The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-21

by his famous test Of four German typesetters
drinking men-who averaged tenth more
work when they drank nothing than when they
drank even one ounce OF alcohol at home in
pure wine or beer.
The use Of alcoholic beverages 1 estimate as
causing loss OF fully ri per cent in the eff
cheney Of the nations producers. The produc-
ton OF wealth is at rate Of about 32.0o0,000.-
600 yearly: the loss due to lowered efficiency,
conservatively estimated in round figures, Is
therefore fully $500. 100000.
1t Is estimated that each one OF the 700 900
men cut off ultimately every year by alcohol
would have. sober. an economic value Of sS.000
making loss OF $500 600 900. The nation
last year. account OF the lowered efficiency
of ts producers and the death list, was over
$14000.000.000 short in Its productiveness.
Without alcohol, instead of producing only
$32000.0o0.o00 Of wealth, would have pro-
duced over $4,000, 100000.
1t Is estimated that the cost Of providing for
the added crime. pauperism. idiocy and insanity
produced by alcohol in the United States ex-
ceeds s20ooo0o.o00 per annum. The people OF
the United States last year consumed more
than two and one-haf billion gallons of alco-
holc beverages. paying for the same nearly
100000 900.
cred efficiency of our producers from the death
list. from the costs OF crime, pauperism and In.
sanity. and from the liquor bill. the total eco
nomic burden laid upon the nation by King
Alcohol Is between sixteen and seventeen bill
lions dollars annually-more than half of
all the wealth produced by the nation. And
this gigantic burden is put upon us for pur.
posen Of destruction and degeneracy
II IS rti difficult to see the duty of the State.
II foreign invader landed on our shores and
disinherited the people Of single county, the
nation would be up in arms. Here is foe that
has come upon US and is taxing Us for more
than the values Of all the products of ali our
hsheries-equiyalent to taking from our people
all that Mother Earth produces on land and
water combined. What shall be the attitude
OF the State In face Of a foe that has disin.
herited the whole nation? Clearly the State
has not only the clear right but the bounden
duty to take up arms and expel the foe.
But even this terrific economic loss is but
small part Of the ravages of the DESTROYER.
Alcohol attacks the line Of evolution more than
any other ltne In the case Of man the line OF
evolution is In normal Advancement In
any individual may be termed Character
Therefore the loss OF character must be- far
greater than the economic loss. we found the
farms. all our forests, all our mines, all our
economic loss to be fully FL per cent II char.
acter could be measured by percentages we
would have to estimate the loss In average
character OF the nation as fully SO per cent
Looking upon nation as climbing ladder
OF evolution, alcohol, Like milestone drags It
half way to the bottom. The full significance Of
this drag appears when we realize that upon
the average standard Of character of its cti.
zens must rest the institutions Of nation. It
has become an axiom of history that If the
average standard Of character is below GER
tain minimum level nation cannot enjoy self.
government.
In our great cities, like New York, Chicago
and Philadelphia, the ravages upon the average
character have been so great, so many degen
crates have already been produced, that the
degenerate and corruptible vote not only holds
the balance of power between sthe two great