People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-12-27

I
ton OF the fellow who was to be
damned if he did a certain thing and
damned il he didn't. If men are al
lowed to sell malt under a revenue
system, instesd Of the bOot-legger.
who had the field exclusively to him
self befnrp the malt ordinance was
passed, then the prohibition people
will dennunce their mayor and coun-
Gil. In statement made a snort
time ago, the orator of the occasion
in speaking on this subject said that
he believed that an anarchist, who
detird the laws Of his country, should
be hung, and the mayor ut a city and
council who did not enforce certain
law, were worse than anarchists. The
inference was that they should b
burned at the stake, for we all know
that the greater the offense the more
severe should be The penalty.
On the other hand, if the mayor
and council should attempt to carry
out the prohibition plan, unless the
prohibition sentiment is stronger
than it was during the first year Of
Mayor ThomSon's administration,
and it is admitted by many of our
most able pO iticans that it has losr
strength instead Of having gained
any, the result would be as disastrous
as before. With large amounts of
cost 10 pay, no revenue and an empty
treasury, the other side of the house
would be heard from. There might
be no intimatiOn that hanging or
burning would be fit recompense for
/ heir failure To sustain the fnanci Il
credit of the city, They would ppint
to The fact that everyone with money
could buy all the liquor they wanted.
at least they had always done 50, and
IT the bOot-legger's supply should be
exhausted, there is Dn law to prevent
anyone shipping in from Kansas City
my quantity he is able to pay for and
desires.
A man to-day gave me figures show
lug the amount nf liquor that was
shipped here in bpttles ready for the
boot-legger'S use during prohibition
administration. For a period cover
ing four months it aver 'ged little
over thirty-fOur gallons OF whisky per
day. The annual report Of the off.
GERS that has just been made, shows
that one wear ago we had on hand 10
general fund. 1929 50, and that we
have on hand no as shown, $546. "r
that we have drawn up N our surplus
OF one year ago, S677 81 ItaIsu shows
lha' the clerk, who receives pay for
the malt and other licenses, has cnl-
lected from same SO, ,SO9 Sc. do not
know just what ammnt of this was
from malt license. but would say it
was somewhere around $500. Now
if this had not been cOllerted IL is
plain that we would be some So. 1000 in
debt. | presume it is safe TO say that
there has been collected. since the
malt Ordinance became a law, s.
II no other way had been provided,
there would have been a floating debt
IT just about that amount, for we are
now leVying the full amount allowed
by the law, and as | showed in the
! beginning of this article, toe amount
rollecled is each year growing less.
Well, but says mr prohibition friends,
we would cut Gown the expenses.
That sounds well but where wOulG you
do 1t? DOyOu think you would be able
to 90 back east and tell the holders
of our bonds and the owners of our
gas and water franchise that yelling.
ton had resolved to be good, and that
they mus reduce the amount of their
demands, for right here is where the
greater part OF our tax money goes.
Perhaps you would say, ! would cut
down the salaries Of the ,ity officers.
Well, the total amount OF all their
salaries only amounts to S3,0S0. Dur
ing last year, furnishing seven men
employment, sexton at $40 per month,
marshal, $50, night marshal. s35;
clerk, $40, fire watchman, SIS, attor-
ney, s25 and street commissioner S.
per day when on duty. You couldn't
save much there. Then where would
you save IL?
closed my last article by asking
the question where our prohibition
friends would get the money to run
The city when the highest tax allowed
by law failed to bring 10 the required
lamount. The answers | have had to
this question are o; several different
kinds. One MN, for instance, sal,
he did not know how it could be raised
but that be would go ahead in the
most radical manner to try aud do
what all Others have failed to do, and
trust that God would show him a way
out. Well, this is a statement that
commands my highest respects, but,
after all, it is not verJ practicable