The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-02-28
THE ARG uh;EN r IA Z on one
SIDE. a

ii n = sE =. ag7 q =.
A So said 4 Fatrmont "wet', man the
ether day. He was pretty well quail,
fled to make the statement for he has
been In our city ali through the dry
regime. He says the "drysr have all
the argument.
Here are some of the arguments.
Our city was never more prosperous
than at this tims. Some Of the banks
have almost doubled their deposits
last year. The dry-soods man. the gro.
Gerry man, the hardware man knows
that the bank condition is good indi-
saion OF the business of a city. In nc
good thing has FaIrmont lost in the
Fast two years. She is catching some
of the fragrance waited to her on the
hreezes from other sections of the
country. Here are a few of the ad.
vantages made by the Great Reform
in 1909. Feur States became prohibit
tion territory: four others adopted 10.
cal option laws; twenty.eight States
adopted advanced temperance IraisIa:
tion. Thus tlfirty-slx States made prog.
ress. Besides all this 200 counties vot.
ed "dry" and thousands of townships
and small cities did the same, their
host Is too great to name. Many Of
these cities contain from 5000 to TO-
600 in population, and now word comee.
that the tteuor interests are trembling
for fear that Chicago will vote s'dryr
In April next.
Everything indicates that the mighty
currents will sweep right on. Florida.
Arkansas and perhaps Virginia may be
counted upon to join tie prohibition
ranks In 1910. Michigan and the great
Northwest will Written large part of
the map, and other hundreds of coun.
ties and municipalities will ask to BIO
on the honor roll during this year.
Look at these two pictures ard then
ask yourself the ques.ion,--Does Ma
rion county need saloons or brcwerics?
The picture is the story Of two eoun-
tiss In Southern Illinois. Edwards
county Is "dry'' and Alexander county
is "wet.r The "dry" county has one
half more children in school per capita
and collects less than one-half as nucn
tax per capita. Her percentage Of jail
inmates for 1909 was but one to the
others thirty.four. She has no one in
either the State nenitentiary or reform
schools. while the other had one Of the
largest populations in those places on
record. What do you think of this pic
ture. Call it LIE II yu dare. and
some facts about zancavilie, ohic,.
(Which city the rumnies have slam
dered Of late). will stare you n the
face. Somebody has been investigat.
ing a matter hintefat in one of our
Fairmont daflies In the issue of Feb.
ruary 5sh, about GAINESVILLE.
Here is another argument that ought
to make the "wets%tu turn scarlet. Four,
flfths Of the counties Of Kansas, "poor,
prohibition Kansas" are without am in
sanr person IN them: twenty-eight
counties have no inmates for their
poor.farrns. and twenty.onc counties
sent no eonvicts to the penitentiar.t
las: year. -
Say! Chicago has, 1900 saloons.
They are assessed an average IL three
dollars each. Whoo! What great bust
ness assets to a city7
Herr Is the best argument the 'wetsr
have put IN for decade, and put in
great Chicago daily. The Chicago
Record Herald recently contained
full page advertisement for which $500
was paid, and whicil ad. "waa devoted
not to exploiting a -crtain brand of
"bonze," but to 4 solution of the drink
problem. It rccoun:ed varies defeats
of the "drys" and flied the center of
the page with synopsis OF an opin.
len given by a certain Or. aowditch
lin 1870, forty years ago.. wt7icl, con.
eIudes that alcohol Is not always ]
roison and that all drIntirA is n=t
evil. S7y! is such an argument wortI'
s5oo7 If SC, may be tsome of the Ben.
edet Arnolds in Fairmont can get n
half million fer porke:iny their con-
and voting for license.
A CITIZEN.