Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-06-08

print WneH urSl puDASneQ, ana look oc-
casion to verify it's truth from Musca
tine. There the alleged author of the
purported interview brands the publ
cation as false. Under the similar
head Of Cali Blame on Billy Sunday
Muscatine Man Draws. Sorrowful Pic
ture of the Conditions in that Town."
the story as printed under a Clinton
date in the state press, and reproduced
on hand bills in Marshalltown, follows:
Clinton, May %. - BILLY Sunday
wrecked Muscatine," said Constable
Duncan, who came here to take back
to that city negro arrested in Clinton
for breaking and entering.
Constable Duncan declares that with
the departure of the baseball evangelist
from Muscatine, after a campaign
against the devil and the liquor dealers,
the thfrty-tWo saloons which had been
paying the city $500 year each went
out of business; but that since that
event government license to sell liquor
to the number 107 have been granted,
which does not give the city a cent Of
revenue.
you can buy a drink in any alley in
town" declared the Muscatine minion
Of the law. "They peddle it around in
market baskets, and 'bootlegging' is
common. The streets are full of inc
briates, and often these are boys of Is
and 16 years Of age. A minister's sen
was arrested for intoxication the other
day. The authorities are powerless to
stop the street vending of liquor, and
the town is in a deplorable condition.
AS result of the elimination of rev.
enue, four policemen have been dis
pensed with, and the city never had
enough. The people have lone desired
paid fire department, but see no way
to accomplish that DESIRE"
What Muscatine Paper Says.
The Record Of Muscatine, under date
of Saturday, June 5, declares the pub
lication as quoted above base SANDER
on Muscatine, and insists that instead
OF going backward Muscatine Is stead
lily forging ahead. The Record quotes
Constable Duncan as branding the 'in-
terview" a tissue Of falsehoods; fur
thermore that he did not talk with a
newspaper man while in Clinton. The
Records publication of Constable Dun.
cans denial, and the editorial COM
ments on the situation in Muscatine
are in full as follows:
double Photographed heading appeared
Sin the Davenport Times, Des Moines
Register and other Iowa publications
Constable John NJ. Duncan was inter-
viewed by the Record editor the other
day, and the official very strenuously
asserted that this alleged interview was
"a tissue Of falsehoods. He asserts he
did not see a Clinton newspaper man
when there, and the only person he
talked to was the officer at the police
station where his prisoner was held.
The name Of Evangelist Sunday was
not even mentioned" he says, land all
Of the conversation had with this Of
ficer was a comparison Of the number
of saloons they now have in Clinton
and what we used to have here"
Merchants Have Better Business.
'FThe facts Of the matter are, no CITY
in iowa has made as good a showing as
has Muscatine since the saloons were
closed. and instead Of the city going
to rack and ruin" 1T is going forward
now more substantially and satisfac-
torily than it ever did before. Bus
mess men who heretofore thought the
business existence of the city largely
depended on the saloons now realize
differently. The Record can cite many
cases where the merchants report bet
ter business by 20 to 80 per cent than
when the saloons were in operation.
People who formerly did not have
money to buy necessaries of life with
now have the needed money, because
1t is not being poured into the hell
holes. TT banks show a substantial
gain in deposits. Four of our banks.
recently in their published statements
showed $5.7s4,502 deposits, a gain of
very near 100000 in the past year.
Persons who have never known what
1t was to havet a bank account are
now laying by each week that part
that went to the saloons. If Muscatine
is going backward. why do the receipts
show over 100000 expended In 1908
on new buildings? Why does the
Commercial Club continuously adver-
tise for 1000 more employees in our
factories? Why did Muscatine secure
six new factories this year? Why does
our population show full 10000 as
against 1900 or $4,000 few years
ago? And last, but not least, why do
We not hear more dissatisfaction genS
orally expressed because the saloons
are not here?
lie Up to Mayor and Police.
"The fact Is there has been and Is
some bootlegging going on here, hut ii
is absolutely untrue that the streets
are full OF inebriates.' The further facts
are that there would be but little boot
Logging Il the mayor. MARSHAL and po-
lice force were In sympathy with en-
forcement OF law. 4 Is true there are
quite q few arrests for drunkenness,
and the reasons therefore are obvious.
| hut there could have bsen ten 10 Ss.s
arrests made last summer for similar