The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-06-11

.CAJC1 lHE1toEA4ES I1flE d. MucH DA
grape juice as they would have done
on champaign Probably more. the
day after Nashville Banner
With Bryan the patron saint of
grape juice, Fairbanks Of buttermilk,
and Teddy Of light wines. it seems
that our statesmen are to be known
by what they drink Times Union.
The day is fast coming, indeed it
now isthat intelligent. thinking
people viii demand sobriety and civ
ic righteousness in the men who seek
public office. The reign of Mr..
'booze-ighter' and the gentleman
drinker," in politics is over The age
demands men of clear heads and
clean hands to guide the ship of
state
The annual report OF Judge Gem
mill. of the court of domestic rela-
tion of Chicago, brings out some in
teresting facts There are but one
or two bright spots of light shining
out of a genarally dark background
AS to the causes breaking up the
homes, the records show that liquor
is responsible for 46 per cent. of the
troubles. immortality is charged up
with IA per cent; disease with IS per
cent: i'll temper and abuse with II
Per cent; while 4 per cent of the
cases arose through the youth of the
parties. The great bulk of the work
.of the court last year consisted of
ceases involving abandonment and
failure to support children. There
were 1888 cases of desertion, 100
cases contributing to the delin-
queney OF children, and GAG involv-
ing violations of the child-labor law,
the ten-hour work law for women
and that prohibiting the sale of Iiqu-
Or TO minors. The fact that practi-
,ca1ly half of these cases were due to
liquor ought to be one of the greatest
arguments for doing away with the
saloon business. Will the time ever
come when the public will realize
the economic folly, say nothing of
the moral folly, of the saloon?
Palatka's Prosperity Under Prohi-
~ : bition.
/. About one OF the finest stories we
have ever seen about the success of
prohibition in any community comes
from Capt. W. G. Ti1ghman, the
prominent lumberman of Palatka.
Seeing what havoc whisky played
with labor in general and his own
mill hands IN particular, he carried
his musical family all over Putnam
county, Florida, giving entertain
ments and. making speeches in a he
roic effort to drive o the saloons
and out they wentl And now after
about FIVE years of prohibition, Capt.
Tilghman writes the following stir
ring story on the Magic Change in
Palatka
First:s If saloons would help any
town, they would have helped this,
as we had plenty of them for over
fifty years. Up to the year we got
the saloons out we had dilapidated
old town, no concrete sidewalks, no
brick paved streets Many times /
have seen planks laid across the
street in the main business section
in order to get across after rain.
Improvements begin: Now we
have about nine miles of brick-payed
streets and nearly thirty miles OF
4granolithic sidewalks. We have the
best paved streets and sidewalks OF
any city in the United States for its
size. Population grown to 5000; a
little over 5000 white people.
Taxes lowered: Since we got the
saloons out in 1907 we have done al
of this paving and built a bridge
across the ST. Johns river at a cos
of s45, 450.36: built court house a
a cost of $34,99S05 and made man!
miles of hard-surfaced roads leading
in all directions. City water tha
cost any family $40 per year in sa
loon times is now furnished by the
city free, and taxes lowered two
mills.
Vacant houses filled: In. 1901
there were many vacant stores ane
cottages. Since hen many have
been built and all are occupied
Enemies convinced: Many mel
who worked hard to keep saloons
here. honestly believing that theil
removal would iniure their business
now come forward like men and &C
knowledge their mistake. On,
bought brick property just befor'
the dry movement began, at $1,000
and sold it last year for over $1,000
and had put only $500 Improvement
on it.