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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS.
TUESDAY, JULY 9, WUi.
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN
(AND NEWS)
JOHN TEMPLE GRAVES, Eddor.
F. L. SEELY, Pre»ident.
Published Every Afternoon.
(Except Sunday)
By THE GEORGIAN COMPANY.
At 2S West Alabama Bt.. Atlanta, Qa.
Subscription Rates:
One Tear M fO
Mx Months } W
One Month
By Carrier, Per Week
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resentatives for all territory outMlde ot
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the circulation department sod hare
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>le that all eoi
... , for publication In TIIB
-1EOR01AN AND NEWS be limited to
900 worth la length. It Is Imperative
that they be slcned, at an evidence of
rood faith. Itejectad mannacrlpts will
not Ims returned unleaa stamps ora sent.
for the purpose.
TIIB GEORGIAN AND NEWS prints
no unclean or objectionable advertis
ing. Neither does It print whisky or
any liquor ads. t
plants, ss it now owns Its water
works. Other rifles do this and yet
fia as low as 80 cents, with a profit
to the city. Thla should be done at
ones. THE GEORGIAN AND NEWS
believes that If street railways can be
operated successfully by European
cities, as they are, there la no good
reaeon why they can not be so oper
ated here. Rut we do not liellere this
rsn be done now, and It ms/ be some
years l»«fore we are ready for so big
an niadsrtskloc. 8UH Atlanta should
set Its face In that direction NOW.
Persons leaving the city can
havo The Georgian and News
mailed to them regularly by send
ing their order to The Georgian
office. Changes of address will bo
made os often as desired.
If we are compelled to swallow
germs lot us swallow them cooked.
Boll the water.
THE DOUBLE QUESTION OP WATER.
Four weeks ago The Georgian pointed out almost exactly tho condi
tions of Atlanta's water supply as they exist today. •
At that tlmo wo urged upon tho city council and all parties In authori
ty that without waiting for the maturing of the bonds and the coming of
the money from the bdnds voted for thg water works, that those In author
ity should use the money now on hand for emergency treatment of the wa
ter famine, and replace that money later from the funds accruing from
tho bond Issue. .
We do not kuow whether this was done or not. We do know that It
ought to have been done at that time and long before that tlmo, and we
do know that at this time no heroic measure should bo either feared or
avoided which will tend to help Atlanta out of a condition which Is not
only unpleasant and uncomfortable, but which Is positively and deeply
dangerous to the health and cleanliness ot the city.
The Georgian heartily Indorses the suggestion of our physicians that
every consumer In Atlanta should boll carefully tho water that he drinks
In order to precipitate Its dirt and to destroy the germs which It may con
tain.
Beyond this, every other method that can be devised or discovered
should be used to purify the water and prevent disease. State Chemist
John M. McCandless tells The Georgian that after careful Investigation
he has Installed In his own offlee at the moderate cost of six dollars, a lit
tle plterer which not only presents the water clear to tho consumer, but
also presents It absolutely free of germs.
Surely every business establishment, every ofllce and every drinking
fountain In Atlanta should be supplied In this distressing emergency with
somo Instrument of this kind. -
An epidemic that would visit Atlanta during this sweltering weather
which has come lato, but come with stalwart vigor to this city, would do
us damage which years of patience might find It difficult to repair.
The question of water In a double sense now becomes the paramount
Issue of our state and local politics.
First, tbe abolition of all other drinks less wholesome than water, and
second, the purification by municipal energy and by private Intelligence of
all tho water that goes Into the stomaohs or upon the skins Qf the people
during this season of excessive heat
ATLANTA TAXES AND PROHIBITION.
On Saturday we dealt with the money end of prohibition In general—
today it shall be our purpose to throw a little light on Atlanta and Its tax
conditions, both under the old prohibition experience In 1886-7 and what
may be expected In tbe near future.
The opponent of prohibition usually wades Into the proposition with '
little regard to facts—If he had stopped to get at the facta, hp would not
be an opponent.
Now, let's see: Tho claim Is, that for tl^p liquor license monoy lost
In 1*886 and 1887, the tax rate was left the samo for the looks ot the
thing, but that the assessment was raised most unmercifully, so that
enough taxes could be collected to keep the city from darkness and de
spair. Tho Georgian reproduces herewith, In full, page 4S of the official
report of tho comptroller of the city of Atlanta for 1906:
STATEMENT SHOWING THE ASSESSED VALUATION OF REAL AND
PERSONAL PROPERTY, TAXES ASSESSED, RATE OF
TAXATION FROM 1881, TO 1906, INCLUSIVE.
