Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-04-26
The Economic Waste in Winneshiek
Co. Through She Saloons.

my statements are an eXaggeratiOn
or my method of reasoning false, is
challenged to do so. / have no de-
sire whatever to oyerstate the actu-
al expenditures of this county for
drink and will be relieved rather
than otherwise to have it proved
that have unconsciously exaggerat-
ed the evil. Remember, please, that
was very well acquainted with Mr..
Potter who for many years was the
agent in DEBORAH of the Milwaukee
& st. Paul r. R. and that it isl
through this railroad alone that liq-
uor comes into this county.
Over so carloads of beer come
into DEBORAH every year. For eight
months of the year the receipt is
from to carloads month and
for the remaining four months some
4 carloads a month. go carloads a
year is moderate estimate.
Then there are three carloads of
whiskey and kindred liquors ship
ped into DEBORAH every year. The
cost of these three cars is equivalent
to 20 cars of beer. You will not
wonder at this assertion when you
are reminded that barrel of whis-
key costs all the way from S110 to
$40. The wholesale cost of the
liquor landed in DEBORAH, then, will
be found by estimating the value of
80 carloads of beer. A car of beer
is $4,000. But the liquor that is
sold at Castalia, Ossian. Calmar, FIT.
Atkinson and Spillville does not.
come to DEBORAH. / have been as
sured that the liquor sold in these
five places will equal the amount
sold in DEBORAH. But let as be
moderate and estimate the whole
cost at $36,00000 This brings the
wholesale value of the liquor sold
in Winneshiek county up to $780,
600 When this liquor is sold at re-
tail we ought to advance the cost by
$50 per cent When you calculate
the number of glasses of whiskey in
a gallon, you will not be surprised
at this estimate, especially when
you remember that after paying out
S80,000.00 forliquor and SIT 500 90.
for licenses and the high rents, ice,
lights, great cost for bartenders, the
saloon keepers themselves must
! make their own high profit.
u
in the truth, that we make the in
creased cost only $50 per cent. Even
then the retail cost of the liquor
sold in Winneshiek county is $780,
| 100000. | have been assured by
men who ought to know, and can
reason well, that the liquor sold in
| DEBORAH alone costs the people
SITS, 100000 per year do not,
however, make myself responsible
| for that statement.
But now the first cost OF this
! liquor is only part of the cost:
claim only small part of the cost.
| Suppose that it was possible to.
collect this $500, 100000 by tax from
the people of this county and in this
way avoid the sale and consumption
of this liquor. This method would
of course be unjust, but let us
make the supposition. The county
would be far better off to dump this
amount of money every year into
the Upper Iowa river, for then It,
would escape the diseases, shortened
lives, loafing in the saloons, loss of
energy and Judgment, through the
influence of the liquor, broken fam
lilies, and criminality with its ex-
pense. To show the indirect cost
illness of the saloon, let me give
three instances, taken not from affair."
but right here in our own county.
Several weeks ago an expert work
ing man from out of town began
to labor on cur new post office. He
was getting five dollars a day. He
spent all his money in the saloons
of DEBORAH and when he was dis
charged from incompetence through
drink, he wanted to borrow money
to get out of town. This man is
not known to you or me by name
and will never even see this obscure
reference to himself. But his wife
knows his name and how penniless
he will return TO her and in the
course of the summer he will know
what it is to lose first class job
and go seeking another, with de-
creased energy and loss Of both am
bition and time.
Take another instance a little
more general. There is railroad
engineer on the Rock Island who
now runs into DEBORAH three times
week. He tells me that any man.
now making an application for work
at least in the train service, on the
Rock Island must take his oath that
he will not touch liquor or cigar
cites. Not only this, but wedding
out process has begun on that road,
of those who drink. Within the past
few months many men have been
discharged because of drink. The
saloons have thrown these men out
of the kind of labor for which they
have been fitting themselves for
years and their loss is not only their
own, but also societies. Not only so;
but this engineer tells me that the
Rock Island has now within a
month, adopted the rule OF thel
great Pennsylvania system and de-
clared that any train man seen go
ing in or coming out of saloon is
subject to discharge. The train
men of the Rock Island then COM
ing into DEBORAH are subject to dis
charge, If seen entering DEBORAH
saloon.
One more instance and that
among farmers. There is village
in this county which in the earlier