Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-04-01
NOT ALL FOR LICENSE
BUSINESS MEN DIVIDED ON
SALOON QUESTION
THE LADORING MANS STANDPOINT
A Discussion of the Issue of the Day
by Ladysmith Business Man
What Mill Hand Told Him

by LadySmlth Business Man
What Mill Hand Told Him
Thursday afternoon the much her
aided no-license petition had not yet put
in an appearance. Judging from the
emphatic expression Of practically all of
our business men, it will be defeated
this year by larger majority than last
year. journal.
This is highly complimentary, to say
the least, to the opinions of about half
of our business men who are not very
emphatic" this year one way or the
other in expressing themselves upon
this question. Practically all. . Some
of our business men have been so
wrought up over thus being ignored,
| that they have submitted to the News
Budget for publication original articles
| for publication, and not having space
for all, we have selected the following
TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC LOSS
Throughout the length and breadth
of our country is heard protest against
the increased cost of living. The cause
for this increase is at present being in
vestigated by the national and several
state governments. Some blame the
trusts and others the tariff. Doubtless
both are to blame, in measure, but
the largest reason for the increase can
be summed up in two words: extrava-
gance and wastefulness. The latter
| word and the American saloon are syn
onymous, in that every dollar spent in a
saloon is absolutely wasted. The license
money received from saloons does not
cover the expense of pauperism and
crime which they breed.
- is estimated that the saloons in
Ladysmith eacn tale in an average of
$50 per day. Figuring 300 days in
year, that would amount to $8l 900. 1t
is safe to say that Z of that amount, or
in round figures $50, 1000, is what the
citizens of Ladysmith pay every year
for the privilege of getting back $4,000
in license money Did you ever stop to
| figure out what our drink bill will buy
in the necessaries Of life? $780, 900 will
buy any of the following items;
! 40, 900 49-lb. sacks Of flour at $3.50,
| which will make about
{, 1000, 900 lib. loaves of bread, or more
than 1000 loaves for each man, woman
and child d-more than enough for en-
tire population to live on for a whole
year if it were necessary.
| 150, 900 bu potatoes at 40 c.
5000, 600 eggs, at "a C. per. doz.
240, 900 lbs. butter at % c. per 10.
| &c, 900 pair shoes at $3 per pair
40, 900 cords 16 in. wood at 81. SO per cord.
400, 900 lbs. of meat at Is c. per 10.
100 cottages at $500 each.
800 dwelling lots at 5000 each.
6 school houses at $40, 900 each.
Is bridges across the Flambeau at
$4,000 each
2 times the total tax raised in Lady
smith.
5000 acres of land at $40 per acre.
| The price of about 9 square miles Of
! $40 land wasted in single year. Are
not these figures and facts astounding?
1t is argued that if the saloons go out
| it will throw out of employment l8 sa-
loonkeepers and bartenders. Did you
ever stop to figure out how many men
this wasted money would employ if
spent in constructive enterprise? If it
were all used in building homes, all the
bartenders and saloonkeepers could not
dig the cellars fast enough. And just
think what a glorious and patriotic
sight it would be to see these l8 festive
knights of the dice and cocktail, armed
with dynamite, axe and spade, march
upon this 5000 acre tract and start
clearing and fitting it for agriculture
the Job would last them so years. They
would then become creators of value
and cease to be drones and leeches of
| society, makers of paupers and crimin-
ais and polutors of politics.
i We all know that morally the saloon
| is first cousin to the house of pr3stltu-
ton they go hand in hand and defend
helped any man or woman; they vie
| with one another in lawlessness, with
the saloon a close second. Some sa-
looms are better than others, but none
are respectable. F" In any one of them
in Ladysmith can be heard and seen
| things every day which would be good
ground for arrest if done or said in
respectable place of legitimate busl-
ness. But the moral status of our sa-
looms is too we'll known to need elabo-
ration here and let us return to the fl
nancial side of it.
Here is a little problem that is puz-
zler. If you meet wet man and
ask him how much poorer a taxpayer
[Continued on page 81