The Sentinel=record., 1911-03-07
A COMMUNICATION.


 by me vita a great deal of interest and amusement I wish to congrztu late you nn being men with the cour- age Of your convictions. a trait of character that is highly commend able man at the same time. I believe answer to your communication, wiil state that you are fair in your treat ment of the subject, even though your figures and ideas are radically sFreng ! have ID pFesndice in the matter, think a man can run a saloon in the proper way, and be an honor able man at tae sne time. I believe the same thing regarding gamblers. Keep sober yourself, and do not kill or imVose on your customers. and sell honest goods, and none at all to drunken men, snd you will have no reason to hang your head. Water was turned into wine by Him whose ex- ample We are taught to follow. It is the abuse not the use of alcohol that causes 50 much agitation on the sub- ject. [ have never heard of your place being an objectionable one, to be perfectly candid, do not know either cue of you when see you. per haps your faces are familiar to me, but have never had the pleasure Of meeting you, that I can recall The article you refer to was written five years ago. It was reproduced to show that l was consistent and Mir Waters was not, but there is nothing therein that am willink to retract. con tend that twenty saloons could pay city license of s3,600 and that fifty saloons could pay license of $2,000 per year. I believe in high license as revenue producer and dive elimi- nator. will call your attention to tae fact that in Boston, where the license is high. that a license can be sold at premium of s5,OO0 to sI0,O0O. ow- ing to location. My information comes from a Boston gentleman, who stated that the number Of licenses were limited to number of population The Boston condition applies also to Chicago Now, you may state that these places are large cities. I will call your attention to Newport, Ar kansas, small town, now dry. There were eight saloons that paid s3,0O0 year. or total of s24 900; the county judge, it being optional with him re- gardfng renewal Of licenses, refused to renew them, although the peo le had not voted for prohibition. Now the saloon men are willing to pay s5,O00 a year to reopen obtained this in formation from a reliable business man of Newport.
 Regarding the profits Of the drug business. it affords me pleasure to publicly show the condition and wrong impression of the pablic. The gross profits of the drug business do not exceed 70 per cent All other lines of business are in excess of this, with the exception of the grocery business alone. l refer you to NJ. A. Eisele, E. F. Klein, H. Weimer. or any other druggist who maKes a study of his business. and knows what he is doing.
 Now, gentlemen, will call your at tention to the real bone of conten- tion: The profits Of the saloon busi- ness. A gallon Of waiskey will cost you s2.50; there are l28 ounces in a gallon; will not figure that you seh a single drink for 15c and you seii fully half of them at that, but will give you the benefit of all doubt, and will say that all are sold at 12 1-2 each; that means at the least calcu- lation sl2-50 per gallon, over 400 per cent. Very few people will take over one ounce at drink, but you wlh see that l have made no calcr- lation on the 2S ounces in excess of 100 to the gallon. allowing that rae heavy drinkers will consume the ex- tratra 28 ounces. There is profit of 100 per cent in bottle beer and oyer 100 per cent in keg beer. making an average rate of profits of over 100 per cent on beer The profit on cigars is 70 per cent; there are sold in saloons a great many cigars that bring profit of 100 per cent. Now sum it up: Whlskey. 400 per cent; beer. 100 per cent, and cigars. 40 per cent, making an average gross profit of 1S0 per cent. You will see from these fg- ures that your high license could be paid will also refer 10 the fact that as saloons cause 98 per cent of the crimes, they should be made to furn'fh money to prosecute the crim- inals. did not refer in my commu- nication to the g days in the year that you claim you are closed, those days being Sundays, for the simple reason that I know you are not