The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-08-03

One of the main questions before the
people Of st. Lucie county, and the
most important issue the new county
has yet faced, is the whiskey problem.
Next month the voters will decide
whether or not the saloon shall be IL
censed in our midst.
This Is no doubt one of the biggest
and most vital propositions that win
come before the people Of this section
and every voter should consider seriously
before casting his vote to continue the
legal sale of intoxicating liquors. A
vote cast 'fOr selling" means vote to
continue snares and pitfalls for our
young men; Il means vote for the in
crease Of crime; q vote for the increase
Of taxes and vote against the best in
terests of the county.
1t has often been said that to abolish
the saloon kills a town. That's all a
great mistake. It has been proven
otherwise right in our own State. Live
Oak has been without saloons for long
time, and during the past few years
made the greatest growth of any town
in Florida Gainesville has been better
off for the past three years since whis-
key was voted out and has made better
progress towards a city. Look at the
growth of Arcadia, Barlow, Lakeland
all dry towns on the West Coast. Day
tona, on the East Coast, is a fair sam
pie of how a town is killed by stopping
the sale of whiskey. The following
relative to Lake City will give some
idea of how that town has been affected
by prohibition:
Statistics showing the effects of pro-
hibition in Lake City, Florida:
/. Business of all kinds has increased
from Is to $50 per cent.
2. Moral conditions very much better.
Where there were nine arrests for
drunkenness before, we have only one.
Now our ladies can visit any part of our
city without seeing or hearing any dis
orderly conduct, even at night. Our
grand jury at the last session of our
court complimented our citizens for the
decrease of crime in our county. Every
Christmas tide before the county went
dry, was christened in blOodshed and
murder. The last three not drop of
blood was shed in our city or near It.
8. Before the election that made our
county a dry one it was impossible to
DO any Improvements. We are now
constructing seven miles of sewerage,
own and operate our own electric light
and water plant, and paving our bust
1909 SlANCN WIFI anu AiltlI IOChe
with cement sidewalks.
A. Real estate has greatly advanced
in value. notwithstanding the Buck
man bill and Board of Control has taken
the university away fromsus.
5. We have more money deposited in
our banks than was there in the history
of our county before. The banks find
it hard now to loan money at the old
rate, and are offering it at lower rate.
The reason is that the people can get il
from each other for better terms.
6. We have less real poverty-stricken
people than ever before. Almost every
body happy and satisfied with our pres
ent condition. Rents have advanced
from 10 to 25 per cent on residences and
stores-no habitable and desirable stores |
or residences are vacant. One new
bank, First National, capital $50, 600, |
since county went dry. Other |
banks report little or no loss in volume
Of business-cannot find a single i'm
stance of decline in rent. "A. b. FARRELL, |
IN Florida Christian Advocate.