The Alaska citizen., 1915-06-28
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WHY ABSTAIN?

Extracts from an address deliver ed by Secretary Bryan at Philadel- phia, March 15, 1915, under the aus pices of the National Abstainers' union. The audience is believed to be the largest temperance meeting ever held in America Twelve thou sand signed the following pledge: THE UNDERSIGNED PROMISES. GOD HELPING, NEVER TO USE INTOXICATING LIQUORS AS A BEVERAGE"
 Tt is estimated that the people of the United States spend almost S2.5OO.OOO,OOO annually for intoxi- eating liquors. It is difficult for the mind to comprehend so large a sum unless We resort to compari- son. Let me suggest few"
 Tt has recently been stated on high authority that the cost of the war now raging in Europe reaches the enormous total of $3750,000,O0 a week-or more than $5O,OOO,OO0 day If this is true the drink bill of the United States would carry on the war for six Weeks-and that means that the daily cost of liquor 10 the people of the United States is more than one-tenth of the toll that the belligerent nations pay be- cause of the awful conflict now rag Iz thnA hn uor11 hoC ever known, whether measured by the number of men engaged, the destructiveneSs of the implements employed, or it's responsiveness to the nations involved"
 The cost of the Panama canal. the most gigantic engineering feat in history, was about $4OO,0OO,0O0. Is it not appalling to think that We spend for drink every year some thing like six times the cost of the Panama canal?'
 II have endeavo1ed to secure an accurate estimate of the amount of money spent on education in this country, and the figure given me is $75o,O00,0 ,00O This pays all the teach CTS who instruct the children, from the Kindergarten to the university, in this land of more than ninety great intellectual army whose n- estmable service no figures can deS- cribe. If we were to cease these expenditures, this nation so con- spicuous in all that contributes to the civilization of the world, would lapse into barbarism. And yet we spend for drink more than three times as much as we spend for edu- cation"
 The annual appropriations of the federal government are little less than $1,25OO00,0 900. This sum in cludes the salaries of all of the public officials from the President down. It includes the salaries of our ambassadors and ministers through whom we maintain diplo- matic relations with the entire world; it covers the cost of our our commerce in foreign lands It includes the expenses of the trea- sury, which handles our moneys, collects our taxes and supervises the banking system of the nation. It covers the expenses of the army and the expenses of the navy. It pro- yides means for enforcing the laws of the United States. It includes the operations of the postoff1ce de- partment, which carries mail to every village, hamlet and city, with it's 56,0O0 postmasters. it's l9,OOO rail way clerks and it's 75,000 mail car riers in the cities of the country It covers the expenses of the inter- for department, with it's multiplied agencies for dealing with pensions, with the public lands of the coun- try, with irrigation and Indian af the department of agriculture with it's experimental work and it's search throughout the world for that which can be profitably grown in this country. It supplies the needs of the rapidly increasing department of commerce and the vitally import bor It supplies the funds needed by the Interstate Commerce Com mission for the regulation of rail roads and by the New Federal Trade Commission for the prevention Of monopoly. All of these government agencies employed in administering nation are operated at an expense of less than $1.250.o0o. 900. Think. if the mind can comprehend 1t. of this nation spending twice that amount for alcoholic liquor.
 Here are four comparisons. Do they help you to understand what drain on the country the drink habit is? According to the estimate given, the average tax laid on each citizen by the use of liquor is more than $25 a year, or. counting five to the family. more than $125 to the family annually. If any politi- cal party attempted to make an increase in the taxes upon the peo- pie to the extent of one-fifth of that sum, it would be turned out of