Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-12


city, in which you pretend to give the
effect OF the Sunday revival on the
business interests of this city. If you
had given the facts about Billy Sun
day, his converts and the present bust
ness conditions of the city of Decatur
I would not have troubled you with
this letter. | desire to ask few ques.
tons for the benefit of Mr.. Jersey and
his friends
Why didn't you tell Mr.. Jersey that
you. together with 81 other men. were
in the saloon business IN this city
when Mr.. Sunday came aud that you
had been IN the saloon business al
most continuously since Feb, 1903?
Whom did you mean by 1--WE" in the
first sentence of your letter, Il have
Just read your circular printed In one
of our local newspapers in regard to
the coming advent of one Billy Sun.
day. and viii say. all one has, to do TO
appreciate your circular. Is to have
gone through it as we have IN Deca-
tur." Did you mean the former liquor
dealers by the term "we?"
II you meant by 1--WE" the people then
engaged in the liquor business in this
city, frankly admit Billy Sunday did
make 1t sizzling hot for you
II you Intended by we" that the
legitimate business interests of Deca-
tur have been, by Billy Sundays visit,
injured or ruined, will you please give
the names of such business men Of
this city?
You say Billy Sunday is "a great
hypnotist." If that were the case
would not the most Of his converts
here have been children, weak-minded
men and women?
Now. honor bright Mr.. Hill. were
not many of his converts the most in
telligent, substantial business and
professional men in our city. men who
could not he hvpnotized, but men who
met Jesus Christ and yielded their
lives to his service?
You say "IIe done the people here
out OF $4,000 and vanished as quickly
as he came" Now. Mr.. Hill, why
didn't You tell Mr.. Jersey that You and
the other liquor men did not contrib
ute a penny OF that $12,000o
Why didn't YOU tell him how many
thousands of dollars YOU liquor men
have taken from the citizens of this
city each year since you have been in
the saloon business?
Why do you whine now because he
vanished as quickly as he came
when you We're complaining while he
was here that he stayed SO long? Have
you forgotten that he returned lust be
fore the election and then after the
election TO help the Y. w. C.. A.
secure the balance on their new
building?
You say He put Decatur dry. as
every one knows, and thereby
forced about eight hundred
people out of employment and 500 or
600 out OF town to engage IN business
elsewhere?' but why didn't you tell
MI. Jersey that most of these, if not
all, had been connected with the LIQUOR
business?
Don't you know that many families
have moved TO Decatur this fall to
educate their children?
Don't you know that the new direc-
tory just going to press contains 49,
600 names, an increase of 1000 over
last year, and the Review Of this city
said in speaking of this: 1T is bic
growth. an6 shows that even If there
is an impression about that no, much
is doing Decatur is still going ahead
and is quite a good deal more OF a
city than it was a year ago. =
Quite number have left the city in
the last year, but a great many more
have come in. The Decatur directory
management estimates the population
at two for each name, making Deca-
tur's total :6,00O?"
Why didn't vou tell him that YOU
liquor fellows had so dominated and
dictated tho politics Of this city for
years that The voters of all parties re.
fused to submit any longer?
Why didn't you tell him about the
empty furniture factory. Haworth
building. TAFT building, the large
building on Franklin street and many
others about the town, many Of which
had been empty ever since Won have
been in the saloon business?
Why didn't you tell him that all the
choice business locations vacated by
saloons were taken at once by other
lines Of business at substantially the
same or at advanced rental?
Why didn't YOU tell him that MANY
of the other vacant business houses
were occupied for a while by "soft
drink" Joints and controlled in many
cases by your landlord. the Decatur
Brewery. who refused to lease them
for longer term than till May 1st,
1910. when it hopes 10 reverse this
verdict of last April?
Why didn't you tell him that there
are no empty modern dwelling houses
in this city?
Why didn't YOU tell him that there
have been built in Decatur this sum.
mer almost. If not quite, four hun.
dred new residences and all are now
occupied?
Why didn't you tell him that the
peoDie Of Decatur are now spending
their money for more comfortable
houses instead of ''booze?"
Did YOU mean Mr. Jersey to under.
stand that booze gambling and
lewd women were necessary TO a sue
cessful race meet?"
Did you mean that without these
three evils that Our Great Western
Race Meeting" would not no q, fiuan