Middletown transcript., 1909-03-13
THE OPTIMTSTS WIN

decrease of crime and increase Of
prosperity for the Empire State
OF the South. A year has passed
and the annual account Of stock
has been taken, and as a result,
the leading newspaper of the
State says 1.-THE saloon is gone
forever from Georgia.
Atlanta, the largest city in
which prohibition was ever tested
save temporarily, in case OF catas
trophe, has been watched with
great interest to see whether the
predictions of the pessimists or
those of the optimists' would be
verified.
The pessimiists said said ttttffast that mere
liquor would be sold under pro
hibition than under license, and
that it would be worse liquor;
that more liquor meant more
drunkenness, and that worse Ii
quor meant worse drunks and
hence, inevitably. more crime;
that the city would lose Il large
saloon derived revenue; that
business would suffer severely
from prohibition, and that at the
end of a year Atlanta would re,
pent of its folly.
The optimists said that total
abstinence, for an individual, al
ways meant moral safety, tinan'
cial saving, and usually great in
crease of prosperity and happi-
ness for himself and his family,
and that what is good for an indi-
vidual is good for an aggregation
Of individuals, which is all a city
is, anyway. They pointed to the
fact that prohibition has proved
to be practical wherever public
s ent has besn behind it and
ver il has been worked
las wrought none of the evils
catalogued by the pessimists.
Atlanta first year of prohibi-
ton is ended and religious and
secular papers are recording the
results. The arrests for drunk
enness fell eff 60 per cent; 1858
less drunks in 1908 than in 1907 !!
That means a great deal for q
great many women and little
children ID Atlanta, to say moth,
ing Of the men. The arrests for
all causes decreased 40 per cent.
A policy that practically halves
the crime Of a city of more than
100, 900 souls, must have much to
commend it.
The chief of police of Atlanta,
speaking Of the year of prohibi
ton, says: 1.-THE big decrease in
the mum Der of cases, and of dis.
order generally, shows that pro
hibition is a good thing, and is
proving successful in Atlanta.
OF course there are a lot of blind
tigers, and they are giving US
considerable trouble, but we are
making it hot for them wherever
they show their heads and have
bagged a large number during the
year. There is one feature of the
good of prohibition that I have
noticed, and that is the decrease
in the number Of cases of destitu-
ton, There have been a very
few reports of such cases during
the present year.
Recorder Broyles, the judge of
the police court, says: 81 con-
slider the police record for the
year wonderful, and I am thor
oughly convinced that prohibi.
tion is success. 1t has greatly
lessened such offenses as wife
beating, stabbings and common
brawls such as are superinduced
by liquor. lam greatly gratified
over the first years showing of
prohibition"
Tax values have increased
more than two millions to offset
the one hundred and fifty thous-
and dollar loss in license fees,
and the banks earned SIX hum
dred thousand dollars for their
stockholders. RI the value Of
building permits issued during
the year there was a gain of
s279, 900, while the previous year
saw a decrease of 1901, 1873. 1t is
a most remarkable fact that 1908,
q panic year, and an election year,
under prohibition, was thesecond-
best year Atlanta ever had. And
yet when the next prohibition
election comes around the same
old sophistries will be trotted
out and the same people who
wisHto be fooled will kow tow to
them.
LETTER 70 FnANR nAvYs