Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-11-17
ma seIoon as LIABILITY.

One of the most expressive Of the
epigrAmmstic sentences OF Governor
Hanly of Indiana was, "The saloon 10 al !
ways liability, never On asset" The
principle voiced by him 10 expounded In
the letter quoted below. This letter was
written by resident Of Greater New
York to . local paper In an "up state
town of 5000 or 1000 inhabitants, which
we will call Blankton. The writer 10
urging that a. business enterprise the
people Of the town do what they can to
make It desirable place Of residence for
people of fixed incomes who can not al
ford to live In New York City In the
style they desire. Some OF the advan-
tages the town already possesses are
pointed out by the writer, and he then
suggests other things that would i'm.
prove conditions, such as Q supply OF
better water, the establishment Of build
ing lines on the streets, the employment
of q skilled architect for future building,
and so on. All this suggestion IL on
square business basis, as 10 what he has
to say about the saloons, as given below.
We commend it to the calm, colo. blood
ed consideration of any who would do
anything looking toward establishing
saloons where they do not now exist.
The greatest village need Is to get rio
of the saloons. They are stupendous
business folly. "Queer talk from New
Y orker," some OF your readers may sayP
I am not 30 sure. can 60 from my
house to my work In dozen different
ways without passing saloon except on
the railroad. Can you? can walk for
miles visiting the home OF one friend
after another, crossing main arteries OF
traffic, without even seeing saloon.
Can youp Within the city can show
you areas several times as large as
B!ankton's village limits, where there Is
and can be no saloon, open or secret.
Restrictions in the deeds have worked
the miracle. No man engaged In cut
ting lots out of bis ancient farms dreams
of emitting the saloon restriction. 1t
increases the value. Even II he likes q
drink himself he keeps the saloons on
the property he offers for sale; that Is
business. And SO 1t Is that many OF the
newer sections of the city are practically
without this cloud upon property.
People in Blankton have said to me:
"Blankton is court and county town.
The visiting lawyers and drummers like
q drink. We have to have hotels, and
thew can't keep open without bars. Be-
sides, what would the bar-tenders do for
a living?"
oh very well-if you want to talk SEN
timental gush! was talking strictly
business. All that saloon argument IL
the purest moonshine. The whole
civilized world is in different ways NOV
ing against the saloon for business rea'
sons. Hotels can run without bars; mol
a dozen hotels but as many as you need
Out Of town lawyers may like whiskey
let them bring it In the tail pockets Of
their long black coats. As for the bar
tenders business, theirs is an ill-paid
short-lived, despised business; you'll dc
them favor by driving them into use
full, healthful and honored work. Senti
ment! il were to begin to talk senti
ment-I could! You could The TRACE
dies we have known! The cruel TRACE
dies.
However let us stick to business. Il
you were building q ready-made city
like Gary, Ind, that the Steel Trust II
building, there'd be no saloon in 1t
. l lNer6 IL uOuo al udIy, shouSu Ao,o0N
people are there already. The business
advantage is the same whether the tow
has one owner or a thousand. II yol
have lots to market, or carpenter Wort
to do, or cloth or fish, or meat or tin
ware to sell, your business policy Is anti
saloon. Even If you like whiskey your
self it is cheaper to hop on car and e
else " here for it than to harm the place
where you do business. It's an ill-birt
that fouls its own nest A whole section
in Brooklyn was once ruined for the dr.!
, goods trade-and that ruin cost million!
, of dollars-because women wouldn't e
past lot of saloons, with their un
decorative fringe of loafers to shop
, There are places in every big city wher'
, such causes make, as every retail mer
r chant knows, a fright side" aud
"wrong side" of the street to do bust
ness on. Why not have two right sides