The Detroit times., 1916-06-14
A Good Little Town.
BY Webster.

Ten years ago Horton. Kansas,
swore on. and since that time it has
kept its swear" Horton does me-
drink intoxicants This does not
mean not publicly" II means mot
at all" The remarkable feature OF
this abstinence is that for % years
preceding the taking Of the pledge.
Horton was called one OF the tough,
est little cities on all the map OF
Kansas says the Kansas City
Star. In which IS Chronicled the rec
ord Of It's return 20 virtue, Horton
was as bad as booze could make Il.
There were many who deprecated
conditions there. but none who could
figure out the cause "A large lab
oring class" the raw good-spirits
OF new town" and other causes
were blamed-an rather vague and
general and impossible 10 control.
Then the railroad that was mainly
the reason for Horizons existence
took to discharginE its drinking en-
ployes and taking on only sober
men. That was a hint 70 the wise.
and the birth of Horizons reform.
From this point the history OF the
good little town" proceeds as fol.
lows:
The saloons met the rising tide by
making concessions. They closed their
front doors and opened the back ones.
D "a Va aV q
saloons get ON ~" run they always
keep going. Tho out-and -out bar
rooms vanished and then came the
era 81 tho drug store joints They.
too. went tho way q, an flesh. one
OF them burned down, the proprietor
Of another was sent % Jail, and the
others just naturally curled MP and
quit
II required a few years before the
town realized many tangible benefits
| from prohibition. Five years ago the
city bought tho water and light plant
for $4,000. The electric power Ia
on "a hours n day now. whereas 81
used 10 be shut N NJ midnight The
| rat" rs low and u allows enough
profit - SGT aside a sinking fund 70
Baalt "a at cost "9" 81 sss 900 insured ssrfEo'
water supply that Is ~ 20 drink
Next came sewage system and n
treating plant that cost 10000. In
| the old booze days Horton used 20
maintain pest house and have
! smallpox and many other diseases.
| Pure water and the sewers have vir-
tually banished disease.
Shopmen who formerly. invested
their money with tho jointkeepers
began buying homes with their saw
! inRs Once thev became property
owners they became interested In
their city. The next thing was n
new city hall, built at cost OF u.s.
COO There IL public auditorium,
where all sorts ~ meetings are held.
Tho fro department has Us head
quarters in the building. The town
| band no longer r. forced 20 practice
outside the city limits. for the band
! boys have their room.
Seventy thousand dollars went IN
one cllp for something that could not
be neglected. nov high school.
Horton was getting up out Of the
| gutter and ~ was going 10 have new
was needed but 10 was better %
spend money on public improvements
1 than 10 sprnd II In saloons.
Until NO years ago there nevHr
! had been n foot 81 paving IN Hor.
! ton To-day there arc SIX miles Of
n suhAltlc -oOnCrete streets There IL
| n white Way that lights up Ave bust
rcss blocks There arc street lights
on every corner IN town I25 In all.
Every downtown alley ~ lighted.
Also every alley IL clean.
Their e. nothing dark or dnnk
about Horton N IL bright and clean
| ann nfHtfUN. I ne business mon arc
reaching out for moro business Tho
workincrnen are enjoying their sal
aries great many OF them havo
/ built their own small homes Tho
| town has cot tho booze out Of its
system ana has cooled OF. year
ago commission government was
adopted. There was p fight again ~
| &c. as might - expected. bat those
who opposed tho now plan ara now
it's best boosters. Just az those who
used a. dcf"nd tho saloons have seen
| tho light.
In tho last SIX months three new
| churches have been erected The
! Catholics put up a 10000 church. the
Methodist n 10000 one. and the
| BHptiats n So. 010 ono.
| other denominations plan now
| ou~s. too. 4 sunday school baseball
| lcag' plays baseball evenings. be-
| ginning 81 . o'clock 4 down. town
! plot that belongs % tho city IA be-
| iur Improved nnd viii soon be a
| beauty spot whore tho band concerts
are held n l7 not difficult 20 dra W
| % picture ~ rontenfment IN the little
| city that Fworn on
|
The tenth annual convention oi