Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1908-01-30
HONEST OFFICIALS CAN ENFORCE Til,

Missouri Anti. Saloon League, St. Louis,
Mo.
Dear Sir--l am advised that an article
published some time ago by an iudepend-
ent paper, purporting to detail conditions
moral and financial, in our city since the
adoption Of local option is being used by
opponents Of local option in on,e Of the
campaigns OF the State. A careful read.
ing Of the article should he sufficient to
convince any fair.minded man that it is
the product Of prejudice and ~falsehood.
hastily gotten up to serve the usual pur.
pose Of the campaign lie.
call attention to only one of the
numerous contradictions. The writer
says the country people have qnit COM.
ing to Fulton to trade because they can
not get their drains, and in the mex
paragraph insists that liquor is as easily
procured as ever before.
The author. a cousin of the most rabid
opponent of local option in our city.
came here, as he says. to inquire into the
facts. lie conferred with no one save
the bitter opponents Of local option. and
three u the five me whom lie quotes in
his article say be exaggerated their state.
ments.
To those who know the men quoted
and the actual facts the article is simpl,
ludicrous. l:ut for the benefit ci those
who DO not know the arthor of tn.
article, the men he quotes or the o
ditions existing here, l append a copy
Of statement signed by the president of
every bank in Fulton and by fully three.
fomrths Of our business men. and also Il
letter from our mayor III response to All
inquiry from me touching the iinancia!
condition Of our city.
CHARLES NJ. HAY.
Fulton, Mo, Dec. l6, 100.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
We, the undersigned citizens Of Fulton.
beg to say that the closing Of the saloons
in our city on July lOth Of this year and
the adoption of the local option law
which went into effect September Goth
last past, instead of hurting and de,noral.
izing the business Of our city and its peo.
pie have not been hurt III the least, and
i, is our observation that the business
c .ndi,ions G the city have been in every
respect fully as good and in many res
poets much better than before the clos.
ing of the saloons. From what we can
learn the panic has affected this coin.
munity as little rs any in the country.
Judging from our experience and observ.
alton Of the past icw months. the lines Of
business in which we are respectively
engaged will he greatly benefited by the
adoption Of the local option law.
Drinking and drunkenness have great.
ly decreased. Many, particularly of The
negroes. who formerly loafed and gannbl.
ed and spent ~ha, little they made above
a bare living in the saloons. are now a,
work, are earning good wages and are
spending O money for the necessarie,
of life.
There have been. Of curse, some viola.
,ions Of the Law hut it is ,ur opinion
that there has been !" more liquor sold
in NJ city since the saloons closed,
than was sold illegally, during the same
length Of time, before the saloons closed.
Signed by the mayor and lea ing bust
ness men of Fulton.
Fulton, Dec. 10. 1907.
Mr.. {. II. Hay, Fulton. Slo.
Dear Sir.-you have asked me to give
YOU a statement AS to the relative fnan.
cial condition Of the city Of Fulton a,
THIS time ~ compared with 1906, when
the saloo,S were in operation and the
city receiving 1t the rate ot $500 pe,
year iicenSe from them.
will Of course cUn6ne myself to the
general revenue funds svailsble for gen,
er"l expenses. not taking into cOnsidera
ton at all the sinking funds I % provid.
for the bonded indebtedness, o. they ar,
a, = fixed charge.
You will find by referring d the report
Of the clerk and the Treasurer To tn,
regular counci! meeting in december
1908, that the city hal in the two fund,
available for general purposes the follow
ing balances, towit: