Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1893-07-04
THE IDEA THAT ABOLISH
ING THE SALOONS IN
LURES TRADE"
Brookhaven Business Men APP
ply the Dynamite.
A Conservative Statement Of
Facts; Read, While the
Facts Talk.
To Whom IL Nay Concern:

For the information of all cOmmun-
tiles in Mississippi where the saloon
and Prohibition question is being agi-
tated, the undersigned business and
professional men of Brookhaven, Miss,
submit the following statement of
facts:
Lincoln county held local option
election August 10, 1886, and voted
against license. The last saloon closed
May %. 1887 1t was contended by the
friends of license before the election
and by many in all sincerity that pro-
hibition would not prohibit; that the
same amount of whisky would be
drunk with the law as without it; that
the town would miss the saloon reve
nue. and have to increase taxes: that
the farmers would divert their cotton
and trade to places where liquor was
sold: that business would be greatly
injured; that it would be a death blow
to our material and commercial pro-
gress; that the public schools would
languish and die for lack of sufficient
funds for their support. and in short,
that the town and county generally
would inevitably 60 to the bad.
In 1856 the total assessed value Of
realty and personal property was S431,-
DIG In 1892 it was S611 ,91o-
AN INCREASE IN LESS THAN 6 YEARS IN
DER PROHIBITION OF OVER 80
PER CENT.
In no year since the saloons closed has
the city tax levy been over a half mill
greater than the last year under Ii
cense. In 1886 the levy for general
revenue purposes was A., mills. For
the last years it has been mills The
city treasurer's reports show that on
the date the last saloon closed there
was to the credit of the revenue fund
1899. On the corresponding date of
the present year there was to the credit
of the same fund s1,202
For many years prior to abolishing
the saloons, and a few years succeed
, ing. our public school facilities were
very poor and there was no pretense of
running the schools over seven months
in the year. We now have fine, we'll
equipped modern
BRICK PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING,
erected in 1890, full corps of first
class teachers, and a graded public
school is run 0 months of the year,
with the attendance about doubled.
The only debt the city owes is S10,5OO
on this school building, which is bond
ed and not payable until 1905, with
per cent interest, which is paid annu
ally.
eled, others graded and nearly all i'm
proved.
OUR COTTON RECEIPTS
for the first commercial year after Pro-
hibition went into effect, with large
saloon town only 20 miles distant, in
stead of falling off, showed an increase
over the last commercial year under
license of 1852 bales The excess for
the first years under prohibition oyer
the last years under Incense, was
1892 BALES.
There has been corresponding
growth in all lines of legitimate bust
ness The clerical force at our depot
has been increased one third.
So far from prohibition arresting
THE GROWTH OF THE TOWN,
that has been steady and substantial
Four large double b.ick stores have
been erected during the prohibition
era, several corrugated iron and frame
business houses have been built, and
three brick stores have had their ca
pacity doubled One of the leading
mercantile firms of the town has had
to enlarge it's stores for the third time
since Prohibition went into effect to
accommodate its growing business.
At this date there is
OF ANY DESCRIPTION IN BRoOKHAvEN,
and not a half dozen dwellings could
be found for rent, though large num-
Der of these. many quite costly, have
been built within the last six years.
Two large planning and lumber manu-
featuring mills, employing large
number of hands, have been built and
put in operation since 1886. Two
banks have been established and both
are doing profitable and growing bus
mess. A large wholesale grocery house
run exclusively by home capital, has
also been established, and over $4,000
has just been subscribed by home men
to establish cotton and woollen knit
ting factory.
All of this and much more that can
not be given in detail has been accom-.
plishe1 under Prohibition in the face
of the widespread general financial
depression which has prevailed much
of the time in our State and section.
There have been
VERY FEN BUSINESS FAILURES IN BROOK
HAVEN, IN ANY LINE,
since prohibition was inaugurated, and
none of any magnitude, while the cap