The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-07-15
LETTERS FROM the PEOPLE.
Ilditor pickens sentinel:

upIlft OF humanity III III
D promotion of the welfare Of It's members
particular, as an organization pledges It's activ
support to the liquor interest in opposing til
movement to suppress the evils Of intempel
ance It forfeits the sympathy, confidence an
respect or the community.
Yet, incredible as II may seem. we have be
fore us the sorry spectacle of the recent action
of the Boston Central Labor union in adoptin,
a resolution which calls on organized labor t
oppose the passage OF the Hobs0n Sheppard bill
for nationwide prohibition of the liz uor traffic
This central labor union, which represents the
centralized authority and speaks for the feder
ated labor organizations OF Boston, bases its
action squarely on the ground that the abolition
of the distilleries, breweries and saloons would
throw largo number of laborers out Of en-
ployment, and that lnsidious argument Is the
bait by which the whiskey trust, the brewery
combine and the grogshop interests have caught
this labor organization and are trying to enlist
the support of others throughout the country
It is the most cruelty selfish appeal that was
ever made, besides being absolutely faliacious
rs will appear on close scrutiny. fear no con.
:radiction in asserting that no man has moral
right to make the destruction of other men his
means of subsistence. Must we, then, as a
people. forever submit to all the poverty, mis-.
cry, disease, crime and loss OF life that ntoxi.
eating liquor causes in order to enrich few
men and furnish employment to some others:
AS Il purely economic proposition, ignoring
the moral aspect ii would be far cheaper for
the nation to support these men in idleness at
their present profits or wages than to have
them employed in the manufacture and sale Of
this destructive product for which the people
of this country pay one billion and seven hun
dred and twenty four million dollars ii year, to
nothing Of the incacuabe millions of loss and
damage they suffer by drinking it.
But the abolition Of the liquor business in
wolves no problem Of idle capital or unempoy
ment Of labor. Although the aggregate sum
which the people pay for the product is enor
nous. the liquor industry employs compare
lively few men, and the greater part of this
stupendOus sum that goes each year for liquor
is paid by laboring men who complaining
Of low wages and the high cost of living, and
| their wives nnd children have to suffer needless
privation OF food. clothing and other comforts
in consequence of tho men misspending their
wages for drink, not to mention the detrimen.
tnl effect on their earning capacity.
Bnnsh liquor from the nation and these one
thousand seven hundred and twenty.four mil
lions Of dollars wasted, and worse than wasted,
each year for intoxicating drink would be ex-
pended for more and better food, clothing and
their comforts aud luxures, includine amuse
ments and better homes. TO supply this i'm.
mensely increased demand for provisions and
goods of ull kinds would require the building
)f thousands Of new factories and give employ.
nent to millions of laborers more than are now
which would easily absorb all labor
md capital now in the liquor business 1t
would do away with the employment question
lelp TO solve the wage question, and to a large
extent obviate the necessity of child labor. We
should soon be the busiest hcathest happiest
lnd most prosperous people OH earth and better
han the world has ever seen.
million is said to be beyond the comprehen.
'ion Of the human mind. y billion, which is
l thousand millions, conveys no idea except a
vague impression of immensity. SO to trans.
form the prOdigious figures of the annual
liquor bill of the American people into think
able terms let US zee what this money would
buy If expended for other purposes
If applied to the national debt of the United
States it would lift the government out of debt
and leayea surplus of more than five million
dollars in the trrasury. All the gold and silver
produced by all the mines in the world in
year would fall more than II thousand million
dollars short of peying our annual drink bill,
which IL nearly billion dollors more than the
earnings OF all our railroads. Each year the
money we squander on liquor would build u
million comfortable cottages for homeless
families orit would 0ecently house and provide
for all our poor and aged. Wonderful are the
things that could be done for the health, com.
tort, happiness and prosperity Of the people il
the money they spend for liquor could be d.
verted to useful, constructive purposes.
What. however, does the drink bill actually
do: We, alas, already know 1t crowds the poor
There Is scarcely home III the
land that is not blghted with It's curse directly
or Indirectly.
May we not ask you our reaiersi in the year of
1915 to do your utmost to Bght the liquor traf-
fc: The grange Is very generally in favor Of
in the interest CT temperance and
and organized labor SHOULD stand
solidly and resolutely for nationwide prohibi
tlon. The effects of the use of liquor i. bad
enough with the .ich bu; 1t IS destruct@l to
the iabOring man.
Such as are slaves to the drink habit should
make practical application OF the prayer
'I.ead us not into temptation, but deliver Us
from evi." by supporting the movement tc
Danish Intoxicating liquor from the entire
country; and those who favor the liquor inter
ests for the sake of prohting by the trahlc II
the vile poison that kills their brothers ma!
expect to share the curse of Cain when like
the first murderer they say by their acts, If no
in words, Am my brothers keeper
Respectfully. y. Il. RlGDON.