Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1903-09-03
w. C. T. u. COLUMN.
For God, Home and Native Land.
This department is under the management
and control Of the Bedding w &, T.UJ
A Striking Comparison.

ana control OF the Beldlng W. ~ - VI
Striking Comparison.
By Alex. G. Stevens, in Rams Horn.
The Red River of the North, like
slender thread, winds northward
between the great states OF Mime
sofa and North Dakota through a
country beautiful for situation, rich
in soil and natural advantage be-
You'd all comparison. A unit In all
that pertains to material and com
mercial opportunity, yet on either
side Of this river is being demon
strated condition Of economic llfei
here the licensed saloon and the pol
icy of saloon suppression meet IN
open. dead towns said the re- ,
treating saloon men, brewers, gam
blers, prostitutes, who, in 1889,
crossed the Red River to Minnesota,
shaking the dust OF a territory
"blasted" by prohibition. Here
we will build our cities" they said.
1t is a striking fact that the only
vacant store building offered Tor
rent in the Daily Herald OF recent
date in Grand Forks, n. d., is one
situated near the approach to the
bridge which crosses TO the saloon
town of East Grand Forks, MINI.
Ten years of the suppression OF
the saloons on the Dakota side OF
the Red River jrstifies the policy.
The records show that in 1889 there
we're arrests as follows in Grand
Forks: For drunkenness, l43; dis
orderly conduct, 10 In 1900 there
were arrests for drunkenness, 16;
disorderly conduct, IL. Houses OF
prostitution in 1899, SO; in 1900
t none. In the meantime the VINO ~
ton increased % pes, asss:ds tt. Yet in
s ~ ,5e - fig yns increase of population,
90 ~ stfes indicate, the number
} - witests had decreased over 81 per
+ cent.
- Mr. Carney of the Law School OF
ns the University OF North Dakota,
ess has made the following summary
. from six counties along Red River,
all which contain One-third of the
or states populations In 1899, with
IKE II, 600 people, there were ], 265 ar
" rests-this as we note during the
. last year of the open saloon. liz
1900 the population had increased
,on to 80, 645 in the six counties cited,
at an Increase of AZ per cent The
number of arrests for all causes in
1900 was 4l6, decrease Of 68 pei
| cent. The population of the state
II practically doubled in the years that
III intervene between 1889 and 1902,
while the increase in the number OF
xtinfC In no - n a IN ~
was only IA.
(. A more striking comparison, pre-
/ senting a daily evidence, is to be
= seen in the neighbor cities of Grand
Forks. N. D., and East Grand
Forks, MINI. TIE Dakota city has
population of rearly ll,000. The
school census shows 1900 children
Of school age who, day by day, are
free from hat blighting presence
and stencil of the open saloon and
who are comparatively free from
even sight Of u drunken man in
their home city. The police court
record only three arrests for drunk
enness during the past two months
: East Grand Forks, with a popula-
s tion of 1900, has forty-two licensed
) saloons, one for each seventeen of
is boys and girls of school age
Does it pay? The record of crime,
financial disaster, community dis
ruption, scenes Of blood visions of
besotted manhood and wretched
womanhood, if these are of any
value as evidences TO the contrary
East Grand Forks pays dear price
le for the evil which is licensed. With
no need of words, daily occurrences
show the utter diabolism of the
whole business A gentleman of
n long residence and careful observa-
ton, said recently; East Grand
II Forks is an illustration of com
y munity entirely given over to the
saloon interest.
The valuation Of property in the
saloon town is 1885, 900, the bonded
Indebtedness being 26 per cent of
4 the valuation In addition to this
y there are outstanding debts, de-
ficiencies and unpaid warrants to
the amount Of approximately $50,
600 The tax levy is the highest
made by any incorporated town in
:, the county. II is 20 per cent higher
NHNh eiietb vi " tliid u W hot ~ Dss
&c while added to this there is the
q license of $500 each from forty-two
% saloons. Yet with the heavy tax
II plus the blood the city con-
), tinues to run behind from Sl5, 900 to
J, $40, 600 each year. There are no
i efficient improvements; only one
|, third of mile of paving and one
: mile of sewerage. The. only munich
= pal utility is an electric light plant
y valued at 5000 The estimated ex
g pense for conducting the affairs of
T. the city for the current year is S48,
:, 250. Appropriation for salaries,
a $4,000. The city treasurer for
+ 1902 was detected short in his ac-
counts to the amount of S4, 500 two
: months before his term of Office
. closed Exclamation IL anv be