Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-23
SALOONLEsS CITY.
s. n. Wirsching Tells What Eff
feet of Local Option Has
Been in Galesburg.
ANSWERS LOCAL MAYOR
Vets Predicted Financial Ruin in His
Home Town, but He Presents
Figures to Contrary.

{ 8. H. wirsching of Galesburg spoke
last night in the old Central Presby-
lterian church on local option, especial
I ly as it has affected Galesburg. He put
special emphasis on several points.
4 "At the start let 1t be remembered
= that the great question upon which
you are to vote is not the question of
a glass of beer, nor of the men engag-
ed in the liquor business" Mr.. Wirsch-
ing said. "but the question of an insti-
tuition that is bad and therefore injur-
ious to your city in every way. Even
your financial interests suffer because
of it, as is proved in all cities where
they have voted dry.
1.-TWO years ago our wet mayor, sa-
loon keepers, and a few others, raised
the cry that it would kill the city, par
alyze business, and increase taxes If
the city lost its saloons and the $685.
600 revenue Some of your city Off
Gals are talking just as ours did, but
a large majority of our citizens used
their own good business judgment and
voted dry just the same.
Claims Results Always Better.
They knew that other cities had
votel dry and the results were always
better The vets have yet to find the
first city that was killed, or legitimate
business injured in any way by going
dry. What was the result in Gales
burg? The postofice receipts give
some indication of the business of the
city In 1907, the last year of saloons.
~ 10
S6O,122.3S. In 1908, the first dry year,
it jumped to $72,S33.97, and in 1909 to
SIS, S4O95
1.-The assessed valuations for 1907
amounted to $3,756,505; for 1908, So
$50, sos; for 1909, IS, S37,4O7 Nor does
this include two or three large new
buildings that are just being com
pleted.
Show Reduction In Taxes.
The appropriations for corporate
improvements were as follows: In
1907, $72,516; in 1908, $77,556.SS; in
1909. s101. 963.72. Say, does that look
like a dead town?
: But said some of the vets, If you
make any improvements, up will go
your taxes.
They talked precisely as some of
the saloon men of Rock Island, al
though your taxes are already up to
the limit of the law. In Galesburg the
tax levy for city purposes in 1907 was
1921; in 1908, s2.66, and in 1909 only
1892. All this in a city whose mayor
and some others predicted an increase
with such seeming seriousness that
few became frightened at that foolish
talk. Not one prophecy of theirs ever
proved true, nor will one of them
prove true in Rock Island.
THE arrests for drunkenness the
last two years of saloons amounted to
2,135. The two years following they
have amounted to only GIL Had it
not been for wet Monmouth, only a
few miles away, even this small num-
Der would have been further de-
creased.
Increase Bank Deposits.
"In the banks a like remarkable
showing was made. The total increase
in the business of the banks and the
building and loan associations amount
ed to S1,100,000. If you vote Rock Is
land dry, and so relieve the city of the
burden caused by the saloon, you will
find the results just the opposite of
what your mayor now predicts. Why
does he not produce a single instance
where disaster has followed the city's
going dry? The business men in Gales
burg report an increase CT business
with better cash sales than when sa-
looms were there. 1t will be the same
in your city. Many of the workingmen
are now buying for themselves homes,
who before never thought of such a
thing. 1t has been the making of
Ca1a