The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-05-28

IN tne interest OF COJdl aOSLlnenCe Helu
under the auspices of the National Abb
stainers Union, the first being at
Philadelphia on the 18th of March
last. The organization non-par-
tisan and non-sectorian, its purpose
being to bring all of the people Of
our country without regard to politics,
xchurch, or race, into active co-opera
Stion in behalf of temperance.
Before presenting arguments in IA
vor of total abstinence | ask your at
tention to certain figures and compari-
sons which will show the enormous
amount expended in the United States
for Intoxicating liquors and therefore
the great Importance of the subject
with which we are dealing.
AS the body becomes insensible to
pain when a certain degree is reached,
so the mind ceases to comprehend the
meaning of figures beyond certain
1point. A thousand million, for IN
Astance, does not seem to US much
more than an hundred million or even
a million. | have tried, therefore, to
translate into every day language the
figures that set forth the cost of in
temperance.
Comparisons Used AT Philadelphia.
At Philadelphia I used four COM
parisons, based upon an expenditure
of the sum of two and half billions
of dollars a year--that is, an aver
age of twenty-five dollars per capita
or one hundred twenty-five dollars per
family. The comparisons then used
showed (1) that there is daily spent
for drink in the United States one
tenth of the sum expended for the car
rying on the war now raging in Eu-
rope: (2) that the amount expended
for drink in the United States would
build six Panama canals each year;
(3) that the amount annually spent
for drink is more than three times
the entire amount spent for educa-
ton in the United States; and e.
that the amount spent for drink is al
most double the annual expenditures
of the federal government.
| shall tonight present four other
Llcomparisons which can not fail to I'M
N,press you with the heavy burden that
fhe use of intoxicating liquor throws
upon our population.
Drink Bill VS.. Cotton, Wheat and
Corn.
First: According to the statistics
compiled by the department OF COM
merce, the value of three of the great
agricultural crops, on the first of De.
cember 1914, was as follows: Cotton,
S52O,O 100000; wheat, SS18,OOO,-
900; corn, S1,7OO,OOO,0OO. (These
crops vary in value from year to year;
in 1918 the cotton crop was worth
.<S25 .OOO, 900 and the wheat crop only
x610, 100000; l have used the last
year, H.
raising of cotton, the amount OF labor
required and the number of persons
interested, and then remember that
we spend for liquor, each year, more
than four cotton crops. Survey the
broad wheat fields of our land, estl-
mate the number of persons engaged
in the production of this staple OF life
and then remember that we eXpen5
almost three wheat crops year tor
intoxicating liquors. Corn is grown
.Sn every state and is the largest sin
Arle source of wealth; 1T yields more
than the wheat and cotton crops com
bined. and yet we annually spend 1oi
liquor nearly fifty per cent more thar
the value of the entire corn crop.
Equals One-FOurth OF Product ol
Wage-Earner.
Statistics show that 26S,OOO manu-
featuring establishments in this coun
+rv employ over 6,500,00O wage earn
ers, and that these wage earners ad'
81 800 900 900 to the value OF the ma
terial used in industries in which the!
are employed. They do not receiy'
that sum in wages, but they create
that amount of wealth. 1t gives SOM
idea of the amount spent for liquor t.
know that during the year we Spen'
for drink more than one-tourth
much as these 6,500,000 wage earn
ers produce. Would not nationa
nrosperity be largely increased II tn
amount spent for drink was eXpende
for food and clothing and homes!
If Liquor Money Spent For Goo
Roads.
Second: As we are all interested l
GOOD roads | have made computatio
10 ascertain how far the amolr
spent for liquor would go to"aTu VI
K building of good roads in the Unite
States, | find that the average co;
of a macadam road, sixteen feet wid
- and seven inches thick is about SO
zoo per mile. This is the est.mail
furnished by the Office of public roao
in the department of agriculture; bl
~ he sure that we are liberal IN OF
estimate, let us put it at SS,S33 !, Pc
nrile-or three miles for S25,oOO' IN
enables us to make our computatic:
IN round numbers. If $25,OOO WI
mild three miles of macadnm ro% o
N them $500, 100000 will build. SGc
" 060 miles. If we count the al
f,nce from ocean to ocean at 3,U'
niles the annual amount spent, i
Link would build 100 macadam nlg
wavS ,,yS across the continent; and thes
uniting the width of the countl
north and south at twelve hundr'
niles. would give US highway eve
traIve miles. If, the second year,
bniIt 100000 miles of highways ru r
ning north and south we could, IN Z! I!
Tears have the United States grl