The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-11-06
UP THE SALOONS.
HOW THE CLOSING OF THE GIN
MILLS AFFECTS BUSINESS.
Impartial Testimony from Lending and
Representative Business Won and Bank
ers In Kansas-An Almost Unanimous
Opinion that Prohibition Is o benefit to

Impartial Testimony from Leading and
Representative Business Men and Bank
ers In Kansas-An Almost Unanimous
Opinion that Prohibition Is o Bssneiit to
Legitimate Business
from the vo.ce.l
eProhibition will ruin business, y is the
frantic cry of the friends of the saloon,
when threatened with its abolition and
ontlawry. just how the abolition OF an
institution which is one of the chief in
struments in the production Of panper-
ism, crime and general moral debility in
a community is going to ruin its business
interests, they fail to tell us. Neyerthe-
less they seem to fear that the SOLDERING
up OF some of our habitually irrespon-
sibie citizens is going to result in harm.
In the face Of such foolish and absurd
assertions it is refreshing to read such
testimonies as those which follow from
leading business men, bankers and man
ufacturers in the prohibition State of
Kansas, as to what has been the actual
effect of prohibition on tie business in
terests of their communities.
those who are in doubt as to the
good effects Of prohibition in stimulat-
ing all lines of legitimate business these
letters, many of them from former OPP
ponents of prohibition who have been
converted by the workings of the law,
are commended.
How a Leading Banker of Topeka Was
Converted to Prohibition.
TOPEKA, Kan, Sept. 20, 1890.
A careful inspection of the financial
condition of the State of Kansas deyel-
ops the fact that in no ten years of her
existence as y State has she made as ma
terial progress as in the past ten years,
This is shown not only by the wonderful
growth in population but by tho in
crease of taxable property as per the Of
fetal returns, which were, for the year
1880, $160, $40, 761; for 1889, $500, s15, O73,
being the last ten years.
The further fact is developed that the
towns of tho State in which prohibition
has been enforced best are in better con-
dition thar the localities having the BEN
eft, as is claimed, Of a aJoint" whisky
traffic. We believe in comparing To-
ptka with o her towns of the State; our
merchants are in better condition, our
city has fewer empty hous IS, has an air
Of more general thrift than has any
other town in the State. We attribute
a large part of this to the savings that
resu t from prohibition.
We are assured by leading merchants,
including grorers, butchers, bakers, and
smaller dealers, whose trade would be
more affected than others. that there is
a very p%erceptibic and marked improve
ment in their trade since the closing of
the 0. Z. houses a. compared with tn 'ir
trade during that regime. We know
personally of Traders who were anti
prohibitionlsts before the opening of the
o. p. houses that to-day are outspoken
prohibitionists from an eco, o meal stand
point, ard who say to me that they know
personally where individuals trading
with them who usually pa d ca h for
their goods, during the O. P. days bought
their n~eccssaries on credit and spent
their money for alcohol, and that since
the closing of these deadfalls the same
parties have money to pay for their nee
essaries.
A leading ard prominent jeweler says
that he sells much more goods to the
young men under prohibition than he
ever did before; that they spend a por-
ton OF their money that went for stimu-
tlants and its concomitants for articles of
ornament and virtu.
We assert that the city of Topeka, a
prohibition town, has fewer vacant
houses than any other city of like size in
anti-prohibition Missouri or Nebraska.
That prohibition has been, and is, al
economical measure there is no question.
We have fewer claimants for charity
and among u working people you will
find them better clothed and better fed
with better homes than any other equa
number. Of people, in any whisky com
+ hnnity iHAthe' world. . =
The records of the District Court o
Shawnee County show a constant dim.
mutton in, tt Q number of criminal trials
and the Police Courts expense for tria
of criminals is not half what it was ter
yearsago when our city and county haG
less than half the present: population.
In other words, the city of Topeka un.
der prohibition has grown from Il city Of
$4,000 inhabitants to a city ,jof $4,000 in,
habitants, with thirty-four unanncxcd
additions which have a population OF
about four.thousand.
/ A leading German said to me a few
days since that h was a Prohibitionist;
I wanted to know why he was a Prohi,
b%itionist. He SAID: "When We had
saloons, if l Sc t my men or boys to
town on an errand, may be they so.
back before night and may be not: now
I send them to town on an crrand and
in a few hours they are back sober and
ready for their duties; before they al
most invariably came home full of beer"
Your humble servant was not an orig
nal Prohibitionist-did not believe the
law con1d hn anforrad. r now holiovo