The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-28
EXIT OF SALOONS
AID TO BUSINESS
IN M0OOC COUNTY
Taxes Decreased There With Prohibi-
ton In Force, Says Alturas Man.
Arguments OF Vets Arc Rcfuted BY
Former Official.

sacramento, Cal, oct. 2, While
the speakers who are touring the State
IN the interest of the vets are pre-
dlcting the dire misfortunes which
Will fall upon California in n business
way should amendments numbers /
and carry next month, II G Bon
Ter a well-to-do attorney OF Altufas,
ana Tor eight years district attorney
or Modoc County, arrived in Sacra-
mento with an entirely different
story concerning the effects of pro-
htbition in Alturas and In Modoc
County.
incidentally, prohibition in Alturas
is real prohibition. The officers, &C
cording to Bonner. are constantly on
the watch for blind pigs, and anyone
appearing on the street in an intoXt-
Gated condition is subject to fine.
Bonner, among other things is police
judge, and for the first offense plas-
ters levy of s35 against the offender,
end for the second, $40.
I'm June. 1915. Alturas voted dry, y
I'd Bonner, driving nine sa loons out
of business. The entire county Is now
dry except for the first supervisorial
district, in the extreme northeastern
section of the county. This is largely
populated by miners. but at an cleo
ton to be held next January it is al
most certain to vote out the saloons,
Tho election will be called whether
the state votes dry or not and you
can count on Modoc County turning
III a majority for prohibition.
Taxes Are Lower.
Since liquor has been driven out
OF Alturas, taxes have decreased, bust
has mn Cnllaptinrx have
become easier and the Superior Court,
insofar as criminal cases are con-
cerned, has practically gone out OF
business.
I'm 1914. the last year in which the
saloons enjoyed a full years patron
age in Alturas. the tax rate was 81 6S.
Now it is 1867 decrease OF s101.
The real percentage Of saying in the
cost Of administration is more than
that, as a large amount Of the tax Is
a fixed charge, due to permanent I'M
provements in the city
There are about LOO people in AL
turas and 1t used to be the gathering
place OF every miner. farmer. cowboy
and hobo, who wanted to get drunk.
Now with Oregon dry and Modoc
County practically so, all these citi
zens go to Reno. when they feel the
reed of a carousal.
There Is not one blind pig where
there were ten under the saloon re-
gime And in spite OF the doleful and
dlreful predictions of the vets, we
have just as many lights and our
streets are watered Just as often, and
every Improvement mas been carried
out In both the grammar and the
high school there are more pupils
than there We're a year ago.
Business Is Better.
business is better in Alturas than
1t has been in years. and this in spite
OF the frost which did US heavy dam
age last May. business Ia now con-
Quoted almost entirely on a cash basis.
or collections, there are hardly any.
either for Alturas firms or for valley
business men, l have not 0 per cent
Of the amounts to be collected in my
office that | had two years ago.
Outside of persons accused Of run
ming blind pigs, all of whom pleaded
eGiity, there has been only one Grim
NAL prosecution in the superior Court
this year. A man named Maybrier,
drunk on whiskey secured in Nevada.
attacked a high-school girl He is
Ger n forty-seven- year sentence.
"Of the nine saloons two were
changed into soft-drink parlors, one
is empty and the other six have been
used for other sorts of business And
Modoc County is predominantly dry In
sentiment"