Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-30
CONSISTENCY VS.. FANATICISM.
Communicated

The American and democratic rule,
a government by the people, for the
people and of the people, is truly
grand, but when the majority of the
people are placed in position to be
dictated to by few citizens, who have
no other interest i'll our community
than to stir up strife and contention it
! is then that Il halt should be called.
Even in our quiet little city in the woods
we are not without these disturbing
influences. Last Saturday there was
! filed with our city clerk q petition
| signed by seventeen of the citizens of
this city asking that the question of
"License or no License" be submitted
to our voters at the coming election
While the signers of said petition are
good, moral, conscientious men, yet
their conduct in this, a public matter, is
justly the subject of criticism.
That the people may know the facts
[ have taken the pans to look up the
tax roll and see about what the value of
the property is, as represented by these
signers and find, after deducting from
| the assessed value of the property
owned by them the mortgages against
their property, there remains a value of
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIN
AND 25-100 DOLLARS of property out
Of which a tax must be raised to support
our city, county, state and school
government.
L find further upon investigation that
of these seventeen signers only one of
their number paid poll tax last year.
Furthermore ten of them do not pay
one dollar tax toward the support of
our city, yet notwithstanding these
facts they suffer their zeal for the cause
Of temperance to lead them into a
channel SO unfair and unjust as to be
destructive to the best interests of our
city and hurtful to a cause that needs
wise, honest helpers. We have been
receiving $4,000 for license money
who will pay this $500 if the mo
license" ticket succeeds and is enforced?
1t is only few blocks to the eastern
boundary Of our city and there license
can be got for nominal figure which
will help the town Of Wood at our ex-
pense-leaving us still the full effects
Of the evil without even the small
restitution Of the license money. Who
will pay this $500 if the ono license"
ticket succeeds and is enforced?
These seventeen pay in the neighbour
hood of $1,000, the balance of the
nearly $4,000 taxes must be paid by those
who are now groaning over the weight
of heavy taxes and who are the bone
and sineW of our commercial prosperity.
We will have plenty of unlicensed
temperance CD places and we who have
been here in the past know the result
Of these places called "tempera nee
houses"
The saloon men are jubilant over the
movement and will support it. 1t is
another case of the lion and the lamb
lying down together. Now in all
seriousness and candor l, as a tax payer
desire to say to the people, if you wish
to drive all business out of the city,
join in the movement. There is no
surer way to kill town than by stirring
up strife and confusion. If you wish to
build up the real and abiding interests
of your town do all that you can to
promote harmony and good feeling.
If you wish to stop the progress of
this great evil see to it that you act
wisely and with due regard to the rights
of others. Deal as man to man. Then
after doing what you can in this direc-
ton see to it that the laws we now have
are enforced. Doing this you will have
done much to bring about the long
looked for 'EPrOhibition Era" or better,
Il law-abiding temperance reform. There
Is not saloon-keeper in Wisconsin who
would remain in business if the laws we
now have were rigidly enforced. We
need more backbone and less legisla-
ton. NoX PoPUlI.
Pittsville, March 30, 1898.