Tho Charleston News snd Courier Is
carrying Ransy Sniffle* tales between
Georgia's governor and ex-governor.
If the water works department Is not
In sympathy with the antl-prohlbltlon-
1st*, present conditions aro difficult to
explain.
Tbe phrase “The Almighty Dollar"
was originated by Washington Irving
In “The Creole VJHtgo," which he pub
lished In 1837.
This is the season when the subur
ban resident goes to his crystal well of
water and thanks heaven that be does
not live In Atlanta.
Tho News and Courier says there Is
a tremendous power behind \Hoke
Smith's throne. Yes, tbe omnipotence
of public opinion.
Tho suburban real estate agent Is
prospering mightily on the popular dis
gust with Atlanta's water famine. It's
an 111 famine that doe* not magnify
the suburb*.
“The South Is engaged now In mak
ing money, not In making men,” says
a contemporary. Ood forbid tbat our
progress should be measured along
this line.
Assistant Secretary Hays, of the De
partment of Agriculture, makes' the ex
cellent suggestion that the corn tassel
should be adopted as tbe national
flower.
Editor Hemphill Is unpatrlotlo
enough to discover a resemblance be
tween Ralsull's capture of Colonel
Usclcan and General Fred Funaton's
capture of Aguloaldo. Shame!
If Japan wishes to make Roossvelt'a
election sure. Just let her make a real
throat of war. With a single gleam of
the mikado's teeth the whole country
would turn to teeth mope famous and
more formidable.
Tbe real estate agent has cancelled
tbe lease on the colonial house which
be bad secured for Booker Washington
at Oyster Bay—presumably at the sug
gestion of the other residents. A well-
timed snub tor Booker.
With Henry Grady and 8am tatnan
on written record In Indorsement of
tbe financial effect of prohibition. It
will take a whole host ot ordinary men
to iwear.lU beneficence sway.
After all, with their other arguments
fallacious, the saloon men have one ef
fective argument in the fact that It
would be cruel to condemn Atlanta to
such water as we are having now. But,
fortunately, prohibition will not go Into
effect within the next sixty days.
What t pity that The Constitution,
alter suppressing Henry Grady’s great
prohibition speech, should actually mis
represent tbe dead evangel's open rec
ord on tbat great questloo. Truly It's
a long leap between editors—longer
thin we thought.
YEAtl-
T5T
D
lwa .
1M«.
IMS .
IMS ,
18?:
1892 .
« .
i£:
1897 .
1898 .
1899 .
1902 i
1903 ,
1904 ,
1906 .
1908
42,230,380jJO
41.402, S43.nl
4S.6J6.508.00
42.474.869.00
40.940.0n.00
41.460.941.00
41.983.861.00
I 7,474,268.00
7.614.710.00
8.194.476.00
MM.1M.00
7.889.290.00
7.879.489.00
7.304.703.00
9.008.617.00
10.222.447.00
11.906.608.00
14.206.882.00
7,849.00
lams:'
„ K44J.OO
H.780,606.00
11.918.106.00
11.760.208.00
11.601.601.00
iiiwisSiS
11,771,7*9.00
i3.satMl.no
14.SHif77.00
17,143,741.00
20.osa.r73.Qfr
■327.lt0.O91.OO
23.SM.SSS.M
Unto per
Thousand
13.60
Total Taxes
618,462.97
SH&8
With this table, beforo you, wo call your attention to tho following
faots:
First, as to amount of assessment: It Is claimed that In order to meet
the deficit, the assessment for tho first prohibition year had to bo raised
two and a half millions ot dollars. This was 1886. You will find by re
ferring to the figures abbvo that It la true; they were raised 33,600.000
from 1886. the last liquor year, to 1886, the first prohibition year. If you
will look back to 1883, throo years earlier, when the taxable property
was flTo millions less, or over 20 per cent less, a nice little jupip ot nearly
three millions was made, and nobody seems to have noticed It. Then tho
vory next year a lift of two million one hundred dollars was made, and
then, as It to crlpplo the chances of prohibition, tboy raised it only
$400,000 from 1884 to 1885, and prohibitions first year bad to take tho
blame for two years In one. and even then tho assessments ot 1885 and
1886 together—and with prohibition, too—the Increase tor two years
only equaled the Increase that was made In one year, 1883, three years
before.
