The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-08-30
w. CT. u. COLUMN
CONDUCTED By MRS. NJ. l.. HOBBS.
How No Saloons Kill a Town.

against banishing the saloon from
any town is that such a policy il
sure to drive business away from
the place--that competing points
will be the gamers if Smithyille l.
made "dry." Over and over again
the absurdity of such claims, so pos
itively made, have been shown, vet
at each recurring struggle for local
prohibition the same objections
have to be met.
During the week, marked copies
of papers from two widely separate d
towns in this State have been re-
,ceived giving the lie TO all such talk
One Of these is the Mddlcbury
Independent. II refers by name 10
three competing towns, which have
an abundance of saloons, and com
pares the unparalleled pros perity''
OF Middlebury for the past few years
with their retrogression, 1t then
adds: "Why this thusntss when
we are so frequently told that sa-
looms help the town? Middlebury
has no saloon and was never so
prosperous as it has been since get
ting pid Of them. Farmers aie al
most unanimously opposed to sa
looms, and like to trade in a town
where they are not allowed. F"
The other paper received is the
Owensville Star, the editor Of which
in very racy manner writes up the
improved material conditions there
since saloons have been banished
1t asserts that Owensville never saw
more general or substantial pros
perity than during these years OF nc
saloons. There have been more
houses erected, and good ones too,
than ever before in like period ;
population has in, reased at faster
rate; labor has been better en-
ployed; banking facilities have beer
doubled, in which deposits show
large gains; new manufactures have
been added; streets and sidewalk:
are being constantly improved ano
brought up to date. Yet, notwith
standing the loss Of saloon-licenst
money, and these increased public
Improvements, the rate OF taxation
lis less than in a half dozen other sa
loon towns in the same section OF
the State. The comparative show
ling made is most creditable to Ow-
ensville, and may we'll be used as
an object lesson ar d argument by
those striving to Danish saloons
from other towns.
But perhaps the most signal ex-
ample Of how prohibition helps q
{ wn instead Of killing, it is fur
nished by the city OF Quincy, Mass
In 1881 that was a place Of 1885
Inhabitants, with AZ saloons and the
usual gamb ing attachments. Drink
ling and gambling prevailed to an
alarming extent, especially among
young men, causing dire distress
and poverty. To-day Quincy has .
population OF ~ 900 and no saloons
Bank statements Of the city show
that depositors have increased in 4
much greater ratio than the popula
tion.
When the town was under the Ii
Icense system, and had but l,0O(
Inhabitants, the sum Of $15, ,4l5.0.
was paid for the support Of the poor
When the city was under the noli
cense system, and had population
Iof $4,000 inhabitants, it paid bul
$S, ,53i for the support Of the poor
Under the no license system, the
amount expended for the poor de
Icreased "A per cent while the pop
|ulation increased III per cent.
Compare seven other Massachu-
sets cities, where license prevailed
lin 1898, with Quincy. The names
need not be given, but they range
lin population from IA ,000to 22,0OO,
and the amount paid, per capita
for the support OF the poor in these
lcities are fromS7 cents up to 81 3S ;
while in Quincy the amount paid
per capita, for the poor is but 3s
cents less than one-half the lowest
sun paid by a license city. This
reform, accomplished in spite ofthe
|hindrance Of large heterogeneous
foreign population drawn there by
the extensive granite quarries, pre-
|sents TO the cities Of the country, in
bold outline, an object lesson in
moral reform well worth careful
study.
Largely though the personal ef-
forts Of Henry II. Faxton, a wealthy
business man, tie law against sale
of liquor has been unusually well
enforced in Quincy.
Let none fear that banishment OF
L -. ",