The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-03-18

W AtetS = 9e14S4y
improvement Ii tae STANDARD d t,or.,
ais which. asa natural consequence:
VIII govern he intelligence 81 our best
citizens, and the efforts made BY; such
citizens 70 enforce the laws, which
would finally create a better public
sentiment In times.
He answered, The public sent.
ment Is coming around all right, and
because OF that growing public sent-
1nent. / have taken every dollar / had
in the liquor business out of It and
have placed my money in better and
far more Legitimate Investments.
which can be counted on at all times
and under all conditions as assets
which can be depended on as sure. re-
gardless Of public sentiment on thing,
Illegal which always have fictitious
value"
Now" he continued, Il saw the II.
dal wave moving over the whole coun-
try while | was engaged in the infer.
nal saloon huglness in your town, and
that tidal wave Of moral sentiment
against the liquor traffic, was coming
closer to your section every day, so.
when the opportunity came for me to
clean up $4,000 in cold cash by sell
ing out, | %thereupon gladly unloaded
my business there, and left your town
forever, wishing my successor God.
speed In his uncertain and Illegal en-.
%terprlse."
Inquired. why did you make up
your mind to quit Our town forever?"
TO this question he replied, "You may
not know 1t, but your town has some
Of the most soulless people with minds
entirely and hopelessly perverted. I
mean Ubiquitous erafters, who dom
irate and dominee- both political par.
ties as so.called lenders OF them. |
ever lad the misfortune to fall In
with, but they, as fast and unscrup,t
lois as they are, were not swift
enough for me-"
mo. Il do not care to name ones
who make up the gang that fixes
things In the liquor business In your
town. but I can name them II 1t ever
becomes necessary "They are stIn
doing business at the old stand, but
the grating business Is not so flour.
ishing to them since the dry spell
struck your town.
ITO tell the truth" ne continued,
"the saloon man is not entirely to
blame for his seeming outinwry and
Righteousness in lis business In your
town: Its rather unfortunate for him
to be so engaged, because he IL vie.
tlmlzed through a gait and graft sys-
TEN. which he could not. avoid because
Of the dominating and d%omineering In.
%fIaence brought to bear On him every
few days by the so.alled big chiefs
Of the two politico saloon parties who
fixed things for the people on the one
hand. and the saloon mai on the 9th.
er hand, which 'Axings' the people new
er fully understood, but the saloon
man aad to submit to before he could
get d look In so far as a license for
himself was concerned"
III the saloon mEn didn't come right
with the proper color OF money and
enough Of 1t to go around among the
boys In office who had charge Of the
saloon lettings, he had to get out, and
out qulckly.-no sentiment Or friend.
ship counted,-it was money which
made the glass Jingle, and the ponies
60"
"Did the saloon man have 10 pay
mich for mis- extraordinary privileges?
We'll. I should say so. 1t was pay, pay
all the time, and at times, Just before
elections, It seemed that I had to pay
everybody connected in any way with
certain Offices and officials In the city,
county. and State governments, and It
didn't matter which, faction OF either
POLITICAL panty wax In power-it was
the same system (Which system never
%cEanged) SC. far as the politico-saloon
bunch was concerned and Interested"
"Yes. the hush money. the lush
coin, and the special privilege money
all went through the same channels to
the fountain-head where all the taxing.
fixing. or fixing WIS done" 4tThe II.
cense tax was the cheapest thing about
it when 1t came 10 buying a saloon
and the extraordinary privileges 60.
ing with It; but wnen the saloon man
got into business aLdr the politico.sa.
loon machine begs, to work, no ope
had any idea but the saloon man how
Messrs. GAIT and Graft got in their
work" Why. honestly 1t wa awful
how they would pull our legs. and ey.
cry once In awhile, and too often, the
p%olltico-saloon machine would be re.
ported to us at not running Just right,
.ilnt is. 1t needed more oil, and, of
course, we had to furnish more oil or:
ni,sh money to keep the bunch who
H~ -