Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-03-15
Local Option.
OF Alexandria :.

haVa takoa Ia the late Issue before the peos
ple. have beea much abuscd-fcr this /
have not care. The following are some Of
the grounds for teton which Wish, thinking
men to consider, aud which would havo been
brought to their consideration had the Lii for
submitting to tho qualified voters of Alexandra
tho question Of License or 20 lc.nse for the sale
of Intoxicating drinks been allowed to come be-
fore our people. would simply say 10 passing-]
it is very strange that 50 many members of
your City Council, placed whore they are BY
you, shcu'd dare to say by their vote that you
shoul1 not b, permitted to vote o. tho Ques
lioo, and that your representative. elected By
you. aud 10 whom you sent q pstition to the
Legislature, signed by more than 600 people,
should have presumed by his motion 10 have
the till dismissed to prevent you from sayiog
by your votes What you desired. ard esp c.ally
too alter he had promised to secure tho pas
sige Of the bill if possible.
But propose to address myself 10 several
prs C .ical questions, and to show how local tp
ton, if Vu!ed CO Iucc. ssfully here. 80 as 70
diva ell sale OF intcxioaling drinks from cur
town. w0ull greatly advaLc, all the material in-
terests of our C ,mmunty.
Tile question of the effect Of local option ON
the rCrenue A great cry WAS raised on this
part of the subj c.. IL was said Alexapdis
was Just sutc sstuIly funding her dcbt. That
SUI ,ss in tits direction would b. impossible if
local opliou obtained; that tho revenue from
lic2rsas for sale OF liquors was absolutely no
cessary to pay the interest promised; that the
town would be ruined; that you might 81 we'll
put feLc, srcuod it, &c., &c. Now let us
look at tho tecs. Alexandria derives from the
lie .nses 10 question the enormous sum OF tWcD-
W five hundred dollars per aonum. Now it is
q fact which can be proven by overwhelming
evidence that where local option prevails the
expenses for polio, Lefty POOR, poor's house, city
jail, &a &c, have Leon reGu,ed from SD to
IS rcr cont. cite few clses, and can bring
as many moro as may DO desired. 10 Come c.
t;clt, while prohibition prevailed. crime do.
creased Is nor mt, snd Whep, in 1878, lie ,nse
was restored. o;ima Immediately Increased SO
per cent, and In tho civ of Hartford, in two
years thereafter, crime Increased 400 per cent,
and they were glad enough t. vote Tor prohib.
lion ag.iu. 10 Maine, in 1870, under probbi'
lion, conv'c!ion5 tor crime wore only 43l or ono
in every 1859. while in New York, outside Of
New York city, where it is more, the number
was Alb or ono 10 every G20, showing nearly
three fold more crime. In Nav London siI G,
prohibition biclme tho law tho ares havo d."
creased from an average Of 40 per c,nt. per
month to 7. decrease of more than 50 per
cent. Ia Vinclapd. N. j.. town of 10000
Inhabitants, containing Is marufac .ories, and
10 this respect far in advatc, of Alexandra
and only 5000 less 10 population, aud where
prohibition prevails, the only officer of the law
necessary is single constable, who is also
overscor OF tho poor, and gets only $75 salary.
There was lily one Indictment for crime 10
whole car. aud the amount no ,ssary for the
city poor does not reach $50 per annum. We
are ready nov iCr few 6gares as to cur tx-
pets1s horo. leave out tue c)st of the chain
gang, as their work is worth something. |
omit tho costs of criminal procedure. o. these
aic paid by tho State. and wo have for cur
consideration:
Average c>st of polio, forco for
1877. rs and 70, $9,425
Average cost OF ponr's and
work house for II. '7S. 70. 1896
Average cost Of city poor for
IT. rs, 10. 2,s22
Averag, cost OF city jail for
IT, rs. 70. 523
Total. SIG. l66
Those figures arc from official DOCUMENTS
We have seon that Itc, option
roduols expenses by reduction
OF crime, pauperism. &c.,
more than IS per o., but let Us
only tako 50 per o9nt. ss tho
saving to be effected and you
will have SSOS4
Less tho smount rec lived from
lconses. $500
Net gsio, $5,5s4
huvo compared tho c,st of tho police in
other towns where prohibition prevails with
tho cost here, aud iiod that ten man would be
moro than necessary, if prohibition prevailed
heIe, Instead OF the seventeen now employed,
and tho saving in salaries at this point alone
would DO over $4,000. which would more than
reimburse the town for loss of revenue from
llc1nses, so that think the town would have
gained 10 revenue had we boon permitted to
try. what ID no longer on experiment, bat roa
success. wherever local option has had fair
show.
1t will b seen | havn left tho question Of
morals cut OF sight for tho rresept and will
only speak of this at a later day.
10 my next | propose to consider The uues
lion of thu influetc, of ltc,l option upon trade
hero.
L have oily given sample of facts which
can DO multiplied indefinitely, and beg that il
any one c,uttoVerts my POSITIONS, hs will be
manly enough 10 sign bis own name, 8, that
"o may kaow who is for and Who against.
Respectfully.
w. K BOYLE
AIcxabdria, Va, Marco IS.
Yhc Smith-StOvall A flair.
10 the Public: All matters of difference
growing out Of tho discussions in tho Senate
chamber on tho evening ci the 9th instant be- |
tween Hons. q. 7. Smith and j. T. Stovall have
been smicsbly and honorably adjusted.
}. ID. PATTON, for q. I. Smith. |
-, WIN Il. BoIsEAU. for j. T. Stovsll.
Wa hssens 10 tho above statement
O. T. SMITH.
j. I. STovALL
Richmond. March l3, 1870.
IT has been known for several DAYS since the
adjournment Of the Legislature, the 9th inetant |
Lhat correspondence has been going on between |
Lho two senators above named in regard to of. |
slVo language used by Senator John #. StovaII