The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-08
hat booze and business do not go to

chicago Record-Herald said: This city
(Kansas City. Kas.,) has population
of 100000. On June 8, 1906, there
were in Wyandotte county, Kans.,
256 saloons, 200 gambling houses, 60
houses of i'll repute. On July all
were closed. When the fight on the
saloons began the business men said
to close the saloons would mean to
stop the growth of the city, destroy
the erection of buildings, render
houses vacant, increase taxation. Did
1t prove true? The gain in population
to Kansas City, Kansas, for the year
has been greater than Kansas City,
Mo-, with three times her population.
The government reports show that
the largest proportion of gain in
building operations in the U. S. from
July L, 1906, to July 1, 1907, was 209.7
per cent in Kansas City, Kan, and the
next largest gain was n per cent.
/ Wichita gained 1000 in population.
Topeka 1000, and Leavenworth $500.
Bank deposits have increased more
than 100000 since the saloons were
closed. More clerks hired to attend to
mercantile business. A letter from
the president of the largest bank in
the city said, within one year after
/! the saloons were closed deposits had
increased s1,700,000. A savings bank
| president said, business has increased
so per cent and IS per cent of the new
customers are of the class that former
ly spent all their money for liquor.
A real estate man who has lived in
the city for II years said, there are
more good houses being built, more
people buying homes and seeking in
vestment than in any time since l
have been here. Three times as many
laboring men bought homes last year
than in any year since | have been
here.
Three months after the saloons
closed the schools opened. They had
to employ Is additional teachers be-
cause 500 boys and girls from i2 to
Is years of age attended the public
school for the first time These young
people gave as reason why they had
not attended in former years, that
they had to assist drinking faith
er to earn living for the family.
Mr.. Trickett said, The closing of
the saloons reduced the annual ex-
penses $4,000 in the prosecution OF
criminals
John Temple Graves tells us the
effect the closing of the saloons had
on the city of Atlanta, Ca. 4Three
months ago the red lights faded from
the Georgia saloons and not symp
tom of financial distress can be
traced to the new regime. Not fin
ancial failure has been traced to the
new reform
Every guided saloon has been re
opened as a mart of fashion or trade
and many a low doggery has been re
deemed by commercial lines of whole
some activity. Not dollar has been
dropped from the stiff value of real
estate in Georgia's capital.
Is Iowa an exception to Kansas
Maine and other states?
Is Keokuk an exception to Kansas
City, Kansas, Atlanta, Ga, and other
cities?
Here is a very brief record of our
city's criminal record for a few
months. In the month of April, 1908
95 persons We're locked up in our city
Jail, "a in May, so in June, 10S July;
August 81, September 81 October Sc
November SO, and December los. And
the records show that 80 per cent OF
the offenses were due directly and in
directly to the legalized saloon bust
ness of the city
1t would pay property holders OF
the city to submit to the raising OF
their taxes to the amount that the sa-
looms pay as license which is $4,000
The taxable property is, | am in.
formed, s9600,000. Of this amount OF
taxable property the raising of the
tax TO reach the $4,000 would be only
SIG of one cent on the dollar or
s1.S71a cents per $1,000. What man
or woman that loves decency. sobriety
humanity and God would object?
repeat it with all my soul, The sa.
looms are parasite on all legitimate
business.
Anything that disqualities man
+ for labor hurts the community d1an
cially.
DR.. Williams in writing a very
thorogoing series of articles for Nc
Clures' Magazine on the temperance
problem says the most conservative
scientific statement makes it look bad
for alcohol After thorough investi
CATION he tells us that 1-3 of pauper
ism is directly traceable to drink to
say nothing of untold poverty, that
Ia of our insane commitments are due
to it, that 2-5 of the abandoned chill
dren are for liquors sake, that A.
of the inmates of iails and warehouses
are devotees of Bacchus.
Lord Chief Justice Of England re
Gently said: IF sifted nine tenths OF
the crime in England and Wales could
be traced to drink"
"a ner cent of all criminals under