Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-08-27

W0ULDCREATE DIVES

Among the opinions on the local on
ZION question expressed by cltizeni
ana business men OF the city 10 I
following:
u. f.. iirshneld. mems furnishcr an,
ticket broker. said IL have lived in i
local option city and can speak from
experience, take drink Of beer OF
whisky when | desire but am BY nc
means IA drinking man. / believe IN
temperance in all things Local option
not only does not prohibit, but II en-.
aoles TO thrive dives which are known
by the title OF ''blind tigers" and NOR,
dangeroua 20 the human family than
me beast from whom they take their
! nome' for twelve years | was a resi-
| dent OF Hot Springs Ark. Under pro.
| hibition whisky land mean whisky AT
| thhO was dishcd out from water pitch.
| ers IN blind tlgers.' The number OF
pllnd TIGERS were as about three TO
one saloon under high license. The
! very men who formerly advocated pro-
hlpltlon were glad to vote at the
| next election for high license. II men
would be temperate In eating In ath-
lcuc exercises, In taking drugs, In
playing domlnoes or drinking lntoNi-
e1nts, etc, there would be no harmful
objects In any Of the above. II Is the
incorporate use which makes the OWL
prohibition Is not 80 harmful In n
small community, but Tor city Of
Fort Worth's pretenalons II is rulnous.
l believe In license ~ high na IL can
be made, and an excise commission
IN every city OF 10000 or over. be.
lieve II should be left In the hands OF
such excise commission TO say who
shall be ilt to conduct the saloon busi-
ness, and l believe this commission
should have the power 10 revoke "A
license II the holder does not conduct
the proper kind Of place Let the
women " the city oloct the excise
commission. Then we win have iirst.
class and properly conducted saluunp.
j am unalterably opposed to local op.
ton, and those who are now advocates
OF 1t, II successful In Fort Worth, viii
be very glnd to get rid OF II before 1t
has been In operation many months"
Or. j Y, Fields, leading physician,
sald II am Il conservative man. but
do not favor local option, l do not
think II would do What lta frlenda
claim for It, 1 would like to sec an
the people temperate and sober. but
do not think local option would bring
about that result. 4 have several
houses vacant now, and ! expect TO
have good many more vacant ones II
local option goes into effect here
II. N. Gruhnm, real eatate and cattle
dealer. said prohibition may be
good thing n II would prohibit, but II
will not, and II VIII create n lot OF
low dives not under the surveillance OF
the law, II would rob the state,
county and city OF an Immense amount
Of revenue and would reduce rents, but
not taxes. II would be q big thing
Cor Dallas. and create lively business
for the express companies"
The following interviews were pub
lished In the Mail-Telcgram Of ester
day;
Mr.. y, +. Ayres. weli.known attor-
ney, said: "wcll sir, am opposed TO
prohibition. First. | am opposed to II
from principle, and second. did favor
It on principle, should be opposed To
II at this time because Of It's effect upon
the progress and prosperity Of the
city as well aR the entire county. Thopr
advocates Of prohibition who deny that
1t win AFFECT the city and county and
business inJuriously certainly do not
know what they are talking about.
or disregard the facts.
II tell you the very agitation OF tho
thing has had Its effect. Here are
three abstracts OF titles, one 60 country
and two to city property, brought to
me for investigation with n view to
purchasing. but the purchasers now
say, Walt until this election Is over
II is to be regretted that the election
was ordered at this time right when
the entire business, laboring and prop
erty-hulding communities are engaged
In struggle for life, and at time
when we are Just beginning to sec in
dications of brighter day: now TO
throw the shadow OF prohibition across
our way seems very unjust. / guess
the friends OF the measure are In good
faith, but II seems to mo they are
fenrfully misguided. have no fears
of the result, as great many who
4. .l.ll ~ I'll
tofore are against IL now. l think
the people are awakening TO tho stu
alton and will speak out when the time
comes.
Mr.. T. J. Powell. one OF Fort Worths
leading attorneys and q. classical AS
well as n practical man. said; My pos
ition on the question OF prohibition Is
expressed by Paufs eplstle 20 the Col
ossians in answer TO the Pythagorcans'
Platonlans and Judalaers who were all
TO say eat this" and
drink that" II tell you brethren, let
no man Judge you what you shall eat
or what you shall drink" I say the
same thing today. SO long as my eat
ing and drinking DO not make me
nuisance, nor cause me TO violate the
law OF the land, nor violate the person.
al nights OF my neighbor no man has
the right TO Judge for me what goes
into my stomach.
/ agree with every right thinking man
that intemperance IN n great evil. The |
earth has been marked with Its curse
since the grape was frpt transformed |
into an cnchHntment In the shape of |
wine, aud II viii always be curse so
long AZ the Hunheams and dew trans
forms tho blossoms 10 fruit and human |
nature remains the frail. brittle thing |
Il Is. Prohibition cannot check Intern |
perance in large cities. II we can Judge |
by the statistics OF the liquor tratilc. |
The opan saloon will be succeeded by |
the dive and drug store.
weatherford has prohibition. yet a
friend OF mine one day last week got
IN the train at the depot In that town
md on his way1up 20 the public square
he cnqulred OF four or ive persons
where he could get drink and each
lne pointed out q different place.
Hilisboro has prohibition. yet there
are over thirty United States liquor
licenses In force In that town. and I
am reliably informed that II Il the
aanleat ID ing IN the world to yet drunk ]