The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-07-27
STREET TALK.
MATTERS CLEANED YESTERDAY BY
THE STATESMAN GOssIPER.
The Burden of the Present Financial De.
preston Falls on Towns That Have
Had Booms-Other Matters Of
Interest Here and There.

COKe attributed all the naru tunes TO
the tariff BILL" remarkeda gentleman
yesterday, "but he most consistent
and to my way of thinking the best
suggestion yet is where the Chicago
Herald gives the case in nutshell
when it says that the causes assigned
for the numerous business failures
which have occurred in different pot
tions of the country during the past
10 months are many and varied. In
some places overproduction is men.
toned as being responsible for the col
lapse of great enterprises and the con-
sequent depression of the entire COM
m unity. In other localities other
reasons purely local in their character
are given for the wIeckiBg of institu-
tions which had been looked upon as
;mpregnable. In q general way, of
course, the financial policy of the gov
eminent has been charged with the
ultimate responsibility for the dis.
tressing situation, but even this policy
has been subjected to double inter-
probation, the East holding that the
SONOIhkhOIlu lOl ollNCI
has embarrassed the country, while
the far West has insisted that the
governments hostility to the white
metal has precipitated the whole
trouble.
1t is significant in this connection to
note fact which is we'll established,
namely, that the business failures oc.
curing in the West during the period
l. NJ, h.
fined to cities which enjoyed between
the years 1880 and 1890 an era of
growth and activity known as boom.
The experience of such municipalities
as Minneapolis, Denver, Los Angeles,
Kansas City, Wichita and Sioux City
is strikingly illustrative OF the truth
of this statement. These cities en-
joyed an unexampled and inflated
prosperity during the 10 years preced-
ing 1890. They grew rapidly in pop
ulation, and the development of BUSH
ness enterprise kept pace with the in.
crease in population. New industries
were established and old ones were
greatly extended. The building
movement was pushed to the utmost.
Great business blocks were erected,
not for existing needs, but in
anticipation of the demands of the flu,
ture. Many millions of dollars were
invested in enterprises from which no
returns in the way of dividends to the
investors could reasonably be expect
ed for years to come, and then only in
the event that there should be no
check in the city's progress
Victims of inordinate growth, these
cities were not prepared to stand the
tests which a slight stlingency in
money compelled them to face.
Hence the business failures in these
cities have been greater and more
disastrous in their effects than they
could possibly be in municipalities
which have escaped the "boom" fe-
yer. The frenzy of speculation is un-
doubleday largely responsible for the
business Affections which have be-
fallen many western cities.
Nv
"Well," remarked a lawyer yester-
day, ~ would hete to be resident OF
Union Spring, N. Y. see by North
ern exchange that tie Gothenburg
plan of temperance reform is on trial
at Union Springs, a summer resort
village on the bark of Cayuga lake, IN
the state of Now York. The exper.
fence is an int resting one in view OF
the general a dtention which the 80. 9TH
Carollna sta 20 barroom plan Is r.eceiv.
ing from tf 10 press and the thoughtful
people OF che entire country,
In the New York village the entire
ouslne' ~ of selling liquor as bever-
age as placed under the control OF
com laittee, which included among its
lIe nabers the Episcopal and the Cath
! .ic clergymen of the town. Under
he excise act of the last New York
legislature local option was suostan-.
yislly established. The question of
Granting license in each town rests
entirely in the discretion of the town
excise board, and If p new license
hoard is elected there can be no law
full sale of liquor in the town. This
made it easy tor the people of Union
village to adopt a plan, with the con-
. ,currence of the excise board, for regu-
iating the sale of liquor. No man
could obtain license who refused to
sign an agreement with the town
committee, which was as follows:
We will allow no man to pay Tor
another mans drink. We will per-
NIT no drunkenness, or any approach
to it. We will not allow no one APP
parrantly under the legal age within
our doors. We will sell to no man II,
by the proper persons, we are forbid
den so to do. To certain cther per-
sons. their names to be passed upon
/! by a m sjority of the committee, we
will not sell at all. We will not sell
spirits in larger quantities that sim
gle glass, except on physicians or
der, and of all such sales we will keeE
a record. These and such other whole
some rules as from time to time we
NAV deem desirable we will enforce
Our entire profits, which will be large
will be handed over as frequently al
possible to the town authorities WITT
. the understanding that they will no.
be used for the purpose OF reducing
the taxation of the town. NOW
would like to know how in the thun
der a man is going to get drunk VIII
such a state of affairs as this is exist
ing. can only say in CONCLUSION
: that hope to the Lord such rul'
will never exist in Austin.