The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-05-04

Il any one in Goodland thinks our
town would be better on TO have
joints and licenses or fines, hope he
viii read this testimony by q Kansas
City Kan. BUSINESS ran:
How the City is Harmed
We have learned BY experience
that no one thing hurts a city so much
as to allow one law to be violated by
common consent 1t breeds a disre-
gard for other laws that enter into
every sort OF business relation. / have
been in business here several years
and I have only one bad account on
my books that was not made bad by
reason OF the joints. But il I could
collect all the bad debts that are on
my books as the result OF the joints
I could be a rich man. I mean rela-
lively. I would feel rich, anyhow, for
it runs well into the thousands each
year.
This collection Of money illegally
by the city has demOTalized the pub
lie service in a good many ways. PeO-
pie suspect city officials even when
there IS not the slightest reason and
subordinate officials get money they
are not entitled to. Then we have
had surplus men on the pay roll. In
spectOn Of new public work that costs
an average Of S2S for each thousand
dollars worth OF work done has cost
US as high as $50. Official collision
with law breaking breeds an I'M
I
The influence shows up in letting
influential rich interests of without
paying a just share Of taxes. When
the joints run other kinds Of vice go
on without regard to law. Corpora
tons disregard their obligations and
officials neglect to enforce them. Our
street car service is not up to the con-
tract and an administration that was
enforcing the laws vigorously could
improve II without ever having to go
into court What Is needed is to
show that the administration viii fight
for the city's rights and we will get
what we are entitled to-
The Courts Decision.
The recent decision OF the supreme
court has helped to make clear the
greater value Of law enforcement. The
court says we cannot 90 into collu-
sion with the joints and license them
by Systematically collecting money
from them under the guiSe OF fines
The result is that we have them on
our hands, making our police ex-
penSeS high, our expense for care Of
prisoners burdensOme and our charges
for charity considerable. They breed
crime and do not help protect the
city against criminals Their only de-
Tense has been that they helped to pay
expenses.
I'm the last seven years the aggre-
gate police fines of our police court
averaged $58,212.38 a year. This in
cluded payments by joints, fines for
drunkards and disturbances Of the
peace, generally chargeable to the
joints The police force costs in sal
aries $4,000 a year and a great deal
more in the expenses of the depart
ment-
This does not take any account Of
| the thousands Of dollars we spend
yearly through the county, prOSecut-
/ ing criminals whose OffenseS are due
| to the joints. 1t may be granted that
l the joints have helped to pay the di-
rect expense OF the city government
/ but the supreme courts injunction put
an end to that
Vow if we let the joints run we
are in this position. They are owned
/ by breweries outside Of the state and
/ the brewers will carry two and a half
million dollars year away from the
/ city and out OF the state as they have
i been doing. The merchant who sees
/ the man who owes him for a weeks
! grocery bill or some clothes go into a
! realize that he is taxed to pay the city
| joint keeper and the nonresident
| brewer who stands behind him will
| escape any part Of the burden. We
| never could afford the joint, much
l less now that it is altogether a bur
I den, bearing no part Of the public
/ expense and creating the greater
/ share Of that same expense. II We
| add to that the feeling Of self-respect
| and decency that we viii have when
we can say that we lead all the west
! ern cities in law enforcement I think
/ we viii have good reason to be
/ proud"