Now Just rtlti on down the column a little further and, with no ac
companying record of nervous prostration, soo where from 1889 to 1890
It was necessary to boost the assessment five and one-half millions, and
from 1890 to 1*891, over six millions, and slnco that seven and eight mil
lions at a Jump—must have boon short of money then, too.
Now as to taxes:
From 1883 to 1384, the Increase was from $396,000 to $427,000, or say
$31,000—8 por cent.
From 1884 to 1885 the lnorease was from $427,000 to $533,000, but
there was one Item alone tacked on to this—tho sale of gas stock—that
amounted to $43,000, and with this ofT, regardless ot tho fact that tho as
sessment was practically tho same—$28,000,000—we will give them cred
it for $63,000 of Increase la taxes—about 14 por cent. With this deduc
tion, to say nothing of tho fact tbat the Increase of assessment In two
years was only equal to that ot one year three years previous, there was
but a deficit ot $30,000, though tho year previous carried $82,000 In liquor
licenses.
In the year 1890, we collected $827,000, and the following year re
duced the rate and dropped $140,000 liquor licenses. And we didn’t reach
the 1890 figure again for nine years.
Now It would seem that If we could stand that, wo could stand «| Tittle
drop In taxes for a year or two.
The city received In liquor licenses In 1900 $100,000. If there were
no liquor licenses this year, we would presumably be short the $100,000
from our million dollars of 1900—not $225,000 as our dreaming friends put
It when they talk of our ruin. But It won't oven bo that much, for the In
creased assessment of tbe Georgia Railway and Electric Company and
the Gas Company alpne will put back $50,000 of the $100,000, and our nat
ural Increase Is about $60,000 a year. So If we had no liquor money next
year, wo would still havo more than the million dollars of taxes we had
la 1906, and If tho $25,000 a year Tho Georgian got for you off our city
lighting bill by Rs fight for municipal ownership Is credited up, tho city
will presently find Itself looking for a way to spend the monoy not needed
for operating expenses.
The ‘‘destruction committee" will now have to make another round
and establish a new scare—this one won't work any longer.
DON’T SHIFT THE RESPONSIBILITY ON JIM KEY.
It has a touch of malice with a largo lack ot bigness of method to bo
attacking Councilman Jim Key as responsible for the water famine because
he stood obstructive In the way of what appeared to be a plan to shelve
tbe great principle of municipal ownership by projecting the water works
as a distracting Issue.
It every public man in Atlanta or the state was as honest snd sin
cere In hts public sets as Mr. Key was public spirited and honest In his
action In this matter, the city and the state would be better for tho status
of political morals which It would establish.
No man was ever more genuine In his sincere desire to serve tbe pub-
/
Uoaccordlne to h.'s lights and tho conditions surrounding him than Mr.
Key In tho attitude ho assumed toward tho water bonds. ,
If it has turned out that wo are suffering now for water of a proper
and wholesome kind, the honest and faithful citizens must look far bo-
yond Jim Key to Hud tbe responsibility for the conditions which at present
distress us.
If any paper In Atlanta has a right to speak upon this question from
the standpoint of helpfulness to the water bonds. It is Tho Georgian.
Men who remember that eventful election day will recall that The Geor
gian In the crucial and critical moment of that election, summoned all
tho energies of Its staff behind Its maflaglng editor, and sent out over
tho telephono system, contributed to the emergency, something over a thou
sand personal appeals to tbe Individual citizens to go out and vote.
And you can find today in Atlanta more than one Intelligent and
thoughtful citizen who will not hesitate to declare that the water bonds
wero voted In Atlanta through the direct efforts ot that strenuous and
effective hour which The Georgian gave to the last and critical ballot
which saved the measure from defeat and pulled It to victory.
Speaking from this standpoint of support and of substantial service,
The Georgian does not hesitate to protest as ungenerous and llttlo the dis
position to saddle the responsibility for the present conditions- upon a
faithful and upright public servant who was fighting for the triumph of
tho great arid permanent principle of municipal ownership government
The effort to saddle on one man the faults of other men will scarcely
succeed where there Is a public voice to expose the fallacy.
You can't hurt Jim Key by tactics like these. He may be In error
in other lines and he may plead guilty to mistakes upon other occasions
as other mortals do, but he' was a good brave citizen In this light and de
serves tho thanks of the people rather than the carping criticism of thoso
to whose schemes he does not bow or truckle.
THE GOLDEN AGE AND ITS EDITOR.
