The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1907-03-05

|
stores are vacant and my total rents
are from three to four thousand dollars
less per year than before the prohibi-
tory law went into effect"
The testimony of scores of leading
citizens and prOperty owners is to the
same effect. The depression in bust
ness induced by prohibition also inter-
Tered with the promptness in paying
rents.
With this great surplus of houses, it
is not wonderful that little building
was done in the Scity under the prohi-
bitOry regime. The total number of
building permits issued during 1886 was
only SO, about one third of which were
for shed additions or small improve
mentS. This number of permits is
smaller than that issued by many other
cities of the same size as Atlanta in a
single month.
1t is difficult to get at the value OF
property in Atlanta under prohibition
from the fact that there was no demand
for real estate. A house on the court
house square. which was assessed for
taxation at $1,000, sold for 81, 800. A
house and lot in most desirable por-
ton of the city, the house alone cost
ing $4,000 to build was sold by Charles
Beerman for $4,000. The Weems
property, on Capitol avenue, one of the
arlStocratic streets, which was held
before prohibition at $3.50 was put
upon the market and sold for $40, 600.
Sales at similar reduction were frc-
Quent.
The operation of the law drove many
valuable and enterprising citizens from
fo al L.,
officers of two leading banks OF the
some three millions Of dollars. The
loss in annual commerce to the city
from the enforcement of the law was
estimated, by thirty of the leading
merchants, bankers and business men,
none of whom ever sold liquor, at be-
tween six and seven million dollars.
The total value of personal property
returned for tax in the city decreased
from 81, S89. 269, in 1885, to 7,64l, 326,
p, in 1887.
A very serious effect of the law was
the intense bitterness stirred up be-
tween the citizens, which resulted in a
general Discrimination to contribute to
public enterprises. This bitterness was
not confined to those engaged in the
! liquor traffic and these opposed to
them. but involved on both sides, the
best citizens in the town,
! While values, rents and trade were
thus disastrously affected, taxes enOr-
/ mously increased. larger revenues
than in former years were requir ed to
/ support the machinery for enforcing
] the. prohibitOry law. and these had to
be drawn from diminished revenue pay
/ ing sources. By the operation of the
I prOhibitory law, moreover, the city
Z was deprived Of a large income fren
! saloon licenses. This amounted, in
1885, to $37, 707. 70. To meet the m
! creased demand and cover the deficien-
}cies, the owners OF personal and real
property, which had deprecated in
market and rent-paying value IS to 90
/ per cent. were required TO pay $469, =
! OPS. 80 in 1887, as against S433, 6S9. 50 in
1885, an increase of 6 per cent. This
/ increased tax was raised by retaining
the old rate of taxation and increasing
the assessed value of real estate, which
was thus made to bear, not only all
I these increases in taX, but 10 make
good the loss in revenue due TO the de-
| crease in personally as we'll.
!. The cost of administering the city
> government was thus 81, $1,000 more
in 1886 than in 1885. In 1885 the city,
with a smaller revenue and subject TO
/ higher Interest charges, invested over
/ 500, 600 more in permanent improve
ments than in the year 1886. IL is esti-
mated by those familiar with the city s
finance that her condition vas over
500, 900 worse in 1887 than in 1885. It
is certain that the city was forced to
sell $50, 900 Of gas stock which she held
to provide funds for municipal purposes
for which the revenue Of the city mad
before been adequate.
The police force of Atlanta was III
creased 20 per cent. under prohibition
and still found its hands fully occupied.
/ The number Of persons convicted for
crime in the superior court of Fulton
county, of which Atlanta is the county
seat, exclusive of cases continued from
former terms of court, increased from
81 in the year ending July l, 1886, IN
der license, to IS in the year ending
July l, 1887, under prohibition. an in
crease OF over SO per cent. The total
fines assessed in the city police court
in 1885 was $21, 903.25. This had in
I creased under prohibition, in 1886, to
S23, 817.30. Of the fines assessed, So
per cent, were collected In 1885 and
only So per cent. in 1886. The number
of indictments returned by the grand
jury OF the county at its last two teYms
prior tc prohibition was 116. The num-
Der returned in the two terms follow
ing, under prohibition, was LAT, an in
crease of about 27 per cent. The num-
Der of men working out the penalties
for their offenses in the "chain gang"
of the city, was, according to the
statement Of Mr.. Thomas Donaldson,
the supervisor, One-third larger under
prohibition than underiicense. Pauper-
ism also slightly increased in this city,
as is shown by the expenditures there
for.
| 1t is safe to say that the cause Of
ttemperance gained nothing by prohioi-
i;tion in Atlanta. The columns OF the
leading papers of the city daily chroni-
cled arrests for drunkenness. AS q
leading citizen put it: If you tell a
nan he s1s NJ drink, he will find a
way to do it." 1t is fact that there
were more arrests for drunkenness I'M
der prohibition than under license. The