The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-02-12
sIX HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS SPENT FOR
LIQUORS.

One seldom is brought face to face with the mae
iitudc OF the liquor proposition in the Soul, In s
orceful manner the following article write
y Richard H. Edmuns. the editor of the hianufa,
urer's Record as published in the Home Field. W
see suffering and want In some homes In Anderson
coupled with disease, and we are saddened ~
see small wages paid. and men ekeng out mil
,rable existence, with the bare necessities Of Iii
being supplied. and many with but a scant suppl
We see men and women going to church and place
)f amusement dressed in finery, and enjoying lif
while their unfortunate neighbors going bare ar
staying at home because OF their inability to secul
proper raiment TO go out among their fellow me
Extremes meet. and we wonder why. Suppose Il
immense sum annually wasted were turned in
the channels OF Legitimate trade. and used to SUI
ply the people with the necessities of lifc and
few of the luxuries. would there not be general r
Joicing and an Improvement in business conditions
But let Mr.. Edmunds tell the story:
We lCJk with horror upon Europ.'s awful
war. We shuddcr us we read of the fearful
devastation, Of the millions OF men battling
with each other. each seeking to kill the
other before lie can be killed. No human mind
can grasp the awfulncss of this. the world;
most terrific tragedy. No human pen can
ever tell the story. Death and destruction
or made invalids by disease and hundreds of
millions throughout Europe are suffering In
agony and suspense from poverty from the
loss or the fear of loss OF loved ones who
have gone down into the Valley of Dcstruc-
tion.
While contemplate these things and
marvel that civilization and Christianity
must carry this terrific burden do not
stop to think that civilization and Christianity
have for centuries been carrying the burden
OF strong drink which in the large has
brought into the world more sorrow. more suf-
fering and more deaths. and has cost the
world far more in money than the awful war
which engulfs Europe at present. Let not
In our amazement at Europe forget that this
land OF ours with oil of its enlightenment
and all of its Christian influence still per-
nits and legalzes business which annually
carries to untmely graves thousands and
thousands of men. which brings sorrow and
suffering to hundreds OF thousands OF women
and children, and which costs hundreds OF
millions OF dollars year more utterly vast
= ed than IL thrown in the, ocean. 20
Until we have swept from our own country
~ the accursed whiskey business with all of
It's wide ramihcatons in politics and in bus-
. ness, In the development ofavice and in the
tremendous burden which the country might
f- . 4 y
s-g carry in the maii tenance OF jas. peaiteftiar
~ les and aims HOUSES whose recruits are large
ly an outcome OF drink. let US be careful in
Z too harshly criticizing even the horrors of
Europe's war, unspeakably evil and ndes
s5cr.5ably inexcusably as they are Let us
sweep before our pwn door before VIC de-
nounce too vigorously the dirt In front OF our
n neighbor's
,'w Taking the govSrnmentsJ figu, es ps ,to Stile
production Of strong drink In this country
I, and its Wholesale or mansl actured monetary
tva;ue. 1t is, believe. REASONABLY safe to say
that we spend annually in the United States
4 $4,000, 100000 for strong drink. This Is equaf
to the value OF two full cotton crops even of
the crops Of late years which have yielded
billion dollars year in value
So far as the economic loss Is concerned,
this country could better afford to take its
cott>M. crop and It's wheat crop and annually
dump their value into the ocean than to per-
nit the spending OF the $4,000, 100000 for
alcoholic drink, for this means not only q
waste OF money. but also the destruction of
the lives OF thousands Of men who therwise
would be great economic asset to tho ma
tion. IL tie South In proportion to its popn-
latton to that OF the country drinks as much
per capita as the nation drinks Il must spend
S600.o00.900 or $70O,000.00O year ON strong
= drink. ali, @&% s,y,5 -.
Our politicians and public men generally.
bankers, and tlsiness men. as well as cotton
growers. are greatly disturbed about the de-
cline in the price of cotton. Some of them
are fooiishly talking about the South becom-
ing bankrupt because this years cotton crop
may probably sell for much less than last
years. But many Of these very men are
heedlos3 OF the fact that every year tho South
is spending as much for drink as the total
value of its cotton crop mp to the pei iod when
high prices Of recent years have carried this
value above the average for'many years.
PRAISE FRONyA PRO.GERMAN.