Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1886-03-10

The w. G. +. U. commend th,
following to the careful attention o
tho good citizens ofzEiksP Points,:
Doss II pay Elk Point 10 support salssis'
This question interests every res
ident or the town, and it would seem
that the citizens Of Elk Point have
for the past TIVE years, had such al
excellent opportunity to examine this
question. that they ought now to b
able to decide it on its merits. Fol
nearly a year Of this time saloons
were prohibited by law and 70,
about the same period they have
been established and run under it,
sanction, and soon the people will
again be called upon to decide which
policy shall be adopted for the
coming year. On most questions
of local interest, the people Of this
town have been united and harmon.
ious. Why may we not then by a
careful examination Of the evidence
furnished by the past two years ex.
perience, decide this question in
such a way, that the best interest Of
all of the people will be secured!
In looking at this question we
should not forget that the interesto
the town is SO closely connected with
the welfare Of the county at large,
that any seeming advantage to the
town, at the expense of the county
will prove in the end a real injury,
and one that will come home to
roost earlier than might be expected.
The town gets twelve hundred dol
lars direct revenue from four saloons,
but before deciding that this is real
beniit to the town it will be neces-
sary to show that this money has
been applied to some purpose of
public utility for we are informed
hat all had been expended prior to
Jan. /, 1886. The needs Of this
town are improved streets, drains,
crossings. sidewalks, fire protection
etc. Has anything been expended
for any of these things? If net
what benefit have the people. deriv.
ed from it? A nicely furnished Cau,-
eli Chamber is probably very pleas
ant for those who occupy it, but, is
of as little interest to the people as
a whole as the Chinese Jos House Of
San Francisco. When people are
wading in mud knee deep past block
after block in the central portion Of
town, for lack Of sidewalks, or have
to swim past store doors for lack of
drainage to carry of the surplus
water, they are not in n mood to en-
JOY the thought that the"city fathers,
are going through with dress parade
in a carpeted Council Chamber.
Some people may think that as there
lisa bonded debt against the town
of two thousand dollars that this.
will explain where all of the money
has gone, but perhaps they, will
recall the fact that they paid
a l per cent tax to the city a.
bout the LIST Of Jan. This tax a.
mounted to about Eight hundred
dollars and as the interest on the
bonds was only two hundred, it
seems that by strict economy this
tax should pay that interest.
But where does this revenue that
is paid by the saloons really, come
from? From the pockets Of. the
people of this town and county.
Nor is this all it costs them for every
dollar that the town gets the saloons
receive ten. If asaloon can afford
to pay at the rate of eight hundred
per year license they must do a bus
mess of four or five thousand. They
are here for business, not for fun.
Then it seems that the people of this
town and county pay the saloons fif-
teen or twenty thousand dollars per
year. and get in return twelve hun
dred. Does it pay? 1t will be said
that the people pay this willingly,
therefore it is not our business where
it comes from. But experience
proves to us that when there are no
saloons here the people do not. pay
out such amount for liquor, and the
money thus saved is used to pay
store bills for the necessa~ies Of life.
This brings up the argument that
has probably secured more support
to the licence system than any other,
damely that liquor will be sold if no
saloons are licensed, and 1t is better
to control the sale by law. There
is some truth in the first proposition,
as shown by past experience, for
there was some liquor sold here
when no license were granted, but
the amount sold can only be judged
by its effects. For nine months
during which no license were grant
ed, no arrests Were made for drunk
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