The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-20

more than can Huntsviile. The former had faftened ofr the dispensary SO iong had 1t been theirs. The latter had started to make fat when ths EegisA iature snatcfed the bottle from it's lips The one had used its corpuience e the big profits scsntinued to pour into the treasury while the other had arranged its budeet on the permanent baafs Of q dispensafy. That's what makes the hurt to Huntsville the greater. Tbat's why tiel incoming administration win be puszied for income x, Tn tfis, town the strssts have been improved greatly. the Dfskffot Agricul- turni school and the Athens college have received liberal donations and sewerage. water works and other enc terprises have fare6 well on the dis- pensary profits. But In no way were the running expenses of the town based on the dispensafy as permanenr source of income. True. kfzs street tna- provsments must cease except that for which shutting owners eonssnt te pay. If additions are to be made Co water works or sewerage system. retrench- ment must precede 1t. There win be parsimcny from now on In all depart ments and even at that the city VIII have to begin levy of privilege taxes. It is one of the few cities in AIabama that has exempted all business from license tax. This wili pinch the mer- chants and others some but they may feel that they are still on par with other municipal dealers.
 Athens confirms the wisdom of city ana county being joint stockholders go to speak, of the dispensary., Ever since the; county began to partake Of the profits the business of the dispensary began to climb. From the begining the county commissioners nominated thr@e candidates from which the city council had to choose the dispenser. But that, was all The control was totally with the city. And the county had not, d dollar of interest in the pro- fits. Ii was the city's pet and 1t was so understood when the campaign was wawed that sent the legislator to Mont gomery pledged to the dispensary.
 Bnt with the road bend proposition came the county's material interest in the business and the officers began their watch over the transactions. There was system of checking which informed the county of the monthly ousratiors. There seems to have been an absence of graft for the most part. Ii is believed that in the days when the profits showed so little it was due not to diversion of the funds so much as to Inexperienced methods of con ducting the business. Thens too, In 1908, when the business was best. there was for a time an obedient spirit in the Decaturs. 1t has not altogether gone now but has relaxed notieeabiy. In those obedient days Decatur got some supply of liquor from the Athens
 dispensary, 1t iB said, and helped swell the pridts.
 Prestoi Witness the eAansei De- catur now claims a nice passenger: inc flow from Athens to soothe parched throats and acquire the coveted souses. The express agent will tell you thst his February business So far on the re- ceiving side is fofty per sent whtskey and beer. The postofiice money order bust 1ess has picked up r'sarplv.
 The stun Is being consumed here. In what quantities cannon he stold. But it is said on good authority that blind tigers areqfew and far between. Juries deal roughly with tn am.