Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-04-02

existence In Kansas City, Kan"
There you have it! Another prohi-
bition argument dissolved into mere
atmosphere! However, you will find
the Mercantile club. Also this addi-
tional information regarding the in
crease in bank deposits in the last two
years:
National bank deposits,
increase ................$4,0 62, 1920
wyandotte State Bank, de-
= Quoted ................. 619,5s7.Oo
Increase state banks.. S36,9O394
Total increase. S,7S6, 50S.14
This is an increase of 35.1 per cent.
Moreover, since the saloons We're closed
two new banks and one new trust
company have been organized and
conducted successfully, with total
capitalization of $3S5,000 and total de-
posts Of s501,827.4+.
The liquor association further says
that the increase in building can be
traced almost wholly to the big estab-
lishments; but Larkin Norman, build
ing inspector, says that in 1907 there
were erected in the city proper 944
new buildings, against sos in 1905,
while in the residence districts i'm
mediately outside of the city 44S new
DulluluSS were erected. AS TO lndt
awful raise in the tax rate, it is we'll
to consider in connection that since
April l, 1907, the city has expended
s17s,00O in new improvements, paid off
$245,000 Of the citv debt, and reduced
the tax rate from 1910 in 1905 to $3.50
in 1907; the assessed valuation now
being upon the basis of 20 per cent of
the actual valuation. The liquor as
ISOLATION quotes from the records Of
ha ~ ivy
to the effect that the last six months
of saloon rule show q total OF sss ar
rests for drunkenness, against q total
OF 407 for the corresponding months, q
year later. Suppose we listen to the
words Of the Judge Of that police
court, John r. Sims:
ut is true that the police court
dockets are as full now as they were
when the Joints were open. That is
duty when the Joints were open. II
they had. four to five times as many
persons as now would have been ar
rested for drunkenness. The fines
which were collected from the saloons
as license to run, went to pay the
salaries Of the police force OF the city.
We are paying your salary the sa-
loon proprietor said to the officer when
drunken man made a disturbance.
See that he is put on car and started
home The officer did as he was told.
In this way the saloon was protected
from publicity, his business was help
ed along, and most Of the disturbances
were hushed up. 1t wasn't because
crime did not exist, but because the
police department failed to do its
duty Now all is different. Drunken
ness is looked upon as a crime. A
peaceable drunken man walking on
the streets is not put on a car and
started home. He Is lodged in Jail and
fined in police court. Officers are
vigilant because they have no interior
ence. Ninety per cent of the men who
appear in my court are arrested near
the state line, which divides Kansas
City, Kan. from Kansas City, Mo-,
where there are a hundred saloons
within short walking distance. Most
of these arrests are made in the vicin-
ity of the 'wettest block in the world.
This block is just east Of the state
line in Missouri, and it has rs salooas
in it. In East Arn1ourdale, another
section of Kansas City, Kan, near the
state line where there are many sa-
looms, the other part of these 80 per
cent of arrests are made. In the
greater area of the city, where 10000
of the 10000" population lives, very
few drunken persons are ever seen.
know it to be a fact that sentiment
which used to be viciously opposed to
closing the saloons has now changed to
gladness because they have been
ousted from the city,"
AS to the - robberies renorted in the
first half of February, 1908, If the
liquor dealers will interview the po-
! lice officials of most any large city,
they will probably learn that epidemics
of thieving are liable to break out in
any city at any time, because the pro-
fessienal housebreaker Is a bird of
migratory habits, and always flies to
other fields when the old environment
becomes too hot for him. Eight
force of Kansas City, Kan, to cope
with this temporary condition At all
times since the saloons were closed
the greatly reduced force of police has
been found amply sufficient to pro-
tect the city.
Now we face the awful fact that
5000 sales Of liquor by druggists were
recorded in the probate court OF
Wyandot county during December
1907. This is a truly remarkable rec
ord When Attorney Trickett began
| Wyandott county during December
were apportioned among those 2ss sa-
looms it would give each saloon one sale
a day. Truly some statistics have an
imposing appearance-when viewed
| from distance.
Anent the statement that no refuta-
ton has been offered of its claim tina!
prohibition does not prohibit, we
would assure the liquor dealers associ-
alton that everybody knows that abso-
lutte prohibition cannot be realized so
| long as the interstate commerce law
is given its present Interpretation, and
the state laws permit the druggist to
dispense liquor without prescription
| and a sworn statement from the at