Jack went on with his talk. "The 'Order of Thinkers' claim that you men
and all of your class spend one-third of your entire wages for whiskey
and beer. There are exceptions, but the figures will hold good. I am
going to call the amount of your wages spent in this way, one-fourth.
The yearly pay-roll of this mine is, in round numbers, $200,000. Fifty
thousand of this goes into the hands of those harpies, who grow rich as
you grow poor. You are surprised at these figures, and yet they are too
small. I counted the saloons over there, and I find there are eleven of
them. Divide $50,000 into eleven parts, and you would give each saloon
less than $5000 a year as a gross business. Not one of those places can
run on the legitimate percentage of a business which does not amount to
more than that. Do you suppose these men are here from charitable
motives or for their health? Not at all. They are here to make money,
and they do it. Five or six hundred dollars is all they pay for the vile
stuff for which they charge you $5000.
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