Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-20
Texas Testimony for Prohibition.


efexas1 Post is of vital interest to
Maine readers, coming as it does from
an official who has had to deal with
conditions under both prohibition and
license. This man has seen the effect
of liquor selling on the population.
This letter, read in connection with
the statistics of another Texas writer
who looks only at the loss Of revenue
if State wide prohibition is carried. be-
comes doubly interesting. Here it is:
Inasmuch as | have been a peace off,
Ger Tor long period of years in this
state, and also as Il State officer dur
ing the administrations of Governors
savers and Lanham., in transferring
tiaries of this State, | feel that / can
give some information that will be of
interest to all voters who care TO give
TIE matter n fair and impartial inVes-
tlgation in the coming prohibition elec-
tion on July %.
! am in favor of good government
good laws and such that will promote
the happiness and the welfare of all
citizens, of all nationalities and all col
ors. am exceedingly glad TO know
their attitude toward statewide prohibit
ton, invite the discussion of this ques-
ton through their columns.
have been handling prisoners for
| the past twenty-five years. a part of
| that time as sheriff of Parker county
and especially during the two admins
trations spoken of above as transfer
agent of the State penitentiaries. /
handled not less than 5000 prisoners, in
GLIDING those transferred from Hunts
vile and Rusk to the cane farms, sur
rounding Houston / am absolutely
certain that one-half of all the prison
| ers that | have ever handled, told me
| that saloons, gambling and other vices
connected with them were the direct
cause of their incarceration | can also
make another statement that can not
and Will not be eontradieted. That is,
that where counties voted the saloons
out of business | did not get one-third
as many convicts as | did when the
saloons were in operation. During my
residence in Parker county while
looms were in operation l knew six
prominent, big-hearted men who died
from the effects of whiskey and in the
last throeS of delirium tremens. To
those VINO say that prohibition won't
prohibit | would suggest that they go
to such towns as Weatherford and see
for themselves whether or not il pro-
hibits. The saloons We're voted out of
Parker county something like fifteen
years ago and there is not saloon or
blind tiger in the county. Neatherford
has It population of 1000 of 5000 pros
porous, happy and contented people and
the fact that this question has not been
voted on in the past ten wears shows
that the sentiment has grown stronger
in favor of prohibition and against the
open saloon The town is noted through
out North and Northwest Texas as a
city of schools and churches.
Houston, Texas. Fl. S. Sisk.
Mr.. Sisk writes that he did not get
one-third as many convicts under pro-
hibition as he did under the license
plan: and that one-half the prisoners
he handled blamed tine saloons for their
downfall.
The other man writes:
There are in Harris county 17s sa-
looms selling beer and whiskey; each of
the LIS saloons pays to the county and
State S562.50 annually fer its license.
aggregaung sl00,125. of this amount
and the county gets s32.375. In addition
10 the above, Harris county has PCS Ii
censed beer saloons, each paying an
nually to the State and county s93.75,
or a total of S25,125. and of this amount
the State gets $16.75a and the county
gets ss375. The revenue from the IFS
looms amounts to 1925. $50 annually To the
State and county. For the State ii
amounts to $4,000 and To Harris eoun-
~ s41,759.
Reduced to figures from the testi-
meny of the two men, two-thirds of
this liquor revenue of which the lat
Ut o0oSN1r 1oiitta Aibih the u
men TO perdition. Such men as this
care not for the ruined regulations,
broken families. neglected children
hungering wives and little ones-but
count only the dollars which the state
realizes as profit from engaging in the
liquor business.
Suppose all this revenue We're de-
voted to building schoolhouses Gas this
writer sacrilegiously puts I'M how
built If all the capital. of which the
states revenue is only a small per
cent, should be turned to legitimate
purposes? Suppose the great Harris |
county contributes $150,oG0 toward the
support of the state, how many hun
dreds of thousands of dollars has IT |
at the same time contributed to the IL
quor interests? How many hundreds |
of drunkards has it made? For how
many broken hearts are charged up |
to it2 How many children are suffer |
ing for its wrong?
Who, in these days of charity. |
and Christian spirit |
believes that it pays to traffic in mems |
souls? Ask yourselves that question |
and then look about you for the an
swer. Do you care to be one of them? |
Would you vote to multiply by three |
the drunkenness and crime in Maine? |
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Settlement workers have instituted |