Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1900-07-27
The Local Option Question.
B. r. G. AND OUR TAXABLE BASIS

Couuty WANT W nave the truth when any
one addresses them, and that trckery, mis-
representation and false insinuations will
Justly be regarded by them as an insult to
their intelligence. 1t is therefore with q
feeling more of pity than of anger that as.
sumo the duty OF exposing such conduct on
the part OF one your correspondents who
signs himself b. X. G.. Now, these initials,
in the order in which they are found, do not
represent any one in Potomac district, but
when reversed they are found to be those
OF George X. Bell, member of the Anti.
Saloon League, who, l am informed, and
believe, is the author of, or at least that he
furnishes the articles 80 signed to you and
assumes responsibility therefor. Let him
now assume responsibility TO the public
also. have seen enough of MIR. Bell
through his articles to satisfy me that moth
ing could say would induce him to change
his false insinuation that in this controversy
l am being paid by the liquor people. He
makes such statements for purpose, little
caring whether he violates one of Gods fun.
damental laws In bearing "false witness" or
not.
note that in his bigotry and intolerance
that even ministers OF the Gospel, in dis
agreement with his ideas, are not spared, but
are characterized as slow grade preachers
who have made "full surrender to the
powers of evil" &c. but, not satisfied with
this, he even goes so far as TO misrepresent
the acts and teachings of Jesus Christ, US
will be hereafter shown from the best Bib
lical authorities. He would have the pub.
lie believe that no one, in this money get
ting at-any sacrifice age, could have any
other real motive than money in discuss
ing policy which to many minds is sap.
ping at the very roots of civil and religious
liberty. Did it ever occur TO him to ask
himself the question why "he works for
nothing and boards himself" in the rrepara
ton OF his exhaustive ~ articles In defense
Of his MANNED hobbyS And If so, why Others
holding different views would not take pleas.
ure in expanding an equal amount OF time
presenting the other side of the question,
without price
Mr. Bell says: "What we need most now
is capable jurymen, and we are glad 10 note
that there is a great improvement even in
that direction" No doubt OF the improve
ment, since Mr. Bell himself recently had
the honor of serving in that capacity. And
from his own statements, never better one,
for his purpose, sat in tribunal which con
demned heretics to death or burned witches
at the stake, and may add, that the same
principle OF religious and civil liberty seems
to be involved, But what is the matter
with the jurymen? Will Mr.. Bell answer
whether any considerable number OF men
have been drawn upon our juries within
the last ten years who, ii 1t had not been for
the fact that they are known or supposed to
patronize speak easies, would not be en-
tirely satisfactory to him, and the equals of
any jurymen in the United Statesr Ii 80,
would not these same men have been &C.
ceptabe iurymen if they could have bought
their drinks In legal wayH Will he also
give US a list of the names oil the men in
Potomac district whom he thinks qualified
to serve on jury in local option case If
such Jury should be composed entirely OF
men whom he thinks have never bought
whiskey IN the county and their relative
number as compared with the total in that
district who are eligible to serve on Jurles
according TO our laws am afraid he will
find them sadly in the minority. l have
been informed by gentleman from Poto-
mac district that out OF the 400 voters
bakers dozen would cover Mr.. Bells eligi.
bles for jurymen
BRIG, speaking of an allegation that
there was more whiskey sold In the county
now than before our present law went into
how much liquor was sold before our pres
ent law was passed and how much is being
sold now. there is mo possible way for
either him 1.-THE preacher) or US q Mr.. Bell)
IN get snch information and any in
diyidual, preacher or layman, who makes
such statement on either side OF any ques-
ton has not much regard for his own word. y
Now, if this be true, how can Mr.. Bell, II
he has "much regard for his own word"
claim that the progress OF tho county In the
last twenty years, or any part Of u, has been
due to our present lawp And how can he
assert "where ran the narrow trail Of the
deadly rum shop of saloon days now beauti
full church spires point heaeenward," Just as
though there were not speak easy saloons
almost under the caves OF the churches, and
more of them than there are churchesp or
how can he say that "our young men are
sober and attentive to duty, our labor is not
demoralized," when any one knows that
any Young man or laborer In the county
can get ali the liquor he wants inside OF
thirty minutes from almost any point in the
county,
So much for Mr.. Bells reasoning. Let
us look at his statistics. His figures are cor
rect as far as they go, with the exception of
the taxable basis Tor 1880. which he gives as
So, 133, O4S, instead of $8,266,056, as they
should be. This correction therefore makes
an actual increase in the year OF 1850 over
1870 of over half million dollars. Owing
10 this error, Mr.. Bell with great confidence
asserts that "the last ten years oil saloon rule
brought il down to SO, 133,O4S," and with
much gusto adds, show does that look for
saloon Nomination. Now, in view OF the
above corrected figures, must ask the pub
lie how do Mr.. Bells remarks look as an
argument in defense Of has poslttonI But
even if the taxable basis had lallen on, as ne
enormously supposed it had done, could Il
not have been fully accounted Tor by the
general depression 10 values which followed
the terrible financial panic OF 1878. Dur
ing the same period the taxable basis OF the
District of Columbia, outside of the cities Of
Washington and Georgetown, fell off nearly
one-half mill OF dollars. Could better
example be given of the reckless and un-
scrupulous manner in which Mr.. Bell uses
figuresY
La 1870 the Metropolitan Branch of the
b. g. 0. Railroad had not been constructed
through the county. But Mr.. Bell, who ad
mits that he cannot tell whether or not, an
nually, more whiskey was sold 10 the coun-
" before the local option law went into
effect th an afterwards, does not consider the
construction OF that road 10 have had sum
cient effect upon the taxable basis Of the
county To even mention ii, and yet there
can be no doubt Of the fact that the greater
part OF the increase in our taxable basis was
due to construction of that road. One has
only TO stop moment and think OF the I'm
proyement which have been made along
this line from Takoma Park 10 the Monoc-
acy, and the increased value given TO the
farming country by this road, 10 be astound
ed at the cheek of the man who would make
such claims as Mr.. Bell.
Furthermore, every one knows that the
development Of Washington City, and es
pecialy that portion oil the District OF 90
iumbia west Of Washington, has had great
effect upon this county We may say that
the CITY has been rapidly extending over
into this county The following table Is
therefore of interest;
TAXABLE BAsIs.
Washington County Of Montgomery
D. c. Wash C. Co., Md.
! 1870 ............u .....''.'.". pit'iOIOoD
1872 $62,421 ,331 $8,5O0OO0 ......,..:..-
/ Foo rDnt1Qn q GOT OQ0 n Tnd I1j