The Georgian takes this occasion without apology to commend Iho
high tone and tbe more than ordinary ability which is Illustrated In the
conduct ot The Golden Ago ot this city.
The Golden Age Is the production of William D. Upshaw and his
assoclats A. E. Ramsaur, and others. It Is a weekly paper of tho highest
moral tone, the nob!ea$ purposes and of very fine literary flavor and abil
ity. The paper has been from the first day ot Its existence a stalwart
and eloquent champlo not every cause which makes for righteousness,
temperance and peace In Georgia.
Its gifted and consecrated young editor Is doing as much to Inspire
the student life of the South to higher living and nobler purposes as any
man not a teacher In the ranks of our citizenship. Wherever Mr. Up
shaw goes he speaks to school children and college students, creating
the most wholesome enthusiasm by the magnetism of his personality and
tbe noble and lofty trend of his moral apeals. His eloquence Is all
the more captivating because the speaker, compelled to sit the greater
part of hlB time In his chair owing to a feeble body, rises upon his
crutches as an Inspiring Illustration of the power with which the mind
triumphs ove rthe body and makes It more useful and great
What we desire to say Is that Mr. Upshaw’s paper Is yet an experi
ment—a noble experiment In the very crisis of Us fortunes. The moral
forces In' the state and the republic have been all too laggard in sup
porting those brave and unselfish champions that stand for the higher
things of life and living, and because we realize this fact The Georgian
does not hesitate here to suggest that the men of money or tbe men of
character who have anything to glvo to really great causes can do noth
ing Better than to give their moral and substantial support to a paper
that stands as brilliantly, as bravely and as effectively for every human
reform as does The Qolden Age and Upshaw and Ramsaur in conduct
ing It.
ARMY-NAVY ORDERS
—AND—
MOVEMENTS OF VESSELS
Army Orders.
Washington, July 9.—Captain Monroe C.
Kcrtb, Twenty-third Infantry, upon comple
tion of duty encampment, first brigade.
Pennsylvania national guard, to Doltvar
Heights: Major William II. Arthur, sur
geon, am] Major Benjamin W. Atkinson,
fourth Infantry; Captain Gay H. B. Smith,
Fourth Infantry, and Captain Bailey K,
Ashford, assistant surgeon, snd Plrst Lieu
tenant Sylvester Donaffon, Fourth Infantry,
detailed examining board at Wasblngton
barracks.
£aptaln Conrad II. Lanza, quartermaster,
to temporary duty In office of quartermas*
ter general at Washington.
Boards of medical officers hereinafter con
stituted appointed to meet Jnly 29, at
plaees designated, to conduct preliminary
examination of applicants for medlcst de
partment:
At general hospital, Washington barracks.
Captain Walter D. Webb, First Lieutenants
Henry F. Pipes snd John D. Huggins, as
sistant surgeons; at Columbus barracks. Ma
jor Henry I. Raymond, surgeon, Captains
Ernest Is. Iluffner and Raymond F. Met
calfe, assistant surgeons; at Jsfferson bar*
racks. Major Alfred K. Bradley, surgeon.
Captains Junius C. Gregory and Will I*
Pyles, assistant surgeons.
Navy Order*.
Rear Admiral O. C. Reiter, retired, con
tinue light bouse board, department of com
merce sml labor; Commodore W. If. Deeb-
ter, retired, contftaue command of naval ate-
tlon, Key West; Commodore A. V. Wad-
terns, retired, detached navy yard, Norfolk,
home.
Commodore F. E. Sawyer, retired, detach
ed naval training stntlon, Newport, home:
Commodore J. ft. Dull, retired, detached
tl training station. San Francisco; Cap-
D. D. V. Htuart, detached naTy re
cruiting station. New York, to navy yard.
Norfolk; Lieutenant J. F. Green, detached
Indians, home, to await orders.
Lieutenant J. V. Babcock, detached Trux
ton, l
Fitch,
man
Lawrence.
Movements of Vessels,
Arrived—July 6, I>ea Moines, at Boston
Wasp, at Wilmington; Milwaukee at La
Union, San Halvnib»r; 1 /*pbln at New* York
city; Jnly 7, Prairie, nt Hampton Roads;
Wolverine at Marquette; Helena at Shang
hai. Amptorittte St League Island.
Killed—July 6, Wasu from Charleston for
Wilmington. N. C.; Trslrle from League
Island for Hampton Roads; Wolverine from
Bault Hte. Mode for Marquette, Mich.;
July 7, Rocket from Norfolk for Indian
Head; Alexander from Chefoo for Cavite;
Ohio anil Minnesota from Hampton Roads
for cruise off capes of the chfsapeake;
Lebanon from Norfolk to destroy wreck.
