The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-05-29
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMpERANCE.

iucn DoeS NOI TOSe rs u FFOe
hibition Paper, Says Treating
is Most Blighting Curse.
The Chicago Evening American
loes not pose as a prohibition paper;
it's testimony az to the drink habit
will be therefore the more perth
nent. 1t pronounces treating as the
city's most b1ighting curse" It
says:
Treating costs Chicago 100000 a
day. Chicago's daily liquor bills are
100000, three-iourths Of which, it
is estimated by saloon keepers, is
spent by men anxious to be good
fellows"
If it were a crime to buy a drink
for another, and the law against the
crime we're enforced, only one drink
would be taken where four are taken
now.
While you are reading this state
ment 10000 men are crooking their
arms over Chicago RS, asking at
least 10000 other meD "What'll you
have? I'll buy this one" .
"What'll you have to drink" Is
without doubt the most commonly
used expression among Chicago men,
not barring comments on the weather
and the "Is it hot enough for you?"
tale Of the dog days.
This staggering sum, Chicago's
tribute to the drink evil, this $780,
600 that goes v the bars every day
Of the 365 days Of t! ear, would
buy:
A loaf of bread big enough to build
a wall around Chicago and stretch to
the Atlantic coast.
Sausage enough, If strung link-to-
link, to connect New York and San
Francisco.
Nice warm suits for $4,000 work.
ingmen.
Suits for $4,000 boys.
Shoes for 100000 shoeless school
children.
Four hundred thousand dollars a
day for Chicago drinking! This sum
Is almost beyond comprehension.
This means S144,000,000 a year.
Or sos, 600, 900 a year is what it
costs the Chicago men to say:
"What'll you have?" .
This is one-tenth of the tribute Of
the entire nation. The United States
spends $500, 100000 annually for
intoxfcants. In other words, the
American thirst represents an ex-
pense each 365 days equal to a sum
larger than the capital stock of all
the banks combined, and about one
third of the national debt.
It Is estimated that about three
fourths of the people are total alb
stainers. Hence the burden Of this
great thirst drain falls upon the
other one-fourth-plus the unfor-
tunates that happen to be dependent
upon them. Thus it is seen that each
drinker spends SIS a year in keeping
off the water wagon.
If all these 100000, tipplers
would refrain from drinking for a
year and make a pot of the savings
it would start every illiterate child in
the United States on the way to a
college education. If the drinkers Of
the world would forget liquor for a
year and a half they could corner the
gold of the world, getting every
ounce in existence.
If every individual had consumed
his proportion Of all the intozicants
since 1876 he would have swallowed
about 240 gallons. The proportion to
each is steadily growing, however, so
that it is now about twenty gallons
for each individual. The increase Is
due to the increase Of the foreign
element that drinks beer.
In those States where the foreign
born element Is largest there Is the
least effort tc restrict the sale Of in
toxicants, which fact is taken to indi-
cate that pure-blooded Americans
have set themselves against the evil
of drunkenness. The Southern
States are receiving but four per cent.
of the immigrants, but they are lead
ing the crusade against the saloon
Sabbath Reading.