The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-08-13
A TERRIFIC ARRANGEMENT
Atticus Webb Shows Up the inside
Gus Influence of the Liquor For
ces CDOn Our Social System

L AG paper hdS pI SpdICu VIII SIGdL
pains. The data given are not hasty
conclusions or unreliable figures. I
have looked carefully into all of
them. If they err at all, it is on the
side of conservatism. l have con-
tinually sought to give data on
which the people could rely. | pre-
pared for congress, and l could not
think of offering any other kind of
data to the publications Webb.
Alcohol
The greatest force today playing
upon the human race for its destruc-
ton is the liquor traffic. Its direct
effects upon those who use it and
upon their offspring is great, but pos
sibly its indirect force, its use as an
ally by the other forces of destruc-
ton, is only little short of its di-
rect force. 1t is the instrument used
to bring success to the white slav-
er" and political corruptionists
alike. At least seventy-five per cent.
OF all crime against society, church
and state has alcohol entering in
somewhere
Our gracious Lord is able to feed
and clothe every soul he brings into
this world. His soil is rich and
plenteous, and he sends the sunshine
and the rain. There is no need why
any one should go hungry or cold.
Every cry for food or clothes is a cry
against some sin or sins of the race
1t is waste of his bounteous prov
idence that causes most of the want
of the day, While this waste is not
all chargeable to alcohol, it is true
that almost all the waste by those
who are needy is for alcoholic
drinks. Three dollars Of every four
that are spent for alcoholic drinks
s spent sby the laboring people. The
other dollar may be spent by those
who are able to waste it, but Drac-
tically every cent Of the three dol
lars spent by the Iaboring class
comes from the necessities of the
laboring people.
A conservative estimate places the
drink bill of the 2S.0C0, geo people
o. the south at -S150.0Go, OC8. or just
the same as that of New York City
alone, with its 100000 New
Workers drink about six times as
much per capita as do the Southern
ers. (There is a statement given out
that New York city's drink bill is
1865, O0O,OOO.)
One-third of the whole nation lives
in the south, and they drink about
One-twelfth of the nations drink bill
A larger than the average part of the
southern people are laboring folk.
This element spends about $780,
100000 of the south's drink bill.
This is pure waste, for no one gets
one iota's value for it. But this
waste is enough to allow $4,000 for
each of the $4,000 paupers of the
south, or, S1.00 annually to each of
these, and $500 annually to each of
the 100000 occasionally needy.
Therefore, if there is need in the
south today, it is not because the
Lord is not providing for his own,
but because of the waste of his boun-
.ty.
This waste is not compensated for
in any way. Excepting Kentucky
which produces about one-fourth of
all the distilled liquors produced in
the United States, the rest Of the
south produces only about $4,000
600 of all liquors, or about one-six-
tieth of the nations output, and
about one-f1fth of her own consump-
ton. Thus it will be seen that the
liquor that debauches the south is
not a southern product. but. except
ing Kentucky, comes from the north.
To the south it is all a waste of re-
sources.
The raw material used in making
this liquor amounts to about $4,000
600, or about one four-hundredth
part of the value of the cotton crop
of the south
If the liquor made in the south
used enough of the farm products. as
raw materials. to stimulate prices,
there might b. some COMPENSATION,
but figures deny this. To make the
$50, 100000 worth of liquor only
about s125, 100000 worth of corn,
wheat, rye, rice and melasses are US
ed But the south's production of
wheat and corn alone amounts to
S5SS.750.00O annually, or nearly
twenty-five times as much. So it can
not be said that the liquor traffic.
creates a demand for farm products
that compensates for the loss.
But it does give work TO some who
make it, and thus helps them TO keeT
the wolf of hunger from the door
About 1000 men are engaged in
making the output of the south, al