Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-08-28


state of Kansas. We find In that state
fourteen cities averaging q population
| OF 5000 Four cities that are today runs
ming open saloons In violation OF the
prohlbitory law of the state OF Kan
sas. / refer to Wichita. Leavenworth,
Atchison and Topeka. There are other
cities. also. that have not mentioned,
where saloons are running openly, day
and night Now. they have In that
state prohlbitory law. They nave
had that law In existence since 1881,
and we find by the Statistics OF the
state OF Kansas that crime has not de.
creased. that taxes have Increased
66 2-3 per cent. and we further learn
from the statistics OF the city Of Wlch--
tia, city about the same size az Fort
Worth that crime has increased In me
last ten years, until recently, at the
rate of about II per cent.
But they tell us that those cities are
too far away; that we should take
towns in Texas, OF whose condition we
can know something, since local option
went into effect. | want to refer you
tonight TO some few towns In the state
OF Texas, while they are only VII
lagos compared TO the city OF Fort
Worth. yet they will show TO your
minds the evil and baneful effects OF
local option. First, | want to refer you
10 the town of Brownwood, town OF
$500 inhabitants. on July ~, 1871, To-
cal option went into effect In that
town. Prior to local option there were
four saloons In that town. After local
option went into effect, on the lst or
August, 1885, u tipping drug store
was opened In that city, aud, fellow
citizens. | have some records thnt
desire 10 read TO you tonight regarding
that ono place Of dispensing intoNi-
cnntE. First, / want to reter your
minds to the condition, and In doing
that / want to give you the name OF
a. I'll IA
clerk OF that drug store. MT Payne
saws. 81 have managed this store from
its birth, August 1, 1884, and our pre-
scrlptlon files now number loOOb.
You see this was written on the 2nd
day OF June, 1895, and therefore less
than ten months had passed ana MT
PAYNE says there were l5,uOS prcscilp-
lions upon his list, and without SIN
gle exception they arc prescriptions
from the doctors. pros and ants, ana
we have" says Mr.. Payne, "preHcrlp-
lions for whisky for some OF the best
citizens OF the town, and great many
OF them are prohibltlonists. II ~
alarming how much whisky Ii drunk
by prohlbitlonlsts when they can get IL
prescription for same in local option
district. Look over our local option
districts and you win find 1t a farce and
Il failure. This drug store. says Mr..
| Payne. "of which Mr.. Mnyes speaks,
August II. not including case goods.
wines, etc. sixty barrels OF whisky.
! Does local option prohibit? II only
| puts the whisky business Into the
/ hands OF a few drug stores and clubs,
| to become rich without any revenue to
| the state, country or municipal cor
( pornuons,'
| | have the further testimony Of four
| teen OF the best merchants In that
| town. | will read YOU II few OF them,
! j $. Lowry, dry goods merchant OF
] that city, says, DO not think local
/ option ia n good thing. II does not
| prohibit. Can't say what effect II has
! had on the business, but 1 do know
| or parties who would trade here " we
had no local option. They went to
Comanchc with their cotton last
| fail"
Z. l.. stenlns: ~ do not think pro-
hibitlun is any good. ] see as much
drunkenness now as before. Local OPP
| ton, | think, has drawn business from
the town. DO not believe IN the whisky
business"
Brooke Smith says that local option
does not prohibit Mr. Smith Is q ban
ker Of that city. "a man who stands
high In religious and business circles.
"rhc town has been very much Injured
10y taking trade from us that we
would have gotten had we had no local
option. 1t has decreased the popula-
ton To great extent, Some OF the
heat people OF our town among our
worklngmen have left Il. from the
fact that business has been so scarce
and labor 50 degraded by local option
that they cannot secure living
Now. so much FOR Brownwood.
next refer your minds To Dublin, a
city of perhaps less Inhabitants than
| Brownwood. but in the last county
court ut Stephenville. June term there
were ll6 indictments for selling liquor
from the town OF Dublin. There were
about $3.50 witnesses in those cases They
spent their time ana money during
that three weeks OF court, and that
court cost the county OF Erath not less
than $1,000. with. I believe. about seven
or eight convictions
Now, follow citizens, they tell MS
that Hillsborn has prospered wonder,
fully under prohibitions that both NOR,
ally and financially Hllsboro has
grown largely. and has been elevated
by prohibition. They tell MS that
there rs hardly u house vacant In Hills
b0ro and that there has been more
building since prohibition went into ef
feet There are two reasons for these
statements. a part OF which are true
In the FIRST place, the machine shops
from Alvarado have been moved I,
HillsborO since prohibition has gon,
Into effect, and that has caused uuit,
a number OF buildings to go up In thai
city In the second place. II my prohi
billion friends are correct that bushes.
Increased, think 7. can solve tn,
problem why. I have here before me d
letter from Hon j. l., Doggett OF Dal
las, Internal revenue collector He send,
the following statement by request
showing tho number OF licenses ISSUED
to liquor dealers at Hllsboro sine,
local option went Into effect in thai
city;