Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1916-10-20
SOME STARTLING
FACTS ARE SHOWN
MORE THAN HALF THE POOR IN
THE INFIRMARIEs WERE LED
IN BY THE BOOZE ROUTE.
EVIL WORK IS HUMILLIATING
OfficiaI Statements Should BE Read
BY Voters Who Pay Taxes And
Would Remove the Cause.


now known as infirmaries, furnish
universal evidence that liquor is re-
sponsible for more than half of pov.
erty.
Statistical tabulations showing the
effect OF the license and no-license
systems in individual counties of Mich
igan are of little value as evidence
Many inmates Of infirmaries are per
manent occupants, whose entry or exit
bears no direct relation to social con.
ditions. A lapse of years, possibly
of a whole generation, would be
necessary to produce any radical
change in pauperism as class fol-
lowing the abolition of saloons.
Two facts stand out: One is that
the authorities and citizens in dry
counties are unanimous in their
opinion that from the standpoint Of
the county poor the dry regime is far
superior. The other fact is that many
counties report officially that about
three-fourths of the poverty which
requires county aid to individual or
family, is due to the use of alcoholic
beverages
Official statements written by
superintendents Of the poor include
the following:
This county Is In the dry column,
and we find that while the cost of
everything is much higher, the super
visors are not called upon to furnish
US more money now than they did
while the county was wet."-C. C..
Hallenbeck, Eaton county.
I'VE are pleased to inform you that
there are so few cases in this county
which are receiving relief that have
| been caused by alcoholic beverages.
| We have a clear slate, are now dry
and expect to remain 500. O..
Prick, Oscoda county.
Midland county has been dry eight
| years and people like 1t. Two old IT,
county home whose condition is due
to drink" = X. Mckay, Midland
county.
Confidential statements to the same
effect, are as follows: Drink is the
almost universal cause Of poverty
while for temporary assistance II Is
probably the main factor In at least
one half the cases. In my best judg-
ment about SO. per cent of poverty in
this county can be attributed to the
use of drink If not more. In fact
| nearly all the crime we~have can be
laid to the same cause"
81 am quite sure that three-fourths
at least are caused by the liquor traf-
fc."
Following are q few more definite
statements:
Alger County: About 75Vo."
Genessee County: About 1901
from liquor directly or indirectly"
Huron County: Most of the in
mates OF the county farm here have
come to the institution because Of in
temperance and the use of liquor"
Mason county: 1850 directly and
2Ooz, indirectly. or $500 Of all poverty
In our county is caused by alcoholic
drink"
Iron County: "Ten years as poor
commissioner leads me to say that
fully 95oz, OF male inmates at our
county farm have come here either
directly or indirectly because of IL
uuor"
Kent County: "Of 500 families
helped during the year ending March
1, 1916, liquor was the direct cause of
poverty in twenty-five families and an
Indirect cause of fifty-three families
Tor 1O3 persons in Ken: County
Detention Hospital last year. at least
one half were caused by intemperance.
I'm Kent County Home were 1876 per-
sons, of whom $500 can easily be
traced to intemperance as a direct
cause."-L. De Payter.
ITO the best of my judgmnet, /
would say that 5000 Of the poverty Is
caused by alcoholism. 1t would be
number of years after its passage be-
fore we could get the full benefit OF
state wide prohibition. The effects Of
the past years would stay with US un-
| til the rising generation took its
place."-V II. Billings.
Montorency County: -Four OF the
six men in our poor house were forced
20 come here on account of drink"
Oakland County: 1000 or more OF
the cases here are due to drink. We
are going through the second dry time
and we find 1t helps very much.
hope for state wide prohibition"