The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1914-10-20
POVERTY IS THE main
Cause OF MTElnPERANCE
DECLARES MARY E. CARBU7T

The writer Of this article a garment worker and
constantly with the working classes-and
this Is what she said:
lSGT HAVE been member Of the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance Union for twenty-five years The line Of argu-
ment many temperance workers make today the
Of poverty used make myself They say that the work
ngman would keep away from the saloon and quit drinking
he and his family would have the necessaries of life
its comforts They cite specific and then draw their
general conclusions from a few isolated facts.
There's Mr. Smiths family says w. c. T. u.
Der, in destitute circumstances Mr. Smith is drunk the
greater part OF the time that he keep job when
he gets one And there's Mr. Brown my door neigh
Dor, excams another white rbboner; his and children
objects OF charity because he spends his time and money
the saloon
heard one Of our prominent State temperance workers
say but short time ago. speaking of the army OF children
working in the mills of the South that If their fathers
would keep sober and go work child labor would
Now what the real facts the Is inemper-
the immediate of poverty or other hand
does poverty largely producing inempcr-
ancei And today under the present industrial system
large proportion of the workers poor though total
abstanersl
Two things absolutely essential for workingman
have the OF life First and second
large enough the needs of himself and family
II he is employed only part OF the time and his wages
low poverty must matter of fact follow. whether he
drinks
of those unemployed during portion of year
per cent (See Eighteenth Annual Labor Report page Az.
The OF 1900 placed it in round numbers 64oso64
or rs per of the total Commissioner Wright
ates some of the causes of ideness follows:
Establishments closed ..........soo6 pct
Sickness ............2365 pct
Strikes NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. ZI pct
Aceidcnts LOO pct
Drunkenness 70 pct
From this report simply fraction of per the
denes workingmen is caused by inempeance
paravey small proportion arises from strikes
ting down OF mills factories mines and other industries
onehalf of the deness while the per
Is largely attributed disregard
na extent of the employers of labor for the health of
employees.
Less than OF the appalling total idenes which
exists in this country be charged the working
Now let us glance briefly at the wages paid and if
they with the working class
AT least oneourth the working employed get no
than $40 per week for their labor OF unemploy
ment. which of them this down in
the OF the In the majority of IS per
cent OF these for leaving 81
week for the living expenses family of three or four or
Does it look if these poorly paid workers. they
only thrifty and frugal and left drink alone keep
the wolf from the doorl
eff the saloons all closed and the people were all
total abstainers the pail of poverty would still hang the
home Of the worngman because of his enforced deness at
times and the poor wages paid for his labor.
at fact that all careful social conditions
today recognize that ntemperanoe poor
truly the result of poverty than Prof Rich
ard Ely We should forget the temptations to
inemperance which lie in the character of of anv
abores Many hours regarded by competent authorities
which predisposes the of inoxicants The
Of work by the side of rapidly moving machinery on the
system another pedsposng ntemperance
which has attracted serious attention
Frances f. Willard said: Under the searchlight Of
knowledge in these later days it is folly for longer to
ignore the mighty power of poverty evil habits Of
every kind only ignorance of the condition of the
industrial classes that magnied single propaganda and min
mized other SO that the temperance people, in earlier
days. believed that if and temperate all
other material good would follow the of that great
grace
Il call upon the Woman's Christian Temperance Union
and other temperance organizations get the bed
rock of the drink habit 1t is folly to work With
effects yea, is criminal in the light of knowledge s
have"
paid Advcrtisng-Wage Farmers League of Washinsto.N