San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-04-03
Are salOors Blessing 10 Towns aud
Counties!

when she runs ont her saloon men
While wo have not felt called upon
10 notice tho many personal iiing'
which have from time TO time been
aimed at us by the Kyle News, We
deem it pertinent to quote the above
elegant extracts" from its columns
by way ofa text for some remarks oil
our own.
In tho first place tho zeal OF the
News in behalf OF tho whisky interest
is so hot that il feels called upon to
take San Marcos and her people un'
der its special guardianship. Iteven
anticipates the battle. There is as
yet no fight here for Local Option
steps have been taken to secure a
vote on the subject, which, under
the law, cannot be had till ordered by
the Commissioners Court, which will
not meet again till the second Mon
day in May.
But now as to the main idea nd
vanced by the News, that thepresence
of whiskey saloons is in any way con
duciye to the prosperity of O town
or community, it is certainly mostpre-
postorous and unfounded both in rea-
sou and in fact. In reason-for what
is there about the whiskey traffic that
could be beneficial in any respect,
since it impoverishes individuals (snve
only the saloon keepers,) and turns
out hosts of criminals, and consequent
Iy loads counties with debts for Jail
and court expenses? In fact-because
every intelligent man knows that the
most prosperous towns are such as
are exempt from this great curse.
We have an example right at hand.
In the late contest over local option
at Hampstead, the Courier, published
ut that place, was rampant
pant advocate OF the whiskey side Of
the question, and like it's brother of
Kyle, asserted, in effect, that whiskey
was the life-blood of the prosperity of
/. town, and undertook to cite
,omo instances in support of its
,heory, and among others, Blanco,
We copy the crushing rejoindcr of the
3lanco News:
The Courier is pretty strong in his
for whiskey. He goes on
o give list of towns that are pros
,ering under the sale Of whiskoy
llso list of four towns that are, he
ays, "dead" on account of local OPP.
ion, and among them he mentions
3lanco.
If the Courier will allow us, we will
correct him as far as Blanco is con
'erned. We have been blessed with
ocal option in Blanco for several
ears, and tho town continues to inn
rove The improvements that have
zone up here since local option was
dopted we may safely say, in point
If dollars and cents are gilmore value
han all the improvements in the
,lace prior to that time. And if the
Jourier man will come to our town
lext Monday he can witness the lay
ng of the corner stone of q $4,000 |
ugh school building, That don't
ook much like u dead town, does it ?
During the days of whiskey in
5lanco. our county scrip was worth
70 cents on tho dollar, when you
ould sell it at all. Now, all you
ave to do when you draw your script |
! to walk to the treasurer and get
our money on it dollar for dollar.
{ Hampstead had less whiskey she
,ould have less court costs to pay,
Consequently her county would soon
e out of debt.
Again, Bianco dispatch to the
AN Antonio Express says:
Our little Jail is vacant, and has
cen for the past eighteen months,
18th the exception of the short time
hat j. G. Speer waz twCHiined in it.
peer was not u resident of this
ounty, but was travelling through
then he murdered his companion,
nd was brought here from the Indi-
n Territory for trial. We have q
cry quiet and law-abiding people
wing here, and the courts have little
0 do.
What n contrast to our own coun-
Y, with our overcrowded jail and
normous court expenses, four-hfths
{ which no doubt are the direct result
the whiskey traffic? Surely one
lust be literally rs well as morally
lind to undertake to advocate the
osition taken by the Hampstead and
lyle papers.
Some of the most prosperous towns
e have ever known were those where
y their articles Of incorporation the
he liquor traffic was forever exclud-
L. Now If Kyle had been started
ndcr such . restriction. who can
9ubt that she would have been
'ng wayin advance of her present |
osition in real prosperity! Or If