The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-04-05
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE or iNTEMPERANcE.

temperance won Dy SIX Notes-besuhs
OF the Victory.
Mount Blanchard. Ohio. is a dry
town. and has been so for two years.
The contest which brought prohibition
into operation was a very bitter one.
In which personal abuse of the tenn
perance party was prominent feat
ure. The results of the change to no
license have made themselves mani
fest in manner and TO an extent
that delights its advocates. The sltpa-
ton is well set out in a recent article
In newspap . of that town, which
describes it as follows:
Over two years have elapsed since
the beautiful village of Mount Bran
chard. situated = 5elve miles from the
city of Findlay. in southeastern Han
cock County, decided 60 dispense with
its one saloon. A hard contest was
waged for and against the drinking
place, but the temperance element sue
ceedcd in winning out by the narrow
margin of six votes.
The saloon advocates then began to
make predi onS in regard to the dis
astrous results to the local business
interests that were to follow the sup
pressing of the saloon / siness. A
number of really COED citizens aetu-
ally were led to believe that the town
would be worse off from a business
standpoint. Some even declared that
grass would grow in the streets; that
our population would fall off; that no
large amount of building would be
done. and that more or less the same
quantity of beer AID whisky would be
imported by the thirsty and consumed
within our corpol tlon limits. The
town would need the whisky tax. and
that in the absence Of said tax the
local lev for municipal purposes
would have to he raised Dy tie village
council. they claimed The statement
was made that since the liquor drink
ers would have tn iii drinks that 1t
was piece of utter foollshness to lose
lax when the result for lessening
the liquor consumption was not ar
rlv at with the closing Of the saloon.
However. non of these dire predic-
tions have come 10 pass. Mount Blan-
chard began to boom as soon as tae
cllnking of the beer glasses ceased,
and to-day we Ia @ n better town I'm
any respec. you may be able % point
out Drunken iiGhts re no more in
evidence, while men who formerly
drank to the uetriment of their health,
pocketbooks and their family welfare,
have reformed from the evil habit,
and now lead sober and industrious
lives. They pay the butcher the
baker, the groceryman, etc, where
before their credit was strained to the
limit. Peace has spread a mantle OF
happiness over our town. 1t has be-
come model village. and the ribald
song of the brawler and the sorrowful
spectacle of staggering men has given
place TO the happy shouts of well
clothed and well fed children OF those
who once led different lives and
drained the dregs of the cup that de
stroys.
Business men say that their business
is better than when the saloon was in
our midst They say the men who
once got trust at their stores. but al
ways paid their bar bills with the
cash, now pay up regularly, and are
among their best and most desired
customers
During the past year more building
has been done than ever before in the
same space of time. Many thousands
of dollars have been spent here in the
erection of stately edihces, both pri-
vate and public, and the streets are
far from being covered with green
grass. These facts are plain ones to
all who live here, and the present
prosperous condition of our town
proved bar to any one circulating
a petition to again vote on the ques-
ton of saloon or no saloon. No one
had the nerve to try it. The people
are satisfied.
Taxes are no higher than when the
saloon was here, but property values
have risen nd men are using their
money more freely in upbuilding the
town. She has no use for 1t.
True, once in n while some fellow
brings Il small amount of liquor here,
but it is safe to say that not one per
cent. is now drank here as compared
win the amount consumed when we
had the open saloon. Not an arrest
for drunkenness has been made for
over a year. and since the saloon left
us the number of arrests have fallen
off at least seventy or eighty per cent.
There is little in criminal way for
the mayor and the marshall to look
after in this place.
Before we voted against the saloon
we endeavored to learn how other dry
towns We're airing. Now we have
had the experience ourselves, and we
recommend the dry town in every
way, shape and form. The business
here is done by sober men.