Middletown transcript., 1907-08-03

Saturday night, than can be seen in ths
whole county of Caroline In month,
The criminal expenses Of the county ars
i very slight, and those resulting from the
use of liquor hardly worth considering.
II say to you, without hesitation. that
| dry community il more desirable as q
place Of residence, and more satisfactory
to do business III than q wet one.
MR.. COOPER SAYS LOCAL OPTION
Harvey Z. Cooper, successful lawyer
and President of the Denton National
Bank spoken the strongest terms Of the
/ benefits derived from the operation OF
the local option law.
Said be, II have never known bnsi-
ness interests to suffer underl local option,
and on the other hand, my observation
| and experience Is that all economic con-
1 ditions are immeasurably improved by
i il. In my own county I know full we'll
that our financial institutions are on 9
safe and solid baeis. that business, along
all lines OF trade, has increased remark
lably in the last ten years, and that q
spirit Of thrift psryades the whole com
munity.
i Mr.. TOWERS SPEAKS PLAINLY !
/ There is no more popular or progress
siye young lawyer on the Eastern Shore
| OF Maryland than former States Attor.
ney Albert g. Towers. No one is more
alive to The conditions with which be is
surrounded, or more alert to the interests
81 the people. When told him that
my visit to Denton was to look into the
advantages or disadvantages Of local OPP
ton, be exclaimed, Does any well-in-
formed man doubt its advantages?
ssThere never has been period in the
history Of our county when we we're as
prosperous as We are 20 day.
"The taxable basis Of Denton has ad-
| vanced about, let me seeh-Here he
called his clerk and sent over TO the
Court House to ascertain the exact fig
ures. When the clerk returned, Mr..
Towers looked at the figures, and re-
sumed, tThe taxable basis Of the town
Of Denton has advanced about 500. 900
in the last ave years; the taxable basis Of
the county has advanced about 81, 600,
600 in the last ten years.
Look at our farmers, they are all
thrifty. Take our merchants why, !
can put my finger on several merchants
who came to this town few years ago,
with hardly enough capital to start
small business, and to-day they are all
well-to. do, some Of them rich.
sThe criminal list is exceedingly small,
and there il very little pauperism. There
is practically no drunkenness, and our
youth is growing Up without the tempta-
ton of the saloon. We have been under
local option for twenty years You can
Judge whetherit has been advantageous
or not.
WIN. H. ANDERSON EXPRESSES
HIMSELF IN FAVOR OF LOCAL
OPTION
William II, Anderson, prominent
business man of Denton, said in talk
about Local Option, 1T is an excellent
law in every respect. Our town is orderly
and free from drunkenness. Our boys
are growing up without the temptation
10 drink. Il is very rare thing to hear
Of speak.easies The speak-easy scare Is
over-estimated, anyhow. Whenever D
Ispeak-essy may spring up, it il easily
.Meeded out. Besides, il only temporarily
affects the very lowest class OF citizens.
| It does not appeal for an instant to the
decent citizen, or the respectable youth.
Local Option has caused society here to
put it's ban upon drinking, and the
young man who drinks does 50 at the
price Of bis respectability.
.Your speak-easy is coward that
shrinks from public gaze, and no respect
able person Is going to steal up q dark
alley, and into an obscure room, at the
risk Of public exposure, just to get .
drink of common Whiskey.
Business Of every kind isin oRurish-
| ing condition, and the whole coutny is
enjoying wholesome prosperity. !,
TAX RATE IN CAROLINE
The tax rate over there is s1.04. That
would seem, ut mere glance to be
rather high, but when you come to look
intoit it will not appear 80. Let us see.
They have not changed the assessment
in Caroline County In fifteen years. Dur
ing that time, under local option, The as
sessable property has increased more
than 5000. 900. II new and proper
assessment should be made to-day, The
tax rate would not exceed sixty cents.
This ID practically what they are now
paying and this includes school ID we'll
as all other taxes, while in Delaware
school taxes ara separate.
TALBOT COUNTY
MAJOR STEWART THINKS LOCAL
OPTION a BLESSING.
AT Easton, called upon that fine old
Maryland gentleman, Major William E.
Stewart. Major Stewart il one Of The
finest lawyers on the Eastern Shore, an
orator Of marked ability, an old Conied-
crate soldier, and for years States Attor-
ney.
In reply to my inquiry, he said, 'Tal-
bot County was never in such prospsr
Gus condition as il Is to-day. Ii ID not
only my opinion. but that OF every intel
ligent citizen oI The county, that 10 the
interest Of business, as well as the NOR
aiity Of the people, the local option law
is the best law that vas ever passed ID
the State Of Maryland Say what they
please, Local Option does reform d COM
munity prohibition does prohibit, why,
sir, there was time when Easton was
notorious for drunkenness. To-day there
Il are m firu f1krfi y1fsf1 An ,,,r - w<es,5