The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1900-02-15
Food For Thought.

The present desire to look on all
sides of the saloon question is one of
the encouraging features of the situa-
ton. Since the one who signed him
self Business Man" will not under
take to discuss the moral side of the
question and the one who signs him
self "Tax Payer" wants more prac-
teal argument than the terrible
future that awaits your boy, some one
else must discuss these questions.
The presiding officer of the Ohio
Liquor League at its annual meeting
said: "The success of our business
is dependent largely upon the creation
of appetite for drink" 1.-THE open
field for the creation of this appetite
is among the boys. After men are
grown and their habits are formed
they will rarely ever change in this
regard. 1t will be needful therefore,
that missionary work be done among
gentlemen, that nickles expended in
treats to the boys now, will return
dollars to your tills after the appetite
has been formed" We protest that
some one should stand up for the
boys against the business whose sue
cess depends on their ruin. When
comparison was made between Ma
haska and Washington counties show
ing that the count under prohibition
was financially better off than the
county under the mulct law, it was
objected to on the ground that Wash
ington was a rural county without
city of any size of Importance. We
now suggest comparison with Cerro
Gordo county. Cerro Gordo has had
no mulct saloons although the hustling
Mason City is within its borders.
Mason City has prospered having one
of the finest electric car systems in
Iowa, with electric light and water
supply. From the introduction of
prohibition in 1884 to the present time
criminal expenses have decreased in
Cerro Gordo county. In Mahaska
the criminal expenses decreased dur
ing the years of prohibition and in
creased when the mulct saloon was
established. Without taking time to
give the figures of every year let us
take four years beginning with the
year before prohibition had time to
make any difference, then the year
when prohibition was best enforced,
then a year when it was poorly en-
forced, then a year under the mulct
law, and the figures are suggestive.
Here are the figures:
Cerro Gordo county-18S4, S6 $3.50;
1888, 81 ,571 10; 1892, 1,O3s.75; 1896,
S534.45.
Mahaska county-1Ss4, ss,047. "a;
1888, IS, 1882. 20; 1892, sl4, 49O.59; 1896,
s21 ,497 40.
Thus we see that while the criminal
expenses of Cerro Gordo have de-
creased ten-fold those of Mahaska
have increased nearly three-fold.
While we must admit that other things
influence criminal expenses these
figures are still full of significance.
There can be no doubt that the sa-
loon has increased crime in our coun-
ty. From the introduction of the pro-
hibitory law in 1884 the number of
men sent to the penitentiary from
Mahaska county decreased each year
until during the two best years of
prohibition there were no men sent
up. But when the enforcement be-
came lax and after the mulct saloon
was introduced the number continu-
ally increased. The number for each
year was as follows: 1884: 1851;
1865; 1871; 1880; 1895; 1909;
1s9l-l; 1920; 1898; ls94-5; 1866;
1868; 1s97VlS.
We agree with Business Man"
that sit is condition not theory"
that confronts us here. When the