Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-11
lBY THE PRESS COMMITTEE OF THE

|
LOCAL OPTION LEAGUE.l
The Anti-Prohibitionists recently
published some statements in regard
to business conditions in Champaign
since it became dry town. 1t will
be interesting for your readers to put
beside that dark picture of decay and
ruin, the following unbiased and de-
tailed statements of w. E. Clippinger,
| a prominent resident of Champaign,
taken from an address which he de-
livered to the Mems Fellowship club
in Bloomington, Monday evening,
March 8.
Mr.: Clippinger gave "some statistics
as to the effect of the shutting out of
saloons upon the business of my own
Icity." He said:
Il started down the streets of
champaign and | interviewed 80 mer-
chants representing 25 different lines
lof business, interviews taken consec-
Itively without regard to views of
Isaloon or no-saloon policy for the
city, and they gave the following re-
results: AS to how the shutting of sa-
looms had affected business, nine said
that it had hurt their business and 40
lsaid business was as good or better
than under the saloon regime-a ratio
lof more than four to one. AS to how
it had affected collections, one said
that it didn't hurt collections, 43 said
Ithey were as good or better than with
saloons. AS to the effect upon the
morals of the city, one said they were
worse, 81 said they were positively
lEctter and eight thought they did not
see much change either way.
81 went to eight of the leading real
ESTATE firms of the city, said Mr.. Clip
pinger, land not one of them had a
business room listed on the west side,
where the main business section OF
the city is, and only three on the east
side, one of which was SIX blocks
from the business center, one four
blocks, and one two blocks Only one
lfCrmer saloon building had up sign
Tor rent Thinking perhaps these
people did not do business with rea
estate men, went to the newspapers
classified columns and there | found
only notice of one business room fol-
rent and that by a merchant who had
Just closed out department of his
store. In the past two years we have
built II new business houses, and al
of these save two are occupied anC
neither of these latter is completed
and both are already rented. On tn,
: other hand, one merchant has beer
forced out of business because an
other merchant slipped in and rented
, his building before the lease had eX
t pired and he could find no other suit
able location after being deprived O
: lis old stand"
ii In refutation of the argument tina
III people will not come into a dry
town to trade Mr.. Clippinger presen
ed the following among other facts
] During the month of January an
February, 1908, when there were n
;, saloons in Champaign, S55 NOR
u tickets were sold from Mahomet t
u Champaign than during the corr
spending months of the year before
when license obtained in the latte
city" He also said that the fines a:
Y sessed against offenders during tn
IL month of January. 1908, were S31S,5t
s as compared with Sf,100.50 for tn
same month in 1907.
1t will add to the force of thes
i facts with most men that Mr. CHI
. Finger is pastor of the First Presb!
terrain church in Champaign. Cent,
linen, have some more Champaign
:" LOCAL OPTION PRESS COMMIT
TEE.
'e What Causes Headache.