Arizona republican., 1914-05-31
LIQUOR AND CRIME

Our courts, jails and police cost an- nually $l,375, 100000. This means s15 Der annum for each man, woman and child in our commonwealth. There are 10000 murders every years, an average of 30 per day. From eighty to ninetey per cent of these are due to drink.
 Our national wool crop last year amounted to $29s,Uv0,oOO. Our na- tional wheat crop amounted to $735,- 0Oo,O0O. All of these went for crime.
 What frightful waste.
 Is it not a wonder that the nation can survive when all three of her great resources go just to take care of the criminal classes?
 Eight-tenth of all of this great ex- pense comes from alcoholic liquor
 Eight-tenths of three of our great est national resources go to pay for the crimes caused by drink
 This is not a high estimate, it is a low one.
 This is but a small part of the cost of liquor. It is only one phase of it. the crime phase.
 These figures are national. Arizona has to pay her share.
 If you wish to get some idea of what it costs Arizona to care for her criminal classes caused by drink go to the police court in Phoenix Mon- day afternoon at four o'clock.
 Here you will see one or two long lines of prisoners. from a dozen up, and fully eight out of ten of them are there because of drink.
 Every day it is the same, but there are more on Mondays because of the Saturday night and Sunday round up. The city jan and the county jail are filled with prisoners who are there because of drink.
 This is watching the spigot while the bung hole is wide open.
 It is the same in every town and city in the state where there are saloons.
 Here is what Judge Comstock of Tucson, says about it:
 Tucson, May Is, 1914. G. F. Rine- hart. General Superintendent Tenn perance Federation of Arizona; Dear Sir: In reply to your inquiry the number of cases docketed in this court since February 7th, 1912, in the criminal department. has been 1902, up to and including the 18th day of May, 1914, a period of two years, thre months and six days. Giving you a rough estimate so per cent of said cases can be attributed to strong drink, directly and indirectly. The number of cases held to answer in the superior court will bear out the same percentage The plea of the defendants has been, was drinking, or was so drunk I did not know what was doing. Very respectfully.
 O. E. COMSTOCK, ST."
 The taxpayer is the man who has to pay the expense of the criminal classes He generally is sober him. self. He seldom drinks. That is why he is a taxpayer The man who drinks seldom gets enough property ahead to become a taxpayer. The sober man must foot the bill.
 Crime is an expensive luxury. No nation can afford it. No state can afford it. No individual can afford it.
 Crime will stay with us as long as we permit the crime factories to run. The saloon is the source of crime. No taxpayer can afford the cost. Re- duce taxes by abolishing drink. Vote Arizona dry.
 Yes, it is a moral question, but it is also a financial question. It Is far and away the greatest financial ques- tion ever before the people. It costs the people more than anything else in the world. It costs the drinker more, it is true, but it also costs the