The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1909-03-16
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RWHoSPAYsSTHE DlFFEREhcEf

EeSHh Z u 49, : - n.
Weihaara great deal said from time
@foI Hmeeiconcer1ning the 81, 900 the city
SfsFai.mont loses each year when we
sdo not have saloons. Now, let us lay
aside ttrlr prejudice for Q few min
ntes and ID . business like manner tntl
zee what somebody has to pay In or
der that the city might get this $i7-
900 revenue from n saloons. Under
tia new law each saloon owner must
pay $1,000 into the State treasury
which makes sl7, 1000 to be raised in
cash 81; to the 81, 900 cash IN
advance paid to the city. Then each
saloonaSmn must have a place Of business
ana $50 q month for rent Is a conserya-
tive estimate for that item, or 5000
sfor each saloon; making SO, 200 for y
Tie seventeen. An average Of two bar
Keepers al each saloon will cost each
owner 81, 1000 a year more, making
FL 900 on that score. Then add $4,000
for light fuel, Ice and sundries and
taes line Sup is something like this for
The Nsaloous in tho city:
city license ...$17,ooo
Stnte license n. 17'ooo
Rents IA. ~. 1o,2oo
Bartenders l7'oQo
4 Sundrles ....t..'. o'ooo
IA ---
Total N, /. .$CG,20O
All II this money has to be paid out
bys the saloon owners, before there Is
8 cent profit provided for.' Now
let SisEE Place the average profit for the
year at 81 4, 900 for each saloon owner
and that Is certainly conservative
Here vs. have $4,000. which, added to
die Sol, 1000 gives in round numbers
100000. But an these flgurtes7no pro-
vision has been made for the main
iten q expense, the wlnet 'yhlskeys,
beer, porter, ale etc, How nincn does
itS cost seventeen saloons to keep
stocked MP forfaiyea:? we confess we
have oily d faint idea, but perhaps
.IHt ~-aNt N H#HN.I --. ~
giving a profit of. 80 per cent. on the he
Z business done would not be a bad
esstimraute, hence to provide for $780,
900 shown above; 100000 worth Of
goods must be sold. Then. here we
are face to face with the real cash
outlay that those who drink liquor
must paw for the privilege Of having
saloon ii Fairmont: In order that
the crAl::y may get sl7, 900 in license
morey ttne people who drink must
pay to the saloon keepers 100000,
leaving ID SEtlenr loss Of $3.50, 900. And
who pays It? Please think a minute
Before attempting to answer who -pays
III. Do the leading business men Of
die city pay much on this bill? Do
the Representative lawyers. doctors.
merchants and bankers pay much of
this $500 oo2 How many leadIng and
Representative citizens 90 into the "a
loong and got liquor: Noinonbt some
OF them do use liquor, but taey don't
buy I'll h Fairmonts saloons. The bulk
stot the s?o0.ONo; necessary to Keep ser-
Senteent saloons running in 'Fairmont
comes from the men who earn their
money by days work, the poor peo.
pie whose wives! and children have to
10 hungry and without proper clothes
when tia father IS spending his 'hnrl.
earned wages Overt TIE bar at the open
saloon. M submit, tl:ese figures in ill
candor aud sincerity and ask the peo'
4 p1elto s tuly them carefully before vot-
Ing for the laborlng men to be obfg.
sd to spend $500, 900 in tine saloons
inSt this city in order that the citS' may
re .pltitulS Sill 900 license tax. In
these figures no account is taken Of
the Increased expenses to the city on
account q crime Snnd prosecutions
therefor, We have confined ourselves
Id the d stual outlay Of cash that must
he male tby the community in order
chat inc saloons OF T'airmont may be
kept gong. Ought We not to stop and
ask who payslthese bills and ought
wegnot as sensible people try to stop
taiss drain on the helpless. hopeless
poor who are in tho clutches Of the
drink demon? All that We have aid
here has thad-to do with the business
side of The saloon. The moral Issue
has moi been raised, neither has the
aorre@w, nor the heartaches, nor. the
misery, nor the wretchedness which
lg.I MN o.. T, .ESs ,,sssNf- PIG, 49,