The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-30
BOYCOTT BY SALOON MEN.


BOYCOTT BY SALOON MEN.
The city of Augusta is having an
installment of the boycott of a
newspaper by liquor dealers. Raj
eigh had an incipient boycott of an
ice dealer a few weeks ago. It
was when the petitions were first
being circulated for the dispensary
election. One ice firm signed the
petition and most Of the liquor
dealers boycotted that ice firm. 1t
developed that both members of
both ice firms had signed the dis
pensary petition. The saloon men
saw that they had gone off half
cooked and that they couldn't buy
ice from anybody in Raleigh except
from men who had signed the dis
pensary petition. Their boycott,
therefore, was inpotent, and serv-
ed no purpose except to show the
spirit that animated those who did
the boycotting.
Augusta, Georgia, is run over by
saloons. It is city with a popu-
lation of more than $4,000, and
they pay to the city a tax Of but
5000. Recently the Chronicle Of
that city declared it's purpose to
inaEgurate a movement to have
the city raise the tax from $500 to
$1,000. Many good people APP
pIauded, but the saloon people got
hot, and sent out their decree that
they would wipe the Chronicle
from off the face of the earth-they
would boycott it!
The Chronicle is not gutter"
It believes in the statement, God
Almighty hates gutter" and SO
when the saloon keepers of Au-
gusta decided to boycott the
Chronicle, that paper printed the
fact, pulled off its coat, and defed
the whole outfit. Here is the Wig
orous way the Chronicle replied to
the vicious boycott declarations:
"Boycott?-bo and be damn
ed, all of you! What, in Gods
name is the average bar-room
worth to a respectable newspaper,
anyway? What are they worth to
any other business enterprise Of
this or any other city? What are
they worth to the community as a
whole? Boycott the Chronicle, ell?
And while you are about it, why
not boycott every dry goods mer-
chant. every shoe merchant and
every clothing merchant who
agrees with the Chronicle? Boy
oott them? Why, there isn't a one
that doesn't lose every year a hum
dred times more legitimate trade
through the failure Of some poor
wretch to provide himself or his
family with proper clothing be-
cause all of his money goes to your
dives for drink, drink, drink, than
all of your dive-keepers and their
helpers and their friends spend
with these merchants in ten years.
Boycott! Do you dare stand up
and draw such a weapon against
decent public opinion when you
are costing every legitimate BUSH
ness enterprise in this community
dollars where you are spending
dimes with them2"
1t is reported that some folks in
Raleigh, who have cotton string
where the backbone is located in
all true men, hesitate to vote for a
dispensary because they are afraid
they may lose the trade of a few
saloon-keepers! It is also talked
that there are men in office in
Raleigh and men who wish office,
who are either as dumb as oysters
or fighting for the bars, because
they are afraid to offend the sa-
loon vote!
Is it possible that there are a
dozen little fellows of that stripe
in the good city of Raleigh? If
SO somebody ought to spit on them
and drown them.