The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-07-10

The Atlanta Constitution, (June 81,
IisS. } not an advocate Of Prohibi-,
tion, confessed its beneficent effects
in some remarkable statements.
Among other things particularly
concerning the merchant it said
Fifteen new stores containing
house furnishing goods have been
started since prohibition went into,
effect. These are doing we'll.
More furniture has been sold to
mechanics and laboring men in the
last twelve months than in any II
months during the history Of the
city.
Workingmen who formerly spent
q great part Of their money for liq-l
uor now spend it in food and clothes
for their families. The retail gro-
Gerry men sell more goods and col
lect their bills better than ever be-
fore. Thus they are able to settle
more promptly with the Wholesale
men.
According to the coal dealers,
many people bought coal and stored
it away last winter who had never
been known 10 do 20 before. Others
who had been accustomed to buy
ing two or three tons at time, this
last winter bought seven or eight
and paid cash for it. A lesding
proprietor Of millinery store said
that he had sold more hats and bon
nets to laborng men for their wives
and daughters than before in the
history Of his business. Contrac-
tors say their men do better work,
and on Saturday evenings, when
they receive their weeks wages,
spend the same for -four, hams, dry
goods or other necessary things for
their families.
\ Coal in the cellar, potatoes in the
bin, flour in the barrel, a piano in
the parlor, beefsteak for breakfast,
a roast for dinner, hats for the head,
coats for the back, shoes for the
feet-comfort. clothing and content
all these are possible in the homes
Of workingmen when the bar is pro .
hibited.
;. And all these-except the con
tent?-the merchant sells. He
may and he does, sell some OF them
where the barkeeper competes with
him for working mems wages; but
the sales then are less in amount,
and less profitable--often they are
a dead loss. A German butcher in
Des Moines, Iowa, explained how
this latter was in his case, when the
prohibition amendment was on in
that state. The liquor nen heard
that he was going to vote for the
amendment and went to see about
it.
"Vell," he said, II tell you how
il vas. DE mems comes here, undt
puy my meat, undt dey tell me to
charge it. Den dey goes across de
street undt buys der beer, undt
pays cash for it. Der beer-seller be
gets all de cash und | gets all de
credit; an goes NIT de temper
ance."
Said another butcher lately in q
town where there are no saloons:
Il know the difference between
selling meat where liquor is sold and
where it is not. Before l came here
kept . butcher shop in Wisconsin
six years next door to q saloon.
Men who worked hard for their liv-
ing would come often into
my place and buy a soup bone,
or a pound of liver and then 60
right in to the saloon next door and
pay % to so cents for beer. The
saloon keeper would come in and
buy porterhouse steak. used to
ask them, sometimes, why they
didn't buy the porterhouse and let
the saloon keeper buy the liver and
the soup bone"
Here was one man buying the
best meat, when at least forty men
should have bought it; for every ga
} loon takes part Of the wages Of at
least forty workingmen, on an aver
age. II all these men drank but
moderately, it will mean at least 40
average Of $l.25 . week that each
each spends over the bar. II their
are ten bars in your town, this
means $40, 600 . year Of which the
, bar robs the meat market, the dry
goods stores, the grocery, the shoe
store and such otf er places Of sup
} ply a. merchants keep to meet the
common demand. That sum, di.
, vided naturally for the comforts and
: necessaries those merchants wish TO
sell, would make good times for
each one Of them.
:. The total cost OF intoxicating
drink, to the consumers Of il in this
country, is every year much more
. than than one billion dollars. Di-
vide that sum naturally between
, x.acsv 1oad;uO nacaaan viaa of life