Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-03-14
is PROHIBITION A SUCCESSES
what an Iowa Correspondent Has 90
say ON the subject---some Interest

| what nm Iowa Correspondent Has 20
say ON the subject---some Interest.
ing statistics.
| Editor ARGUS:
| BEAMAN, Iowa, March 10.-Our pros
hibition friends seem to think the ants
should not claim q victory. Governor
Larrabee has said that prohibition is a
success. Half our jsils were empty.
taxes were decreasing and our peniten
tiary prisoners had decreased one half .
Our friends do not see the point.
Wouldn't Governor Lsrrabee be foolish
to say his administration was failure
for he was elected on a prohibition
platform. Our business men and cons
mercial travellers. whose business takes
them into every town in the state. say
prohibition is failure. Governor Boies
will never say II is success. for he was
elected on high license or local option
platform. Neither are half our jails
empty. will now give few statistics
taken from the tax receipts before prohi>
bition was adopted:
County. mills; poor farm. mill:
state, mills; insane. ! mill. My last
receipt under prohibition: State. 81
mills; county. 4 mills; poor farm, "a
insane, 7,10 mill
1t will take $9.O56 more to run our
penitentiari from July 1. 1899, to July
], 1891. than the preceding two years
Taken from the mayors report of the
city Of Msrshalltown for drunkenness;
1885, sixteen open saloons. fifty three
arrests; 1887. no saloons, sixtv-five ar
rests; 1888. eighty-seven arrests: 1889.
from March LIST To Dec. 25;h 152 ar
rests. Crimes are on the increase
In the United States. England
has no foolish prohibition laws. Since
1850 crime has decreased in England
absolutely and relatively to population.
Here IL has increased both absolutely and
relatively. In 1850 the ratio OF criminals
to population In the United States was
900 to each 100000 of people; in 1860
il was 607; in 1870 it was /. 169 to the
100000. The consumption of strong
liquors does not account for it, for in
1850 we consumed 223 gallons per head,
and In 1880 only 1876 gallons per head .
Our prohibition friends seem to make 20
Roadway against this resistless march
OF crime. We became more tenn
perate, but crimes went right on
unchecked by the commendable
increase in sobriety. Will our prohibi.
ton friends please explsinS you who are
willing TO believe prohibition success in
Iowa. The chairman OF the Ioard OF
supervisors of Marshall county says,
pauperism is increasing every year. Here
is what the Polk county board of super
visors says. Des Moines is in this coun-
ty. Whereas, "the capacity of the build
ings for the care Of the psupers is now
overtaxed." State prohibition laws never
did or never will accomplish their mis-.
sions. Francis Murphy SAYS. temper,
ance is the only true prohibition and the
| only kind taught by the bible. Adulter-
alton of liquors and gambling are the
cause of most of The crimes. But when
you strike gambling you strike the
church. / am in favor OF high license
law, but gambling and games Of chance
should be forever prohibited. The SUI
preme court Of Michigan says. to exact a
tax for the sale of liquor is not license,
but To restrain its sale.
Coon Hollow.