The Clay City times. [volume] (Clay City, Ky.) 1901-current, 1914-04-16
VOL. XIX.
Gorng Ont Of the Business.


the liquor trade. He says:
II have been a saloon. keeper
twenty-five years. My place is
centrally located, deliberately fit
ted up, completely stocked and is
well patronized. The saloon is
for sale-at a bargain, appraised
by the usual standards-as l am
going to retire from the business.
My reason for quitting the liquor
trade is no. that l am old, or rich,
or troubled by my conscience. |
simply have decided to get out
while the getting is good, for ]
believe / can read the handwrit-
ing on the wall. | believe that
the finish of the booze business in
this country is in sight, and | pre-
fer to step from under before the
roof falls in. l would not under
take to say when nation. wide
prohibition is going to arrive, but
it is coming, as sure as fate, and
it is not many years away.
''In the last five years | have
spent my time in front of my
bar mixing with the trade |
gave up drinking years before,
because l had learned that man
can't drink booze and sell it. |
came to know intimately many
Of the business men who we're
good patrons of mine, and when
one of those ceased to come in, |
would take advantage of the first
opportunity to ask the reason.
Usually they would laugh and
answer, ooh, Pm on the water
wagon for little while,' but
when | pressed them for some.
thing more definite, | would get
something like this: John Bar
leycorn is going to be killed and
hurried IN this country by his
former friends and associates,
not by constitutional enemies
who never saw the inside of sa-
The sentiment against booze
that has been growing among my
patrons the last two years or
more is not confined to my pat
rons and against the booze in my
saloon alone. Social and business
conditions have changed until
booze and booze fighting have no
place in the present.day scheme
If things. The ability to carry a
Jag gracefully Is no longer es-
teemed as one of the polite ac.
complishments of gentleman,
and business life is too strenuous
these days for a man to hamper
himself with a fuddled brain.
And with the realization that
they can't themselves drink and
remain at the top notch of eff.
cheney, business men are demand.
ing that their employees let booze
alone. Corporations and firms
are not hiring drinkers, and they
are getting rid of old employees
WHO ptThlSL III uTIuhluG.
"Those things point in just one
direction, to my way Of thinking.
They mean that the men of this
country are making up their
minds that drinking is bad bust
ness, and doesn't offer conIpen.
sation sufficient to Offset the toll
of time aud money and health 1t
takes.
Take it from me, sooner or
later booze will be banished eff
fectively and completely. A lot
of liquor dealers and saloon buns
are fond of kidding themselves
with the argument thar univer'
sal prohibition would only result
IN wholesale bootlegging, more
vicious secret drinking and 9th.
rr evasi0ns. know better. When
it becomes serious ollense a.
gainst the Federal law for man
to manufacture, import, sell,
handle or possess Intoxicating IL
quor, booze drinking will cease.
And / don't know but that every
one will be glad of it in the long
run. I've never been proud of
being "A salOOn-keeper, and
don't believe any other self.re-
specting man can be. We jolly
ourselves along with the argu-
Inent that it is legitimate, recOg-
nized by the national govern.
ment, the state, the county and