The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-04-22
What Local Option Has
Done For WenatChee

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desirous of knowing wrat the effect
has been upon business in towns that
have gone dry. In order to ascertain
this Mr.. W. r. Webster, of Port An
geles, wrote to the postmaster at We
natchee asking him as to conditions
there. Following is his reply as it
was printed in the Olympic Leader,
of Port Angeles. few days ago:
United States Post Office.
Wenatchee. Wash. March "a, 10.
Mr.. W. B. Webster. Port Angeles.
Dear Sir: Your favor of March
18th. addressed to the president of
the W. g. T. U. and making enquiry
as to conditions here since the town
went dry. has been handed to me
with the request that answer the
questions contained therein. l glad
ly comply with the request
To quote your first question :"Did
the putting out of the saloons iniure
the business of the town. or was bus
mess improved thereby?" 1t is the
testimony of the business men. some
of whom were opposed to dry town.
that conditions of trade have i'm
proved. Trade has increased and
bills are more promptly paid.
Second: ''Were the buildings oc-
cupied by the saloons rented for other
purposes, or did they remain vacant?"
Every building or room occupied by
saloons has long since been engaged
for lines of Business, and this is quite
an item for we bad something like
ten or eleven houses Of this kind do
ing business under license.
1t can be truthfully stated that the
sanRuine expectations of the most ar
dent temperance people have more
than been realized.
! Under the license system the mum
ber of men arrested each month for
drunkenness reached startling proper
tions. Since local option went into
effect. about October Goth, we have
had only few arrests for intoxica-
tion. and in almost every instance
the liquor in these cases was obtained
in some neighboring town.
There has been one arrest and con
viction for ''bootlegginR" on several
counts with heavy aggregation of
fines.
There is full determination on
the part of the city officials and the
people generally to strictly enforce
the law, and in this connection there
has been less trouble than was expect
ed. In fact. SO gratifying have been
the results Of local option that there
is little danger of having the old or
der of things restored.
Mayor John A. Gellatly has taken
great interest In the dry canse at this
place, and on invitation from the peo-
pie of several towns in the state has
delivered lectures on the benehcent
results of local option in Wenatchee.
lie has charts with interesting facts
and figures along these lines which
speak eloquently for themselves.
Wishing the people of your town
aud community every success in your
venture. am.
Very sincerely yours.
l.. M. Hull. Postmaster.
The above su ubstantiates what Robt.
G. TrumbnIl, the we'll known com
mercial salesman for the National
Grocery Company, Seattle. has re
peatedly said when speaking of con-
dltions at Wenatchee prior to and af-
ter the place voted dry. In his trav
els about the state soliciting business
for his firm, Mr. Trumbull makes
stated visits to Wenatchee. He says
that it is really remarkable the in
crease of business in bis lines at We
natchee since the town went dry.
i And collections are much aDeasier.
! And what is true of Wenatchee. is
true of every other dry town in the
state. With the going out of the sa-
loon the people have more money to
epend for the necessaries and luxuries
/ of life.
4 The hard earned cash of the bread
4 winner of the family. which found it's
way into the saloonkeeper' till. un-
der local option is diverted to other
!, channels of trade. The laborinR
mantle poor man. if yon please
is the chief support of the saloon.
simply because there are more of him
in community than any other class
of men. The money he has to spend
he earns by his daily toll. Every
dollar of which that passes across the
bar is just that much less for family
comforts. Olympic Leader