The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-11-04
How Local Option Has
Helped Friday Harbor
Editor islanders.

Editor Islander:
The city of Dayton with its five
saloons and revene of SIS, 900 from
the sale of liquor licenses was the
first to vote dry in this state. In
one year the city taxes were reduced
one mill, after losing the $4,000 IL
cense money; their business in
creased that much.
The city of Friday Harbor voted
dry about 6 months ago. | have in
quired of all the business men of
the city how local option affected
them. Mr.. Carter told me that his
store trade had increased $1,000 per
month since the city went dry and
all others told me their business had
increased, although the liquor ele-
ment tried to boycott the city in
every way they could. With all
this the city has made more improve
ments on streets and sidewalks than
ever before and notice men who
are well dressed now whom / never
saw wear decent clothes when the
sale of liquor was licensed. We
have no marshal or other officers
except the mayor and city council.
| have been on San Juan island for
over SO years and | never saw Fri
day Harbor as decent as it is now,
although the liquor element defies
the law and is selling liquor all the
time. But with all this we have
peace, and lady need not be afraid
of being insulted by drunkards, as
was the case when the sale of liquor
was licensed. although there were
marshal and sheriff then. There
was such singing and shouting night
after night my family could not
sleep because of the fear that some
body might be killed. Thank God
we can sleep like rocks now with no
fear. All is peace now. You will
hear some men say you might as
well give them license to sell, they
are selling anyhow. In common
sense why do the liquor dealers
want the city wet if they are selling
so much liquor without paying for
license? AS our legislature was
controlled by the liquor money and
made laws full of holes, it is hard to
control the liquor traffic in local op-
tion places. but thank God the good
people are getting their eyes opened
and they are going to vote for hon.
est men who will mend the laws so
it will be easier to stamp this liquor
curse out of our country. Every
man should vote for Troy for state
senator; he is an honest man. Bis
hop is in for whiskey, and is upheld
by the liquor element. You will
find that all the pauperism of this
county was caused by drunkenness
and the hard working man is paying
taxes to keep up drunken voters OF
this county. Think Of this, $780,
600 going out of this county every
year for liquor and beer; a drain on
the people for worse than nothing.
Liquor makes paupers, insane peo-
pie and crying mothers. You will
hear men say that mans liberty
should not be interfered with but
there is one thing you overlook.
God created a spiritual man and
gave him dominion over everything
on the face of the earth. When q
man gets drunk the spiritual part
leaves him and he is on the same
footing as the brute. The spiritual
man has dominion over all beasts.
and he should take all temptation
out of the way Of this brute-man
and try to elevate him SO that the
spiritual part will come back to him
and put him on a par with himself.
In conclusion. our citv will vote on
local option. There won't be much
change in the votes and it will go
dry by q fine majority. The think
ing people have seen how three or
four liquor men have defied all the
laws Of the land, and that it is high
time to put q stop to it in our city.
Ishope that the voters in tho balance
of the county will vote the curse out
of the whole county. Then it will
be easy to keep it out. To crown
all, don't forget to give your mother
and sister vote, to make them equal