Evening journal., 1907-10-30

OcloDef ~ lJUfs
Mr. Francis e. Kelly
Head of Firm of Francis Kelly & Co.,
Wholesale Liquor Dealers,
Wilmington, Delaware.
MY Dear Sir:
methods Of the rum regime Of the
State, it was not with amazement that
read your interview in the Star of
Sunday, October 27th. headed, Della
ware License System is Best in the
Country article that libels Mil
ford, seriously reflects upon the COM
mon sense and the veracity of the
business men Of our community, and
insults the intelligence of the voters
of Delaware, by the grace OF whom
you are permitted 10 do business to-
day. but not, not after the fifth day
of November thank God
You say that you deal in facts" not
'sUrmlse," and add that during the FIVE
months last winter when the saloons
were closed in Milford. 1t was the
worst period Milford ever had in the
way of enforcing law and order, and
the good citizens of the prosperous
town were only too glad when the new
people were granted liquor licenses for
the three hotels"
WhatNare the facts. Mr.. Kelly? Es-
quire Trhitt's Aldermanic records show
that from November first. 1906, until
April LIST. 1907, the five months when
the bars were hermeticallv sealed
there We're but ten t10) arrests for
drunkenness and disorderly conduct
and seven of these convictions were
caused by the vigilance of the Law
land order Society. During the five
months Following the reopening of the
saloons from April 1st. 1907, until Sept.
list, 1907, there were nfty-two (52) ar
rests for drunkenness and disorderly
conduct The records show the law
lessness increased four hundred and
twenty per cent (420) after the re-
lopening of the saloons, and Esquire
Truitt himself says that in every in
stance save four rum was either the
direct or the indirect cause OF the dis
turbance THESE are the facts, Mr..
Kelly
You have the audacity to say that
the good citizens Of Milford were only
too glad when new people were grant
ed liquor licenses" and add, but / will
lgo into DEATHS" 1 will go into the de-
tails, Mr. Kelly.
The facts are that petition signed
| by more than four hundred Of our
lpeople was sent to the Court remon-
lstrating against the re-openng of our
saloons. IL remained for you to ad-
Vance the "surmise that our citizens
were demonstrating against something
which they were "only too glad to
lgetl And that absurdity is as sensi-
bic and as near the truth as any state
ment YOU have dared to make about our
splendid little city
What about business conditions
Read this statement signed by forty
| 1--we OF the nifty business men of our
town:
we, the undersigned business men
lof Milford, desire to enighten one,
Francis e. Kelly, head of the Francis
Kelly Company, Wholesale Liquor
Dealers of Wilmington, and 70 inform
the voters of Delaware that we separ-
lately did a greater volume of business
lduring the flve months when the sa-
looms were closed than during the
same five months os any previous
year in all our experience. And we
attribute this enormous increase to the
fact that the money formerly spent
over the bars of our town went into
Legitimate and beneficial channels OF
trade.
we desire TO say Furthermore that
the law and order of the town was
never so good as during the halcyon
days and peaceful nights when the
saloons were but an infamous mem
ory"
SIGNED:
George II. Hall,
Asbury Smith,
j.. l.. Grier,
]. e. Holland,
Draper, Davis and Company
Pierce and Carmean,
S. c. Evans and Son.
r. e. Pettyjohn.
c Grant,
n L. Prettyman,
Peter c. Hauseman,
John II. White
+. +. Belts,
James H. Truitt.
Mark l.. Davis,
c. Nj Tatman.
]. Wesley Truitt,
William Gray,
William Viereck.
Robert Grimth,
John +. Housman,
j. o. Brown,
ii. w. ID. Moore,
N j. Pierson.
Charles Holzmeuller.
Il w. L. Grier.
Mrs. Isaac A. White.
/ W. 5. Shockey,
Henry Davis,
Thomas Davis,
Robert II. Pierce.
John w. Herring,
William Pardoe,
II. NJ. Ennis.
w. c. Abbott,
c. d. Abbott and Company,
Thomas ID. Pierce,
W. II. Strayton,
T. c. Houseman,
James $. Horton,
l.. W Davis and Company,
l. ID. Short
The H. w. Caulk Company,
willard T. Deputy,
Edward Atkins.
=. Mr. Kelly. Wholesale Liquor Dealer
these men and hundreds of others dowI
here will never give "sleep TO their eye!
NOR slumber 20 their souls until this
D. Infamous privilege is Withdrawn an'
lthis greut business demoralizer Il
driven from our Commonwealth. as &
has been scomged from all Dixieland
lby quicxened public conscience back
. ed by the ballot and by the win o
free men.
J.. afr. Kelly. the saloon and entrenche'
lurfvilege must sol Yours etc,
(siEned) John P. healand!