Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-01

schools than any license state IN the
Union.
II our correspondent fears that
/ Names prohibition policy is not the
best thing for its economical welfare,
he had best study the conditions of
his neishboring states. Let us look
on Vermont; that state has been
fooled by the liquor interests. Its
people were told that rum sellers were
| getting rich on money that munich
! palities ought to have tor license BY
becoming partners in the rum business.
| Here is sample result; The annual
pauper expense of Burlington arose
in a few years of license from $4,000
to sIS,0o0-to say nothing of proper
tienal backward steps in morals and
newly inspired appetites that it would
require a quarter of a century to live
down were Vermont made prohibition
today.
Look at New Hampshire In the
last year of no-license, 1902, there
were 473 arrests of criminal drunks.
In 1908, the first year of license, there
were $50 arrests for the same cause.
In the second year of license, there
were 1887 arrests for the same cause.
In the third year of license. there
were 1851 arrests for the same cause,
and in the fourth year of license. there
were Psi arrests of criminal drunks.
We would call our correspondent
attention to the progressive Increase
of the saloons hold upon the peoples
character 1t has been proportionate-
ly advancing in it's grasp on civic and
political affairs Just note the figures
bg years: 47S-836 1887 l637-2lS
If our correspondent believes that
continued license would have Increased
the business and maintained the man
ufacturing of Wayne, we would ask
him where The revenue from license
goes. From an average of the license
laws of the various states it is found
that the sum which the average sa
loon takes out of its community is
its license. The saloon brings in re
money: it employs little help. few re-
spectacle people would be found in
any way connected with tho business.
The money that goes into the saloon
comes out of the grocer. the dry
goods man and other legitimate bust
ness. Where, then, is the economic
value of the saloon 1t is all outgo
and no income. as it is easily shown
that the sum received in licenses by
a community is more than offset by
increased expense of police. prisons.
paupers, insane. etc. to say nothing
of the progressive upbuilding of crime
of all sorts. Lock back at New
Hampshires record
At hand we have cords. almost. of
statistics to prove that while the
acknowledged violation of the Maine
law is bad, very bad, the violation of
any sort of d license law is worse,
much worse, and in addition to the
violation the license town has it's at
tractive legal places which are con-
s1antly bidding for a class of trade
that tile low, dirty, hidden dive does
not catch.
We believe that man of so much
Intelligence as our correspondent
shows in his letter must readily see
and admit that Wayne sold her cheese
factory for grange hall because the
railway was too far away for her to
compete with concerns that could
save in trucking; that much of
Wayne's best life blood ebbed in the
search for more promising opportun-
ity-the exact history of hundreds of
New England towns The railways
made some towns and killed Others
| The saloons have killed hundreds of
towns but they never made one.