Arizona republican., 1914-07-17
QUESTIONS ANSWERED

When the state goes dry what will become of the liquor dealer? This question naturally concerns the dealer himself and is made the basis of cry of injustice" and "confiscation."
 I desire to point out that no injus- tice will result since the liquor dealer
 will simply have been deprived of special privilege hitherto extended to him for a consideration. He will con-
 tinue to possess all privileges common to citizenship. He should take warn ing and not invest his money in commodity that will cease to be mark etable Other than that, his real es- tate, his time and his talent as bus mess man will have an increased value Prohibitionists do not desire to put any man out of business, but to induce him to enter a better and more hon. orable calling. It is estimated that the average sa- loon of the United States does a busi-
 ness of sS,000.00 per year. The average
 may be greater in Arizona. Be it more or less. prohibition will not destroy dollar of this wealth. The laborer, the l miner, the stock man, and the railroad | man will have just as much money to | exchange. and he will exchange it for some more useful commodity-for food. | clothing, houses, furniture. books, etc. He will spend his income for commo-
 dities that will not destroy, and in
 most cases will increase his efficiency.
 Let MT Liquor Dealer prepare to open | h T ..r;t -tn nfn 6C
 that will cater to real public need, and
 he may receive his former ss,000.00 an
 nual income and more. because his pa i irons will be able to earn a better in
 come and will have more to spend. | Besides possible sustained volume
 of business following the readjustment 1 there will result to the former liquor
 dealer moral responsibility that will
 be invaluable to the man and to his | family. Heretofore under the license
 policy, the state has tempted some of | it's citizens to enter a calling that
 meant depravity for the man and os tracism for his family. Now. we pro-
 pose to invite the dealer to enter some honorable business, and his family to | return to the circles of respected social 1 fellowship. That the liquor business has tended to reprave all who engaged in it has been generally recognized. Per haps reference to specific case in an
 other state may give point to the trite statement.
 Years ago, a young man of good family opened a saloon against the pro-
 tests of his father and the prayers of his mother, because there was money
 in it. Years passed He made a small fortune. He retired from business but
 the curse of God was on his money. He had the consciousness of having tsent his godly mother to an untimely grave. His father lived longer but to
 have his declining years embittered with shame.
 A brother, in financial straits, nev- ertheless refused his offer of aid as be-
 ing the price of blood. In his young
 manhood he had said when I get rich will repent and make peace with God But now he confessed that when in his Wretchedness he tried to pray,
 there rose up before him, barring his
 way to God, visions of widows who had
 eked out wretched lives and children who had perished of starvation because he had taken the wages of the hus-
 band and father for drink. His hands were stained with blood and the spot
 would no more wash out than would