Arizona republican., 1914-05-05
COMMERCIAL VALUE OF PRO-
 HIBITION

One of the greatest errors in political economy is the belief on the part of misguided people that a criminal business adds anything to the wealth of the community. The liquor traffic never added a single dollar to the wealth of any commun- ity which spends it's money in the consumption of the product. It is the only business, so-called. that can be utterly wiped out and the com munity be the richer for the loss. Life insurance rates are higher be- cause of drink The man who does not drink must pay higher pre- mium for his policy in all compan ies because of the added hazard of drink. The sober and virtuous must contribute to the payment of the policy of the moderate or habitual ! drinker. This amounts to a drain of many millions of dollars
 Every man who patronizes mer- chant and pays cash must be penal ized because he is cash customer and sober The merchant must make an added profit to cover his losses on the bad accounts of those who spend their money in the saloon be- fore the collector reaches them. Pro hibition makes more cash business and less credit and adds greatly to i the commercial activity of a com munity.
 The police system can be reduced | (. saloons to breed crime. Society must pay too much for it's protec- tion in license towns This costs a community great deal of money and the man who does not touch a drop of liquor or make a particle of trouble must help pay the bill.
 The economic cost of caring for the pauperism and insanity and the penal institutions built to care for the criminal elements that grow out of the liquor traffic runs up into the billions of dollars, and the sober man must help pay this bill as well as the one who drinks, and, as the latter is nearly always d small prop erty owner the wealthier must pay the more
 The absolute loss of money to d community where great sums are spent in saloons, is a drain upon its resources that must show itself in i various ways The merchants cannot sell as much dry goods, groceries, boots. shoes and furniture and all other kinds of goods in a wet town as a dry one. for the good and suf- ficient reason that the wage earner spends his money in the saloon first The saloon gets the cash and the merchant the credit accounts and the inevitable losses.
 When the saloon gets through with a customer and lands him in the grave the coffin must be paid for by the county, and the taxpayer wheth CT he drinks or not, must bear his portion of the cost. The saloon never buys the collins for it's finished pro- duct When it gets all the money a man has it has no further use for him. It is a so-called poor mans club" that expels him as soon as he had paid his membership dues.
 The economic loss to a community in lowered efficiency amounts to one fifth of the earning power of those VITO drink. In factory communities this is most noticeable It is also important in mining communities. This loss grows more and more as the community becomes addicted to the habit of drink. Schools cost more in wet communities. for the at tendance is more irregular. the pupils more indifferent. due to innutrition and bad sanitation as well as bad home treatmnet The churches cost