Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-14
union men VOTE
AGAINST SALOON

Published In the Congressional
Record as part of the evidence offered
recently in a debate on prohibition is
a letter from Colorado labor union
editor, who declares the state and its
people have benefited greatly from
prohibition. The letter is written by
Clint C. Houston, editor of the Denver
Labor Bulletin. and in part follows:
you ask about the effect of pro-
hibition in Colorado so far as it af-
fects the working people. The law in
nine months has worked wonderful
revolution for good, and at least 20
per cent OF the union voters who were
against the amendment would support
it now. The wage earners have ceased
to spend their money for booze and
are buying bread and clothing for
their families. would say, on the
whole, the condition of Colorado work
ing people is at least SO per cent bet
ter as result of state wide prohibit
tion and the city of Denver is great
deal more prosperous.
"AIl the storerooms vacated by sa-
looms are now occupied by legitimate
enterprises, and the citizens only won
der why they tolerated the booze
joints as long as they did. The in
crease in savings deposits has been
remarkable, and the merchants report
collections from 40 to so per cent bet
ter,
ct was claimed by the liquor inter-
ests that prohibition in Colorado would
ruin the summer tourist business in
Colorado. AS a matter of fact, statis-
tics of the Denver tourist bureau show
that during the past summer the num-
Der of tourists visiting and remaining
one week and longer in this state was
almost double that of any previous
year.
1T was prophesied by our wet
friends that a labor paper couldn't ex-
list in a dry town. We lost about $50
a month in liquor advertising and
some $50 bartender and brewery work
err subscribers. Today we are doing
four times the advertising business
and have five times the number OF sub
scribers as when Denver had $50 sa-
looms and five breweries in operation.
Besides, the subscribers and adyer-
tisers pay their bills much more
promptly. and we don't have to de-
grade ourselves by .settin' 'em up to
a lot of barroom flies when we col
lect bill.
"One OF the notable improvements il
the decrease in crime of every grade.
There hasn't peen a murder in Dem
yer since the saloons were driven out,
whereas hitherto the record was from.
one to five month. The city has been
ridden of buns, pickpockets and bad
ger gangsters; IN fact, it is much more
Of a privilege than ever to live in
Colorado. l used to be pretty good
patron of the liquor business myself.
1T is my opinion that adjustment
of saloons in America would do as
much to adYan ce the wage Garner as
has organized labor At the recent
November election there was on the
ballot in this state proposition
known as the beer amendment, which
would permit the manufacture and
sale Of beer in this state. IL was de-
feated by a majority of S5,7S9.
would say that fully 80 per cent Of the
organized labor vote in Colorado
went against this beer amendment
and among the 5000 members of
trade and railway organizations in
this state it would now be rare ex-
ception to find ole who would declare
himself or herself in favor of rehabili-
tatiOn of the saloon"