Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-04-05
THE SALOON ISSUE.
Dry-NOt Dead.


On every side we hear the plea
in the issue now before this county,
that to lose the saloons will deaden
DEBORAH. Well, If we are afraid of
this old fribble of ghost, there are
towns enough near by unmoved by
the ancient scare-crow. We do not
hear of any grass growing in the
streets of Cresco and neither do we
hear that Cresco is about to at
tempt the prosperous by putting
$4,000 into beer and whiskey ev-
cry year instead of dry goods, gro
ceries and bank accounts. Cresco is
abundantly satisfied with the closed
saloons. And here is Waukon. 1t
looks very probable that Allamakee
county will go dry. If saloons draw
trade, where is the center of Win
neshiek county to trade, even If De-
corah goes dry. On the west Win
neshiekers can not go to Cresco and
on the east it looks as though they
can not go to Waukon and on the
north they cannot go to Mabel
Water, water, everywhere
and not a drop to drink
Will these people who so confid-
ingly associate trade with beer,
please stop the flow of their fearful
assertions long enough to tell us
where all are Winneshiekers are
going to carry their trade? But let
us turn for moment to another
nearby city. Some two years ago
there was convention of news
paper men at Charles City. They
were addressed by a representative
OF the Hart-Parr Gasoline Engine
Co. In the course of his remarks
he told them incidentally how they
came to locate their works in that
city-works which now give en-
ployment to nearly 1000 men. He
said that determining factor in
their choice had been the fact that
Charles City was without saloons.
He wanted place where men would
not spend their wages and unfit
themselves thereby for labor, upon
drink. Is there any indication that
Charles City will turn for prosper
ity to the open saloon?
Let us turn for another instance
to city in our own state some
what farther away. The saloons
were closed in Muscatine Jan. /,
1908, at the close of a great revi-
val, lead by Billy Sunday To show
you the results, / quote from the
Muscatine Record of Dec. II. 1910.
''At the beginning of this dry
regime the liquor interests made an
effort to establish bootleggers and
blind pigs and to this end even fur
nished liquor to their traffickers
without charge. But the evident
Improvement of the city, even I'M
der such conditions, soon rallied the
business men in defense of the law,
and today Muscatine is as clean a
saloonless city as can be found in
the state of Iowa. The results have
been wonderful Muscatine really
has gone up % to 35 per cent. La
Dor was never so much in demand.
The buildings occupied by saloons
are now used by legitimate busi-
ness. The deposits in the banks
have increased more than $1,100,-
900. The population is steadily in
creasing. The criminal cases are
few and far between, the civil cases
growing less and collection accounts
falling off.
Let me take one more case from
city outside of Iowa. Ray STAN
nard Baker has an article in the
American Magazine with the title
THE Thin Crust of Civilization.
The city of Newark had so sa-
looms and under county option, the
question of wet or dry was placed
before $4,000 people. call your
attention to one point in this strug-
gle. Baker says: THE saloon
keepers argued that they paid $780,
900 a year taxes and that if they
were swept out, the tax rate would
go up. The largest industry in New
ark was branch of the American
Bottle Co. The manager, Mr.. Ever
EFT, threatened that II the town
went dry the brewers would refuse
to buy his wares. that 1000 work
men would therefore be thrown out