The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-09-23
Prohibition.
Walhalla Courier.

activity and prosperity of people is q
question of interest to the citizens of
every town. tits generally claimed by
the "wet" party that it decreases trade
and active enterprise. The "dry" party
as confidently assert the reverse, alleging
that the suppression of the traffic in
liquor, invariably and Of f:necessity, i'm.
proves people morally, socially and
financially. We have always maintained
the latter opinion upon the acknowledged
principle that money saved is money
made, and when saved from being spent
for liquor, it will be spent for useful
articles or be invested in. the improve.
ment of land, yielding general as we'll
as local prosperity. If spent for liquor,
it is not only lost to. the channels Of
actual trade, but is worse than burned up,
it lessons the will and power to labor,
lessons physical endurance, lessons moral
strength, lessons the capital to be used in
profitable enterprise, and for all this pro.
,duces no good, but evil and evil only.
Since prohibition went into effect in
Atlanta, the liquor dealers, always noisy,
have raised a great hue and cry about
the trade of the city being cut off, the
value of property depreciating and the
ruin of the city; being now at hand. We
would feel sad indeed to think that the
expulsion from a town or city of the
most potent agent of Satan would depre.
ciate the property of the people or ruin
the people. We never believed it and
are glad to give the result of statistical
examination and report of the trade Of
Atlanta before and since prohibition as
positively disproving that prohibition has
injured that city, and proving that trade
has constantly increased since liquor Was
expelled from the city. On this subject
the Atlanta Cbnstitution, rather "wet-
ward" paper, gives the following views,
editorially, under the caption, "We stand
by the figures -
HAS Atlanta gained or lost business
since the prohibition election2"
This question has been discussed hear
tily for some weeks, and the weight of
opinion has been one way to-day and the
other way tomorrow. Fortunately,
exact statistics are at hand which settle
the matter beyond dispute, and prove
"That Atlanta has gained. largely in
business since prohibition went into
effect!"
There are eight railroads that carry
Atlanta's freights. Every pound Of
goods we sell goes over one of these
roads. If these roads show diminution
of outward freights from Atlanta, then
our business has diminished. If the
volume of outgoing freights has in.
creased, then our business has increased.
Let US see what the railroad books
show. The East Tennessee carried out
of Atlanta, and billed from Atlanta,
7,19l, 900 pounds of freight in August,
1886, against 3,472000 in August, 1885.
There was the same proportion of in.
crease in June and July. So over the
East Tennessee Road Atlanta doubled
her business this summer over what she
did Lost summer, and the full increase
promises to be even greater.
But did the East Tennessee gain busi.
ness at the expense of the other roads !?
If so, the city's gain is lost. At the
Central there was almost blockade of
outgoing trains the officials reported q
heavy gain In business, and the books
showed a gain of 10000 pounds in the
first three days of the month. The West
Point Road reports that the business for
the three summer months of 1886 is at
least 80 per cent. above the three sum.
mer months of 1885. The Georgia
Pacific reports that the increase has been
30 marked as to provoke comment from
all the depot and railroad officials. The
Western and Atlantic road makes up it's
books on July 1st and presents them to
the lessees, but the officials state that the
demand for extra depot accommodations
and extra local freight trains has been
marked, and is constantly increasing.
The Richmond and Danville received
from freights billed from Atlanta $5,691
in July, 1885, and S6,762 in 1886, an in.
crease of 20 per cent, and the increase
for August is even larger. The Georgia
railroad books are kept in Augusta, but
the increase of Atlanta tonnage the
summer has been 30 marked that it has
been common topic about the depot.
This testimony is positive and irrefu-
table. In spite Of freight discrimina-
tions, the freightage billed from Atlanta
(which means goods manufactured or
sold in Atlanta) has increased on every
road leading out of the city. This in
crease runs from 20 per cent. to 100 per
cent. The way.bills show that Atlanta
freight is constantly reaching new terri
tory. Against these plain and emphatic
figures, no amount of opinion OF com
plant can prevail. Commercially, At
lanta is holding her own, and pushing
ahead as rapidly as her best friend could
desire.
"A white convict recently escaped
from gang working on the Georgia
Midland Railroad. A bloodhound was
put on his trail and afterward found
manacled to tree with the convict's
sbackles. Two new dogs were started
after him, and when they caught him he