Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-26

Mr.. Adolphus Busch, the well known
brewer OF st. Louis, who has several
hundred thousand dollars Invested In
Dallas, has written the following letter
to the Dallas Commercial club on the
new agitation OF local option In this
city:
st. Louis, April %. 1s95.--Amongst
the agitations that effect the country
from time to time and upon which one
can count with almost mathematical
certainty are the efforts Of fanatics
against the personal liberty OF our
people. Such upheavels, although
cphemeral in character. generally APP
pear on the surface OF our everyday
life during or after the time when the
legislative bodies OF the different states
have convened in their respective cap
itals
Occasionally laws are enacted and en-
forced which run Numerically against
common sense and against the masses
of our American people: laws that are
absolutely detrimental to the welfare
and healthy development OF large COM
mercial centers; laws that actually
have ruined the prosperity and future
Of numberless communities, and even
states and brought some to the verge
of bankruptcy.
one Of its most aggravated forms is
the local option law, which in intent,
spirit and substance is Numerically
opposed to the liberties our Federal
constitution IS supposed to guarantee
| us. Such movements are inspired by
fanatlcal and hypocritlcal minority
to crush and destroy the personal lib
erty Of q whole people.
! have been informed that the local
/ option craze has recently struck the
| good city Of Dallas. I consider this a
| very deplorable affair, indeed, because,
| II carried, II will at once check the
| progress of one OF the most prosperous
l communities of the great state OF
1 Texas. The interests which will suffer
/ under such conditions are not the In
| tercsts Of the brewing Industry or the
/ saloon alone. No; they are so mani
| fold and ramlfying that any impartial
| observer who mas the welfare and
| future Of his home at heart, will admit
| that the interests Of the entire COM
| munlty are at stake under the attacks
| OF such laws, and that all will have to
| suffer In the end.
] IT has been demonstrated repeat
| edly, ana 1t Is today an undisputnd
| historical fact, that cities having adop-
] ted local option laws lost all their
| traffic and commerce.
! Fort Worth, without local option,
| would inevitably be the gamer ali
! around against Dallas with local OPP
| ton. The hotel trade will surely 10
/ To the former and all other trades
| VIII, In consequence, be affected. The
| burden Of taxes. which is now lesscnel
| through the large resources derived
| from licenses, Will be quickly increased
| and fall heavily upon the citizens Of
your place. But 1t will only in small
| measure affect those who always stand
/ behind and inspire such restrictive
/ laws, because this element rarely pays
| anything, or very little, into the treas
! ury Of the commonwealth, and. on gen
eral principles, are rarely property
/ holders.
The school fund. the police, the main
tenance Of public highways and other
necessary factors are greatly benefited
ana in some cases entirely supported
by the license Income Of city. What
reason Is there. 1 ask you, to deprive
! yourself and your fellow townsmen
Of such legitimate resources, to in
! crease the rate of your taxes and to
wilfully destroy business, which has
not only been declared constitutional
, by our Federal government, but en-
Outraged and invited by yourselves,
and which, If properly carried on. Is
just as legitimate as the sale OF shoes
or any other other article?
The AnhGuSer- Busch Brewing nsso-
citation has invested in the state of
Texas more than 81, 900 900 in various
enterprises, and through nv own ner-
sonal efforts, large sums Of money have
been carried into vour atate Nv man,
other parties not connected With The
brewing Industry. and I win moi cease
to continue these Efforts as long 40
the prosperity of Texas ia nor affected
by class legislation and intoiara,,go
But / will not be abIe IN nrocead M,
this basis in the future. and FOREIGN
copItni viii beeitots o. boriS,,i ~
aCitators free-hoIders and non-taynaV-