La Junta tribune., 1911-02-11
By Judge z. W. MeDsn,sl

OF The saloon business.
| Suppose this 100000, instead Of
being spent for worse than nothing.
were thrown into the legitimate chan
nels OF trade. and that II were spent
for boots and shoes. dry goods and
groceries, With now and then a dollar
I In payment OF bad debts occasioned
by the saloons OF the year before,
I would IT not constitute a valuable n
nanCial asset to the community
| The experience Of Rocky Ford and
the testimony OF her business men Is
knockdown argument In favor OF a
dry town. II Is no longer deba,-
able issue in that city. Business men
OF Rocky Ford who. before the sa.
supporters OF the wet ticket have by
several years OF business experience
In dry town become convinced that
saloons are close enough when To-
Gated In Pueblo and Denver and
would like very much 10 have Swink
dried up. Experience has demon
sJrsied to these men that the money
saved 70 0 community by eliminating
saloons flows naturally into other
channels Casting up accounts they
have concluded that they cannot al.
ford 10 sacrifice the increased bust
ness and better collections for the
sake OF having a saloon conyenlently
at hand
Suppose some man should come TO
mis- city and offer to build hete a
factory which would add to the an
nuaI payroll Of the city the sum OF
$500 600 What Inducements would
the merchants OF this city give to
secure IT, What reason then can
any merchant have for fayoring the
rc-sstabllshment OF an institution
that annually su- tracts from the
present payroll that sum Of money,
and exchanges It for beer and whis-
key, rather than for boots and shoes.
dry goods. groceries and house rent
It is true there arc some little off.
sets to this \ man called my al.
tention The other day to the fact that
all these saloons employ bartendcrs
and that these men live well. He
said these men would spend thirty
five cents for T-bone steak and
take II home to their families. and
other things In proportion. told
him that while this was desirable In
and OF itself felt that the cost to
the community Was too high. That
while In the case OF a clerk In
grocery or dry goods store. adding
the element OF profit and expense In
the business TO the cost. a thirty.five
cent T-bone steak taken home by
such a clerk would not cost the com.
munity more than fifty or sixty
cents, but that adding saloon profit
and expense. and considering the
worthlcssness OF the goods dispensed.
every bartender's steak sold In La
Junta would stand the community not
less than three or four dollars. and
that however desirable this trade
might be from other points OF view.
the item OF expense would compel US
70 foreso the luxury
l, is evident then. from an eco
nomie standpoint alone. that We can
not afford as a community to give
$4,000 worth Of business and the
profits thereon. In exchange for
$1,000 in revenues. less the added
expense Of criminal prosecution and
detention. the relief OF poverty ere
ated thereby. and the many other 81.
pcnses which the presence Of the
saloon entails upon community.
! have confined my argument TO
The material side of this question. not
only because OF the time limit. but
because the advocates OF tn. saloon
choos. that as their only ground
They admit. when unable longer to
dodge the issue. that the saloon is
an eva. but they hasten TO add that
the iliien sale OF liquor In dry terri.
tory makes conditions just as bad.
without the compensation that the
revenue brings TO the community
Then they add with Indignant yoeiser,
alton that they favor stringent laws
J 10 compel the saloons To b. run IN
decent manner. Thus they blow
hot and cold. asserting In one breath
the incfficacy OF the law In dry
territory. and Its efficacy In wet
territory.
! Considering the saloon In It's ear.
Ing upon the morals OF the commun.
ity every Intelligent. observing man
must Admit that Il is an unmixed