Mexico weekly ledger., 1908-03-26
10 DonIHATE no IoEs
yshn r Kss1. Prsadsui snis Mar
nj wnts he Ledger RstHrding
ThsADry and Dark PsstsrA

ed for srrumesL D. destinations
they hope 10 rally friends in . losina
Isn't. They are in dire distress
ITney can Esyer face The clear cold
facns. Their methods reveal ths ex-
trenity 10 which they are nnTeD.
Bat the whole unhappy c0mninaraor
of hreweries and d~istilleries and -
looms and whisky drug stores and dives
vii ultimately be brought into sub'
section 20 the will Of the community
atlsrge. Then Law and order and de-
lcency viii prevail
But EirkssilIe Is not Jet dry and
lennnot become dry until almost mid
Summer. We sian have fyurishing
szloons and the benefit n Of reEennes
lfrOn TIE saloons The pArtnerEhiE
between the saloons and the people
has not yet expired. TIE pdicy and
prosperity q KlrksEille are stiii ser
ioasly affected BY the saloon i~nfeunce
Let the facts be told: A LIKE oseI
ten years ago KirksvilIe had no saloons
and no debts Then the people form
ed q partnership With fba saioon&
They were promised prosperity and
money for many improvements Hops
and civic pride ran high The SoEn
WAS 70 have been . boom Bus wb2i
really cid happen In ten jeans Lei
any5Ody who passes through Kinks.
vile open bis eyssas be wsdes through
cur SLOPPY streets. What have We:
The town now has . VeFY uns1tisfAc-
tory water-w0rks system IL has
about the worst streets. crossing and
sidewalks 10 be found 10 any town d
ie size north Of the Arkansas line.
We are approaching the end Of ten on
twelve years Of business manipulation
By the saloon advocates And what
have we 10 compensation for our I'M
satisfactory public utllitiess We have
besides our detective water-woFks sys-
tenn. our uninproved stfeetS,etc., etc /,
somewhere from $1,000 60 $4,000 Of
debts. an unable 10 learn the exact
amount OF Indebtedness. No one
seems to know. The saloon advocates
did not promise q present condition;
bnts under their regime, IL has come
upon rs This fact they can't eyade
or disguise. Their regime has been
tried In the balance and found want
ing.
Nov about the street light pro-
position: Long before the expiration
Of the contract for lights and before
the local option campaign was inaugu-
rated, it was well known that the
lighting contracts would expire. IL
was also well known that the city vas
very badly in debt. II it vas intend
ed to hold local option people respon-
sible for shutting on the streets lights
then The lights should have been coz
tinued until near the time when local
option would go into operation. Bot
We have IN interim OF about six
months between shutting OF the
lights and the disappearance OF the
saloon with its large revenues which
It has been turning into the city trea-
sury. You see the saloon advocates
have had their way about things for
q long time. They have made a mess
OF it. They have Cotton Us into the
condition that we are now In. The
SEXUAL cause forshntting of the lights,
as anyone can see, is that the finan-
ces OF our city under the management
OF saloon advocates have for years
been growing more and more dinlcult
to manage and the debts Of the town
been piling up until our city ofn-
cials know not what to do. Here. as
elsewhere. the saloon has been active
In politics. The saloon keeper ana
the bar keeper must inject themselves
public business, into political
conventions, into elections, into pretty
nearly everything touching public
utilities. 1t Is TO be hoped that sober
minded business men Of the city. re-
gardless OF past views on local option
VIII soon get themselves Into coopera.
lion 50 that they may rescue the city
from those financial straits brought
upon II while depending upon the sa~
Don advocates to manipulate its pub
10 Affairs. We hope soon TO begin
the Improvement Of the streets, side
walks, water works, lights, and other
PUBIC utilities. We will probably do
'nese things better without the sa-
9 licenses than with them. For
people cease TO rely upon the sa-
for revenue and for fair business
'ense, then they fall back upon their
'wn judgement. They begin to econo-
nize and to think about what can he
lone with 3 dollar. They begin TO look
'eahase q Tor extravagance.
They try to discover and to SHOW
ast where the money comes from and
where it goes.
VI course the saloon men are right
men they hold up Kirksville as al
,orriole example. Bit why not tell
whole storyG Why not acknow.
sdse their responsibility for the cou-
itions Why not confess that ours q
q example Of enormous debts accum-
lated during the time OF our part
ership wien the saloons? That same 1
amaging reports about aKirksyllIe !
ping dark when she went dry, were q
IIcula1ed during the recent local !
ption Campaign in Livingston Ooun-
But the saloons we're defeated {
The same tactics we're tried /
onariton County last week with
~ saine result A bad cause relies 9