Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-09-01
UNTRUE STATEMENT
CLAIMED THAT cLEBuRNE WAS
NOT AFFECTED.
Facts Prove Property Has shranis
in Value, Rents Decreased and
business Has suffered.

Cleburne, Tex, Aug. 20. 1S95.-walter
Maddox, Esq, Fort Worth: In reply to
| yours Of the 27th inst will say Your
! the business interest OF Cleburne when
he told you that property was selling
as high and renting for as much az
II did before prohibition went into
effect, and that there was no vacant
houses in town. That statement Is
| absurd.
Arriving at Cleburne, you would
start up West Chambers street to the
city. The first, a brick two story on
the north. formerly rented for 500 for
saloon, now rents for $40 per month,
used as cold storage; could not be
rented for any other mercantile busi-
ness for more than $40 or S4h per
month. The first house on the oppos-
lite side. a frame two story, formerly
rented for S15 per month, now rents
FOR $50; used now as a cold storage.
In the same block the Arlington hotel
rented for $50 per month: now rents
for S25, In same block on opposite
side Of street there are three nice three
or -FOUR room cottages that rented for
Sl5 per month; are now empty. But
that Is nothing. You can lind them
on nearly every block In the city.
And in nearly every instance. except
where there was an uneNpired lease,
the business houses in the city are
now renting for less money than they
formerly rented for.
Mr. Kelly, cashier OF the Clebune
National bank, and owner OF many
large business houses in the city, in
forms me that his rents are now 10 IL
per cent off Now add TO this 10 IL per
cent the difference In his taxes be-
tween 1894 and 1895, and you Will see
that II VIII 80 to more than 10 per
cent, and his property not Increased
in valuation, but his taxes had TO be
increased to meet the expenses of the
CITY, as she Is several thousand dol
lars short this year, caused by the
prohibition law.
Now. the question naturally arises.
does prohibition prohibit, and has It
greatly improved the morals of our
town.
The fanatic viii at once say. Oh.
We'll II 90 we have only saved one
man. we have done much. That Is
quite true; It would have been big
Job for regiment of those people
II could not have cost them cent:
they had nothing to start with but a
vote, and that counted as much as IL
II had been cast BY a person who
had the interest and prosperity Of the
city at heart The fanatic gets the
credit and the man who has accumu-
lated n little wealth and has It invest
ed in the county has the pleasure Of
paying for it, via Of increased liablli-
ties and curtailed assets.
And the man Is not yet saved.
/ VIII tell you what / have seen,
since prohibition went into effect. /
have seen young men and old men
drunk In Cleburne, that l never saw
take drink before, and | will see IL
again, for II Is the tendency OF hu-
man nature to crave that which is
prohibited and reject that which is
MIR. Hiram Hall, one of the largest
real estate men in Cleburne. Informs
me that all city property placed in his
hands for sale Is off from 10 per cent
up, since prohibition went into ef-
feet.
And know It to be Q fact that there
is not improvement enough going on
TO maintain the labor that there ds
here now, and that lots OF the wage
workers VIII have to leave town 10
ind employment
Now, in conclusion Walter, I will
say: You have been In Fort Worth ali
your HE; you have served the peo-
pie as an officer OF the peace. in Tar
rant county and TO u large extent you
have the confidence OF the people. and
l think II your duty to tell them how
to cast an intelligent vote on this
question Tell them not 10 listen to
anything that they hear, but 10 see
~ .HtHsNlNes' Anu hBuNh, you neeQ
not be afraid to repeat any assertion
that have made, for It Is facts. and
l can substantiRte II.
l could take you in my buggy and
show You vacant houses until you got
tired OF looking at them, and then
carry you TO the owner OF them and
they can tell You why they are va
cant.
am here; live here; / am work.
ing for a salary; | own no property.
~ Is not safe Investment at pres
emit But let me tell you II ever vote
tax on any ones head 1t will be for
some public institution, and when
man votes for prohibition he votes to
have the rights and privileges taken
away from his fellow man. and does
not allow him any financial, physical
or moral return for II. For prohibition
does not prohibit; | guess not, when il
Is tact that there has been more
Deer bottles shipped out OF cleburne
empty IN the past Ave months than
had been for two years prior to that
time.
Walter cloburne feels an interest
IN your action at Fort Worth. and All
you have got to do is to command and
we VIII be with you; We are no stump
speakers, but we can relate facts and
prove them. What would You thinI
II tell you that the prime mover ,f
prohibition In johnson county has soId
every foot OF land that he had in The
city at a sacrifice and had moved 10
the country, Well, he did. Now
somebody dispute 1t. One business
man said with a big sign over his
door. vote for prohibition and save
our boys, His boys may have been
saved. but the old man went to the
wall in less than ninety days. / can
prove 1t, l could relate such things
TO you until You got tired Of LISTENING
Ia FaAf
they are true, and no one will attemnt
10 dispute H. u. II. ADkINS,t
Excuse haste and all mistakes rs
| have written this hurriedly, but they
are facts, and II you need twenty or
twenty-five good men In your town
to relate these facts to people. All
you must do is TO say so. / will fur
nish them.
Such as Coon Williams. the ice man
W. y. Forester. the livery stable man
and in fact, men from all classes of
business. forgot TO say that the
oil In