Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-03-06
MR. VOTER, DOES 1T PAY?
THE FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT LOCAL OPTION
Executive Committee of the Viroqua
Civic League Discusses Business
Side of the License Question


titude toward the liquor traffic, and es-
pecially so in regard to local license.
Through an error in judgment, many
people hold the erroneous opinion that
while the liquor traffic as whole is a
moral curse ard terrible economic
waste, local license is profitable. 1t is
our purpose to show how utterly false
is this belief. Owe will not attempt to
move you by sentiment. All the broken
homes, the ruined lives, the appeals
from pulpit and rostrum have failed to
leliminate the evil. Though this should
be sufficient, it has not been, and we
can add nothing to the moral sentiment
expressed for years past. q. Neither will
we give an exhaustive treatise of the
subject in this article. but we have
enough convincing facts and figures at
hand to fill this issue of the CENSOR.
GNor do we contend that local option
is perfect method of regulating the
liquor traffic, but it is the only weapon
we have been able to wrest from an
unwilling government, and we should
use il to put our stamp of disapproval
upon this prime evil, if for no other
reason but there are other reasons.
GAnd we do not dispose of the ques-
ton by labelling it unconstitutional,
though il surely is. We do not license
burglary, prostitution and crime, yet
liquor is the father of crime. But we
will do better than debate the PROPOSE
ton on constitutional grounds. We will
answer the question, "Does it Pay in
$$S$, "bv showing you it does not.
Here is a general item of the terrific
/ financial drain caused by the traffic.
The maintenance of insane asylums,
poor farms and similar institutions in
this state averages 81, 900, 600. Expert
Psychologists, who have made careful
study of the causes which fill these in
situations with distorted bodies and
warped minds, officially state that rs
per cent are directly traceable to the
liquor traffic, and that indirect influence
of liquor is responsible for at least
a similar number. Officials understand
this. Superintendent Buffers said,
when interviewed: ut is impossible to
give an exact estimate, but in my esti-
nation so per cent. of all insane cases
come, directly or indirectly, from the
influence of liquor" Poor Commission
er POWELL said: Regardless of wheth-
er am in favor of license or not, it
would be foolish for me, in my present
position, to want the cityto vote wet.
| II would greatly increase the pauper
/ account. So here we have drink off
ering Of 81 600, 900 sacrificed by the
people of this state upon the alter of an
ungodly traffic. GThe same statistic
ians say that rs per cent. of all crimi-
nal cases are similarly caused = and
prosecutions cost money q. At this time,
with almost one half of our state dry"
between $50. 900, 900 and s75, 900, 900 is
annually spent for liquor. Does it pay?
Now, to get nearer home: The will
age of Westby, with never a saloon,
has received only $ll4.7l county aid in
twelve years. Boscobel Grant county,,
until the last year cursed with saloons,
expends yearly on an average of $500
to support her poor (proportionately
twice as much as Viroqua), and not
withstanding the general demoralized
condition following a long period of
saloon influence, coupled with the loss
of license money and educational inn
provements, her tax rate only increased
from 2. 04 to 2.33 1t might also inter-
est you to know that the last bank re-
port showed the Vroqua bank deposits
to be 81, 275, $50 40 - three times che
amount of Boscobel's deposits. Viro-
qua also leads even Westby in proper
Tomato valuation 81 ,65l 800, and that
model little village is rated ut $603 500,
while Hillsboro, always a license town
and having nearly 100 more population,
is valued at 1896, 200 Does it pay to
keep out the licensed saloon?
Do you know that the little villageo of
CashtOn spends $l00,00 over the bar
yearly? by the way, at least one
Cashton man is sending his boy to our
high school TO escape saloon iDfluence.)
And even the most radical liquor men
will hardly deny that Viroqua throws
$3.50, 900 into the same hole each year
that we have saloons. We get back
a, 900 license, rent, and what saloon
keepers and their employees spend here,
also foggy brains, impaired health and
decreased productive power. At least
70 per cent. of this money leaves the
community doesn't come back.{It
goes to pay for the stuff that makes
Milwaukee Gn)famous, to fatten brew
ers' wallets. No rural community on
earth can stand this drain and maintain
its merchants prosperously. Now, we
know that some liquor is consumed IN
Vircqua, but not the amount which Ii
cense advocates claim with such willful
exaggeration. The drug stores dispose
of some, but seek the ruth; go to the
city clerk and total the prescriptions, as
we have do~e, and you will find that
not enough liquor is sold to run one
saloon two weeks-and a majority of
this is purchased legitimately. We pre-
sumo there is some "blind-pigging
but don't let our efficient marshal find
it out. And some comes in over the
Southeastern, but you must remember
that a large portion of this goes to vi
roqua homes every year, to people who
never enter a saloon. And we have
responsible assurance from officials of
both roads that not ten per cent. of the
quantity carried in wet years gees over
their lines now. And SO, FOR argu-
ment's sake only, we grant you that
half of the "wet" contribution is now
spent through all these devious ways.
We still have SIS, 900 left each year to
benefit the community. And remember
that it is our poorer people who spend
that money spent it then for liquor,
spend it now for food, clothing and life's
| Injuries and to pay the debts they didn't
use to paw. Mr.. Business man, will
saloons pay you?
The most convincing points remain 10
/ be discussed and will be later Yet
we think no unprejudiced man can feel,
after reading even these few state
ments, that il will pay him to vote for
Incense. Keep this in mind when you
90 to the polls at the spring election
| 1T WILL PAY THE BREWERS AND
| EVEN PAY THE SALOON KEEP
ERS A FAIR PROFIT, BUT 1T WILL
NOT PAY YOU.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF
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