Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-05-21
Monday, May 81, 1906.
Twenty Gallons Per Capita.

This Is a great and growing nation
and among other things 1t possesses q
great and growing thirst for strong
drinks. In spite of education and laws
and appeals and examples the con-
sumption Of liquor by the American
people is greater each year than it was
the year before. Not only is the total
consumption greater. as might be ex-
pected, considering the increasing
population, but it is also true that the
per capita consumption is greater and
this is really the important thing.
From 1900 to 1905 the per capita con-
sumption of liquor in the United States
increased from II to over 20 gallons
This means that for every man. wo-
man and child in the country there was
drunk last year over 20 gallons Of wine,
whiskey rum and beer. OF course,
large part Of this, and especially
large part of the increase. was in beer
which Is the mildest and least harmful
of them all. But when we read that
the Ger capita consumption of liquor in
this country in 1910 was only All gal
lons-though we think of those old days
as times when rum flowed pretty free
1--WE are forced to realize that the in
crease TO 2O.2S gallons in 1905 is stag
gering in more senses than one.
The American Grocer, whose figures
are carefully compiled, shows that this
country spent last year s96.0O0,0O0 for
wine. s457. OO0, 900 for whiskey and SILL
DOC, 900 for beer. 1t spent over twice as
much for whskey alone as for coffee.
tea and cocoa combined. In gallons it
drank 1,53S, 900 900 of beer and 1876 900, 900
of spirits and wine-enough to float
fleet of battIcships. The figures for
tea and coffee are somewhat impressive
for /: il not to be denied that they do
mich harm and that there is great in
temperance in their use, but they do
not destroy homes. wreck trains.
break heads and fill the jails. hospitals
unspeakablc pity it IS that so much
money is spent in drink. most of 1t
wasted and much of it worse than
wasted. More than three times as
much money spent for beer last year
than will be required to rebuild San
Francisco, More than twenty times
as much money spent for whiskny than
was contributed to the San Francisco
relief fund, Of course. there is no as
been spent wisely had it not been spent
for drink. For that matter. it is
highly propable that most of it would
have been spent unwisely. 1t is a
stupend"us national extravaganza.
The nation has many others, to be
sure. but none that is so much to he
dcrlorcd. none that causes SO many
tears and such widespread ruin.
1t is to be noted that in Great
rather than more as 1t is in this coun-
try. The British chancellor Of the
exchequer brought out loud cheers ia
the House of Commons, the other day.
during his budget speech with the as
tonishing figures of the decline in the
consumption of drink in the habits of
the people of Great Britain. From the
year 1900 to the year 1905. it appeared,
the reduction of the amount of wine
consumed was from 17,150000 to H.
$4,000: i'm the consumption of foreign
and colonial spirits, from 100000 gal
Ions to 6,7SO,000; in homemade spirits.
including whiskey and gin, from &c..
$4,000 gallons to 1890, 900: and in beer
from So. 5OOO 900 barrels to 33.50O,0O Mr..
As1uith suuarely attributed this re-
markable showing to the spread Of
temperance sentiment in land which
has been supposed to be particularly
obdurate against the temperance
cause. so ingrained in all social Gus
toms and institutions is the use of both
the light and the strong alcoholic bev-
erages. The temperance workers in
this country would do well to find out
the means employed by their British
brethren.