The Springdale news., 1906-03-23
W. q. Column,
A Business Man. View.
Edited by Mrs. Aorriet F. Kidd


 commercial friends why l am such an enemy to the saloon. l have conclud- ed to put my reasons in print for the consideration of business men.
 It is no longer necessary to inn peach the drink traffic as d moral curse The only arguments brought against prohibition being the personal liberty plea, and the "busineS will be ipjur- ed" arguments. The first of these pleas will be dismissed as 'clapSlap" by intelligent business men who know that civilization exists by the legal re- striction of individual liberty in order to insure broader and greater civil liberty
 The other argument may for time mislead and to that l desire to apply my reasoning.
 AS business man, 1 favor pr0hibi- tion because fifty per cent of all in- sanity comes from strong drink: Seven- ty. five per cent of all criminals become so while crazeu with drink. and nlne- ty.siX per cent Of all the tramps and drunken homes.
 It cost for the support of churches, ministers, missions, all the benevolent work of the United States and the support of the national government not more than five hundred million dollars year. The POO, ,000 saloons with their 100, 900 liquor sellers. the 300, 900 criminals 500, 900 paupers, 90. - 900 idiots, 10000 drunkard $ funerals, and to maintain the orphan asylums made necessary by the liquor traffic costs more than one billion year.
 This tremendous expense must be met by the taxpayer and is drag upon every business enterprise.
 School tax, street improvement tax, we pay willingly as these add to the intelligence and wealth of the nation, but the liquor traffic degrades and pauperizes citizens and depreeiateS the value of real estates. Real estate dealers agree that in prohibition territory property appreciates in value, while taxes decrease, rents are more easily collected and sales of real estate to wage workers for home building purposes are largely multiplied.
 further impeach the drink traffic in that all who are engaged in 1t are able bodied paupers who live off the earnings and buslneas of the country, taking money from the com munity without adding dollars worth of wealth thereto Hon. Geo. Foster, of Canada, puts it tersely as follows:
 Suppose Jones puts up bar, stands behind it from January to December, takes in two thousand dollars, and gives out nothing but brown paper. Who has kept Jones and his family: The earners and business men of this country. He has produced nothing and given nothing valuable in return for the two thousand dollars He is an able-bodied pauper.
 Suppose Smith sets up bar, stand behind It from January to De- cember, takes ln two thousand dollars, and gives out nothing but whiskey Who has kept Smith and his family? The earners and business men of the country. He has produced, and given nothing valuable in return for the two thousand dollars He is an able bodied pauper.
 w hat Is the difference between the two? Jones was conSderate enough to take his living for no return, and harmed nobody. smith was not con- tent with simply taking his living but harmed everybody he could. Ii he had gwen brown paper instead of whiSkey, he would have been as lnno- cent man as Jones. Jones was d harm less pauper; Smith d destructive pauper-that is all the difference.
 .'Is 1t good for the business of this country 10 support half a million able OOOfcu tlctl dlu b1clt duu III addition, to bear the burden of taxa tion and ruin they impose?"
 It certainly is not good, and d wise business man would insist that these men shall engage in produc- tive instead of destructive employ ment.
 The drink tra fife is destructive business It takes grain, and destroys It: sugar, moaSses, drugs, and other raw material, ana destroys them; oc- cupies property and uses it for destruc- tive purposes Nor can it oe sald ] that this destruction is only preiimt nary to the productl on of other ar 1 ticles, or essential tp the hettermen of man. Factories, shops, StIes, do,. tors, preachers all are jaeilti d hy he 1 necesSiTles ot man, all miulster to his improvement But ihe Drunk ratlit ministers to the depraved appttltes $ of men; 1t debauch x, degrad~s bes i t1atIZeS, rnbS Lh. arbISin ot uls skii