The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-11-12
A DRY CORVALLIS.
And What the Talk About it is-StiIl
They Differ-some Experiences.

= They U1uel-pOMc EApeiAo
The result of the election did not
md discussion over the question Of
which is the better, dry or wet
county. The outcome of the battle
# ballots has not made wet people
Try, or dry people wet. On the
one side there is claim of more or
less calamity in store for a dry Cor |
wallis. People on that side of the
fence say taxes will be higher, that !
trade will fall off, and that condi-
hons as to drunkenness will not be
In short, all the argu-
ments used on the question before
the election found lodgment in
many minds, and the things pre-
dicted as sure to come to pass in
dry town, are now looked for.
Some of the wet expect vacant
houses, vacant business buildings,
and general trimming down, to
a limited extent at least of the pro-
fits of business men.
On the other side, widely diff
ferent view obtains. They admit
that there will be somewhat high
er city tax levy, but assert that
much of the money that now goes
over the bar in saloons will go into
the channels of business, for pay
ment of store bills, for purchase of
more supplies; in short that instead
of going for intoxicants, much of
the earnings of men will go for
maintainance Of better homes and
better fed and better clothed chill
dren. They insist as they did be-
fore election that many temperate
minded people will be attracted to
Corvallis because of the absence of
saloons, and that parents in East
ern Oregon, and elsewhere will not
refuse to send their sons to the
Agricultural College because Cor
wallis is a dry town. They think
on the contrary that parents arboad
will feel freer to send their boys to
college because of the fact that
Corvallis has voted prououncedly
to be dry. A majority of I56 in
Corvallis, they say, against the
sale here of intoxicants is a signal
to the state that the town is a safe
place for young boys to be
The most curious thing in the
discussion is the testimony on both
sides as to the effect local prohibi-
ton has had in other places. II
lived once in a town that went dry,
and it was a complete failure" said
well known man yesterday. II
lived once in a town that went dry,
and it was a complete success !"
said another well known y citizen,
just across the etreet shortly after
ward. And so it goes.
There is a lot of sincerity on both
sides, in the opinions now held.
Since the election. a book agent
called at a house in town, and pro-
posed to sell his wares. The head
of that house is not for a dry
town, and still entertains an idea
that business is to be lax. He turned
sharply to the agent and said:
"You go to Mr.. -; he wanted a
dry town: now let him buy your
book And the door closed on the
book seller.
There is talk to the effect that
a drug store is to be installed in
one of the rooms now occupied by
one Of the local saloons. Thomas
Jones has been waiting several
months for a building in which to
open such an establishment, and
rumor is responsible for an uncon-
frmed statement that an arrange
ment is incubating by which Mr..
Jones will now have place to do
business.
The fact that Orleans precinct
across the Willamette, went "dry"
is accounted. by "dry'' people. and
"wet" ones too, to be a fortunate
thing for the new order of things.
If Orleans precinct had been
wet-minded, a saloon or half a doz
en- of them might have been INSTALL
ed just across the river, where the
traffic would have been uncontroll-
ed save in such limited way as
might come from the county auth
critics at Albany, miles distant.
Disorder and distress would GER
tainly have followed that would
have been a plague to Corvallis.
Orleans, however. went "dry" by
a vote of 72 to 49, and probably
the "uzeto and ttdrv', of Corual1i S