The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-12

| For that amount we could build four
| Panama canals every year. In
return for that we received $112,
100000 revenue. or seven cents on
of Henry Ward Beecher's farming
He bought a hog for 81, fed it $2S
worth of corn, and then sold it for
$14. L lost on the corn he said
but l doubled on the hog
Docs State Require Revenue?
Does the state of Minnesota re.
quire the revenue from the saloon
in order to do business? The way
to get at the wealth of state is
through its savings bank deposits.
In the state of Maine the savings
bank deposits are 1892 per capita
In Ohio, q licensed state, they arc
only $10.71. In Kansas, another
prohibition state, there are deposits
of $1,000. In Illinois there are
only $20.94. 1t makes me think of
the girl who was out riding with
fellow and he asked her why
she looked SO blue. She answered:
! Nobody loves me and my hands
are cold: Well he said, cheer up.
God loves you, and your mother
loves you, and you can sit on your
hands, When the saloonmen come
to you to talk about how much you
need their revenue quote them Maine
and Kansas.
Figures for Mankato.
what about city like Mankato?
You receive $4,000 a year revenue
from the saloons. Two per cent, as
/ understand it, goes to the state,
the balance is left here. Your tax
rate is AZ mills on the dollar, among
the highest in the world. Greeley,
Col, with buildings and streets
that would put your beautiful city
to shame, has a tax rate of q
mills and has never had a saloon.
The Denver liquor dealers, when
they retire, move their families out
there to live. A few years ago
when the saloons were driven out of
Kansas City, Kan, the brewers
bought up the Wichita papers to
tell the world how $50 buildings
had been left vacant and it was 60
ing to ruin the city. In that first
year the population increased from
ninetytwo thousand to 1912 thousand,
the city paid all expenses in spite
of losing that large amount of rev.
enue, and paid" $4,000 of bonded
Indebtedness, Since that time, Kan
sas City, Kan, has increased 260
per cent faster than Kansas City,
Mo-, and it is growing yet. Take
Fargo, N. d., with it's rapid growth
and its many improvements. 1t has
never had q saloon and it boasts
that its taxes are lower than ST..
Paul, Minneapolis, and scores of the
larger cities. Every time l put my
foot down on your concrete side
walk | hear the cries of women
and children Your city is paved
with blood money.
What Is the Finished Product?
You say the saloon is an indus
try and ought to be encouraged for
that. reason. What is an industry?
An institution that takes raw ma
of it, and the manufactured article
is worth more than the raw ma
terial That is the kind of institution
worth having in your town. 1t in
creases the real values. Here is
your big flour mill. What is it's
raw material? Wheat What is it's
finished product? Flour and meal
Are the flour and meal worth more
than the wheat? Yes, a great deal
more. Here is your brewery: What
is it's raw material?" Boys" said
Mr. Ranton, turning around, stand
up a minute and rest your legs
Here" he said. turning to his au-
dience, lis the raw material for the
brewery, The saloons can't run
without boys. 1t takes a hundred
thousand every year. And Mankato
has got to furnish it's quota. What
is the finished product? This dirty
drunkard Keeling along the street
Is that drunkard worth as much
as this boy? No. What would you
do to, me if | took this boy and so
maltreated him that he would look
like that drunkard there? You'd
hang me, that is what you would
do. But for one thousand dollars
you blood-thirsty voters would give
a saloon the right to do with him
in five or ten years what you would
hang me for doing in five minutes.
Those Who Favor and Oppose.
What are we going to do about
the question? One thing we can
do is to take sides. Who are in
favor of the licensed saloon? The
brewers, the distillers, the saloon
keepers, the prostitutes, the gam
blers, some politicians, some citi-
Zens. Who are against the licensed
saloon? The best statesmen, the
best men and women in our coun-
try, science, the public school, the
medical profession, the insurance
companies, the railroads. prefer
to line up with them. You must take
side; you can't be neutral. You are
either for the saloon or you are
against it.
Don't Get Tired.
"Then we have got to do our best