Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-08-24
HERE is A CORKER.
BROOKE SMITH WRITES ABOUT
DROwNwOOD
And tho Effects of the Prohibition
Coptradicted on All Points.

The following letter speaks for itself.
Mr.. Brooke Smith Is well known In
Fort Worth. AS to his qualities as a
gentlemen, a Christian and an Eplsco-
palian, Fort Worth people are referred
10 Rev. Harry Cassil:
Hon. Waller Baker. Waco, Texas:
Dear Sir-Yours of the Slst inst. to
hand incloslng interview with Mr.. VIII
II. Mays. concerning local option in
this city, which carried In December,
1898 Mr.. Mayes' statements are large
ly misleading. He mentions that since
local option carried two new banks
have opened here. That six stone
houses have been erected; a $4,000 cot
ton mill has been built, and a 100000
compress. | know that prohibition was
not instrumental in II single one of
the above improvements. / opened one
of the new banks myself, the other was
failed bank reopened, Every one of
the six new store buildings were re-
built from burned out places The cot
ton oil mill and the cotton compress
were both completed before prohibition
was voted on here. III prohibition has
been Instrumental in giving Brown
wood one single Improvement / would
like to know what 1t is. The improve
ments that We have had has been by
the substantial old citizens who are
FloNlN ItthltIhllUE llOIl lHt uuIh
days of 1899 and 1898.
Mr.. Mays says that business last
year was better than the year previous.
So 1t was, and l am sure that Waco
and all anti-prOhlbition towns in Texas
can say that 1t was much better last
year than the year previous. Now,
about the business houses. He says
that the houses that We're occupied by
saloons are now used for other pur-
Gn thpU prR--fpr "a
! rented two houses of mine for saloons
on the south side Of the square |
never got less than $2i month for
them and often S35 and $40. Since pro-
hibition eighteen months ago they have
both been vacant until last month,
when l was lucky enough to rent one
OF them for n restaurant for So. and |
can cite half a dozen other business
houses about the same way. 1t is a
fact that we now have more empty
residences and business houses than
We would have II we did not have
prohibition We also have at least 1850
less inhabitants now than we would If
We had no prohibition. Prohibition
does not prohibit here.
There are two club houses where any
resident adult can become a member OF
the club and 90 and get his beer on Ice
whenever he wants II. He can invite
his friends to go and drink with him,
and the officers can't stop 1t because
VIC Jaw perm cIuo houses ana they
~ a' Jrt on openly ana with open
uyoIs. lnere Us also n drug store here
nnSie pttScli ptlohs are nlleu Tor all
MINUS o, silIhulahts, ana any man that
nas = niue money and a little brain
gah III some way get whatever he
sora 70 ut,nk' ABOUT the only diff
1911 dvtsieg ~ that instead OF buying a
S d ne sels quart or a pint. The
lug STORE anu the cluo houses do not
na1e 10 pay incense under the law.
anu hutlce that whlie the evil exists
~, ~ LIZ 'ie Ievehue OF me city Is minus
~ ~ sa'ooh TAX winch Is considerable
~ nv, ,,,,.,
,,,,,, is PtpSl!olllohists argued IN their
tsn'aas .llat prohibltion would increase
ne sne HttelluuhCe az our schools We
20, W. soou c'leges mere and il Is
oo, iact thal me attendance at these
,inn 49, nave peeh less since prohibit
I'm SVH man ever petore. or course, pro-
. n,t.,,'Ia ulu NOT decrease the college
~ ,n,,u eHcspt mat some who left
but 1, cart LII. an, aune sent scholars,
am ~ or Ser.a,n'y ulu not Increase it 10
DIV ap 70. SAteht;
cosas a.. uehet SHOWS eleven less
w., i ,Ut ur gll since prohibition
ii did for tbs elg6tae lhohtns' than
aganst two old Lhf tonor eleven tha cases were