Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-10-16
VIC, E.U. COLUMN

w. /. u tVLUmE
(1tems furnished by the Press Ra.
presentat1ve OF the local Woman,s
Christian Temperance Union.)
VETS 0UT-ARGuEp
Bankers Report to Dry Force. Show.
SO per Cent Deposit Gain In
Thirty Towns.
Increase in. bank denosfts NJ mr..
than so per cent in thirty Minnesota
towns since they went dry in 1916.
are used as the best possible areu.
ment by the Citizens Dry Amend
ment Committee of Ramsey and
Hennepin counties in their campaien
for dry state in the November cleo
ton. The information was obtained
| by a QUESTIONABLE, sent to all the
bankers In the dry towns of Mime
sofa. Only two tell tales of woe.
| The brewers last defense has been
| shot to pieces" states q bulletin put
out by the dry committee showing a
table of increased bank deposits from
thirty Minnesota towns one and two
years later than the date of the pro-
hib1tion order which made these
towns dry.
Last Brewery Argument.
'The brewers had only one argu-
| ment left" the bulletin reads, land
that is that closing the saloons will
disturb business and cause financial
loss to the towns
All other arguments advanced
have gone glimmering. No use to
talk about the price of barley, be-
cause with three-fourths Of the state
OF Minnesota dry and three-fourths
OF the country dry, barley commands
a higher price than ever before.
mo use talk about men losing
their jobs, because with the scarcity
| of labor, the demand is greater than
can be filed.
Indeed, all arguments are gone,
and loss of business was the brewers
last trench.
Two Towns Are Hit.
1--WE decided to ask the bankers
| of Minnesota's dry towns about it
| as being the best barometers of trade
conditions, and only two said that
prohibition worked unfavorably
against the towns
paul Doepke, cashier State Bank
of Wanda, Redwood county, report
ed that taxes were increased so per
cent ever since; that blind pigs in
creased; pool halls were opened for
the youth of the town, and morals
lowered. Those that had drinking
habits went so miles to where it could
be obtained, and nearly every home
in the village and county kept sup
plies of liquor in their cellars, and
that storekeepers have more bad &C.
counts than ever"
All the other ten bankers Of Red
wood county speak favorably of pro-
hibition the bulletin states.
August Steining, cashier First State
Bank, FELTON, Clay county also is pes
simistic.
Population Decreased.
Population decreased reported
Steining. Zone business block
burned down and has never been re-
built since FELTON, went dry. Doctor,
druggist, news editor and others have
| replace them. am for strict prohi-
| OAtAOA, OuI lAOSO AoNIo AAOoL AOI UO
overlooked"
Other bankers in Clay county all
reported improved conditions, report
showed.
"The verdict of the bankers is so
overwhelmingly in favor of prohibi-
tion," the bulletin further reads,
that as a financial asset it leaves the
saloon without any further business
excuse of justification"
Bank Deposits Gain.
Out of whole number of replies
received by the dry committees, 225
give complete data. The aggregate
of these replies in money is given in
the dry bulletin as:
"Tota1 deposits when the towns
went dry, SAC, 269, 089.68. Total depos'
it's one year later, $51 ,522, 848, and two
years later, $59,034,555.37. The net
increase in one year was $5,253, 1892
and in two years, $13, 765, 1860.
"Only 100 bankers hesitated about
being quoted about prohibition, 300
were willing to have their signed
statements in favor Of prohibition
printed:
l. "Of the 4O7 towns reporting, fifty
never had saloons. Fourteen bank
ers were doubtful about results. The
Il rest were favorable"
Ia Question Of Health and Of Dollars
4 For every dollar the federal govern
Hmept collects in liquor taxes, the local
taxpayers of the country spend SO tc
repair the damage done by liquor
points out Haven Emerson, health
commissioner, New York city,. rs II
the federal government that maintains
the alcoholic wards of hospitals, sup
ports the inebriate farms, pays the
costs of the police, the courts, the pris
ons and asylums or poor farms?
"Come with me to the hospitals anG
the clinics, visit the homes Of the poor
and see where the public must spent
its money to rescue the remnants thai
liquor has left. Can you not see thai
it Is worth greater, sacrifice thar
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