t is alcohol. and al
cohol only. which does the damage. It
is the greatest curse Of the country to-
day. Where a few men and women
may be poisoned from time to time by
the ptomaines in putrefying meat and
fish, alcohol Is Staying it's thousands
every day. and no village is so small but
1t has its victims. People who die OF
ptomaines at least do not hurt those
around them, while the victim Of alco-
hol is a grievous injury to everyone con-
nected with him.
Our Frightful Drink Bill.
Where fire every year destroys
about $2OO.O0O.OO0 worth Of proper
ty in the United States the Drink
Devil sweeps away six times as
much actual product Of mems labor and
the Nations wealth. since our drink bill
averages annually more than $780,
100000. The American Grocer, the lead
ing paper Of its class I'm the United
States. has studied from year to year
the drink bill in purely business way.
1t is not temperance organ, has no
theories to advocate. but it is looking
at the matter in i strictly business way
and alarmed b. the diversion of the
peoples earnings To poisonous bever-
ages. Its review Of the subject for the
past year is especially interesting and
instructive, and we reproduce 1t:
Since 1901 the cost has risen from
$1,273,212,3S6 to $1,54S. 70S, 307 in 1905.
gain Of $275. .4a5.921, or 81 3-5 per
cent. The population for the same
period advanced from 77.647.000 to
S3.14S.000. an addition Of 5,496,000. or
6h per cent.
The statements presented show an
increase in the use of malt liquor and
such milder stimulants as tea and coffee
and slight decrease in the use Of spir-
ituous liquors as compared with 1904,
their use during the past three years
showing a gain of 2A per cent; that OF
beer per cent.
'"The per capita expenditure for all
kinds Of stimulating beverages for tho
year ending June 80, 1905, as estimated
by the American Grocer, was $18.63, or
$93.15 for each family Of five persons.
1.-The per capita cost Of tea. coffee ana
cocoa was $2.68. against $15.s5 for al{
(Continued from page tWe.l a