The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-06
LABOR IS HURT
WHEN PROHIBITION
RULE IS ADOPTED
DR.. Sickle Shows That Money
Now Spent For Liquor Will
Help Workers.
NOTED LEADER ILL; Is
UNABLE TO SPEAK
Wet Lies as to Amount of Cap
ital Invested in Making and
Selling Intoxicants and
Mem Employed Nailed.

Lexin gton. KY. Jan. 5-IlIness pre-
vented DR.. Charles Stelzle, of New
York, noted preacher and labor lead
err. from fulfilling his engagement &c
speak here before the national con-
vention of the Intercollegiate Prohi-
btti n Association. However. Dr.
Stelzle's paper, which he would have
| delivered had health permitted, is In
/ the hands of newspaper representa-.
tive. It's subject is What Will Hap
pen to Labor When the Saloon IL
abolished"
If the $4,000, 100000 now spent fol
intoxicating liquor were spent fol-
bread and clothing. the two chief sta
pie articles in mems lives, It would
give employment to nearly eigh:
times as many workers, who would
collectively receive Ave and halt
times as much wages, as is now the
case In the liquor business. Besides
/ this 1t would require $500. 700, 000
worth Of additional raw material to
what the liquor industry now uses.
-. This Is Charles Stelzle's answer to
1 VIZ ~ ShEiSd VI "a IH1 llQuOT 1HkSE
ests that national prohibition of the
| liquor traffic would paralyze business
and Industrial activity and throw a
| million workingmen out Of employ
| ment. Rather than being an eco
nomic asset to the country the liquor
industry gives far smaller returns to
labor and other lines OF business than
score of other industries which will
utilize Its labor and raw material II
the liquor traffic is abolished. Gov
eminent statistics were cited by Mr.
Stelzle in proof of his statements.
The old-time personal liberty" ar
gument of the liquor interests Is also
exploded. many commonplace Illus
trations being used by the speaker tc
make clear his case.
There are 100000 900 people in the
United States" said he, every last
one OF whom thinks he is as good as
his neighbor. II not bit better. II
would be absurd to say that each OF
the 100, 600, 600 could do precisely as
he pleases, The greater our civiliza-
ton the more restricted become our
liberties. You may exercise your lib
erty only insofar as II does not en-
danger the liberty Of your neighbor,
In law and in civilization the first
consideration Is not the individual
but society.
Suppose the citizens OF this city
should declare by a majority vote
and this Is the way we decide dis
puted questions in this country-that
the saloons are a menace to society
Haven't they the right to take such
action, and would it not be in har-
mony with the manner in which all
great social questions are determs
ined? When the saloon Destroy
mems bodies and souls, 1t Is a men
ace; and just as soon as society finds
ii out the saloon must GO"
Is Foremost Authority.
Mr.. Sickle is recognized as the fore
most authority OF the day on the
sociological and economic aspects Of
the labor question. including its re-
lation to the church and to the liquor
problem. DR.. stelxle said:
According to the defenders Of the
saloon one million workingmen would
permanently be thrown onto the labor
market following the introduction OF
national prohibition. This argument
is based entirely upon the absurd
proposition that IL the liquor dealers
fail to get the money now spent for
beer and whiskey nobody else will
get It, 1t is assumed that If a man
does not spend a dollar for booze
he will throw that dollar into the
sewer or into some kind of bottom
less pit. instead of using It to pur-
chase some other commodity which
will do good instead of harm. which
will have a permanent value and
which will give the work!ngmen of the
country more work, more wages and
greater prosperity in every way than
If the same amount OF money were
spent for beer and whiskey.
"A good deal Is being said about
the enormous amount Of capital in
vested in the liquor Industry, and yet,
according to the statistical abstract
OF the United States. for every
81 900. 600 invested in the average in
dustry, practically four times as much
raw material Is required. four times
as much wages is paid and four times
as many workers are employed, as Ia
the case In the liquor industry.
LET us take FIVE leading Industries
in the United States and compare
them with the liquor business. For
every 81 900, 900 invested In each OF
these Industries the following num-
Der OF wage earners are employed:
Liquor, II; iron and steel and their
products. 2S4; paper and printing
367; leather and its products. 46s; tex
tiles and their finished products, SIS
lumber and its manufacturers. 579
These figures prove that the iron in
dustry employs nearly four times as
many. paper and printing nearly five
times as many. leather six times as
many. textiles seven and one-half
times as many, and lumber seven and
one-half times as many workers for
every $1.000,o0 invested as does the
liquor industry.
The figures given by the liquor in
terests as to the number of men who
would be affected by the abolition OF
the liquor traffic are greatly exagger-
ated. The census report for 1910 tells
us that in all manufacturing indus
tries there were then employed 6,616.-
046 persons. The liquor industry en-
ployed 69,290. or Just about per cent
OF the total. But Of this number only
about $4,000 were brewers and malts-
tiers. distillers and rectifiers. The re-
mainder of the $3.50 were employed
as engineers. carpenters, machinists
teamsters. etc.-occhpations which are
not at all peculiar to the liquor bust
ness. There were more Transfers en-
ployed than there were brewers and
maltsters. distillers and rectiflers.
There are about 100000 bartend-
ers in the United States. What will
haoon,o nf thoeo u,bon fhA gaInnn (