Iowa placed In reserve at Norfolk navy
yard, 6th Instant.
eutenant J. v. Hancock, uciscneo xrux-
to command Lawrence: Ensign E.O.
h, from Fort Uayard, home; Midship-
i R. P. Scuddcr, detached Truxton, to
EVANGELIST DRAWS
A GREAT THRONG
Fully three thousand people were as.
aembled Sunday night under and
around the gospel tent at Marietta
street and Bellwood avenue to hear
Rev. C. M. Dunaway.
Hie theme was the “Personality of
the Devil."
From the Bible, history, evidence.-, alt
around us of human depravity, he sup
ported hts contention that there was a
personal devil, hating Ood with a sul
len, persistent hatred, and determined
to spite God by wrecking the human
family.
When In the course of hts sermon he
referred to the whisky traffic as the
chief agency in the hands of the devil
In hts effort to destroy humanity and
asserted that good men would drive it
out of Georgia, the great audience was
clearly with him and the enthusiasm
Intense.
These meetings will be continued
through the week, with services each
night at 7:45 o'clr-*•
POINTED PARAGRAPHS.
(From The Chicago News.)
Too many touches will harden the
easy mark.
There's either too much rain or not
enough to suit the farmer.
When It comes to rapid transit a
train of thought sets the pace.
Marriage Isn’t always a failure; there
Is usually a lighting chance.
Early to bed and early to rise gives
the average man’s wife a surprise.
Did you ever know a man to practice
half the things he preaches to his boyt
A promoter Is a man who makes a
strenuous effort to boost hie own Inter
ests.
It's useless to try to establish uni
irsal
marrt
When a man Is compelled to eat hts
words he finds It difficult to swallow
his Indignation.
it takes a woman to pick a quarrel
with a neighbor and shift the conae
quences to her husband's shoulders.
Fortunate Is the milkmaid who has
no kick coming.
This world remembers the man who
dies game—for a day.
A mart" never gets dyspepsia from
eating the things be dislikes.
There are many high-salaried teach,
ere In the school of experience.
Marriage la responsible for the de
struction of many happy delusions.
A woman who gossips la bad enough,
but a man who listens to gossip Is
worse.
When a girl can’t sing and refuses to
try she deserves more than a pleasant
look.
BETH ISRAEL TEMPLE
TO BE BEGUN TUESDAY
The comer stone of the synagogue of
Congregation Beth Ierael, the new
Jewish church organised In Atlanta,
will be laid with Impreeilve ceremony
Tuesday afternoon at I o'clock.
The temple Is being erected at the
comer of Washington and Clarke
etreete, and when completed it will be
one of the handsomeet houses Of wor
ship In the state. The cost of the struc
ture will be about $35,000.
The laying of the comer stone will
be under the auspices of the Masonic
Grand Lodge ot Georgia, and Grand
master Max Meyerhardt will be among
those who will take part In the exer
cises. Deputy Grand blaster David
Marx, the rabbi of Atlanta's Reformed
Jewish congregation, wilt also be called
upon to speak.
In addition to these, Georgia's gov
ernor, Hon. Hoke Smith, and Atlanta's
mayor, Hon. W. R. Joyner, will deliver
addressee.
The Beth Israel congregation is com
posed of many of the best known Jew-
sh people tn Atlanta. They accept ful
ly neither the exact doctrines of the
Orthodox nor the Reformed Jews, their
tenets being rather a modification of
both. Following are the officers:
J. Saul, president; A. Steiner, vice
president; A. Landsberger, treasurer;
N. F. Loeb, secretary, and Rev. Julius
T. Loeb. rabb-
t
During the Last Ten Years This Bank
Has paid to its Savings Depositors over $150,000.00 ia interest,
as Dividends on their Savings—
Has increased fronj its Earnings the Surplus and Undivided
Profit Account over $500,000.00 as additional protection to
its Depositors—
Has experienced an increase of over five hundred per cent In
Deposits, an evidence of Satisfactory Service—
This bank is able and willing to meet tho demands of its
customers, and offers a service which is proving highly satis
factory to an increasing number of patrons.
MADD0X-RUCKER BANKING CO.
IS QUESTION OF FACTS
AND NOT OF SENTIMENT
To the Editor of The Georgian:
Nodr that the state legislature has a
prohibition blit pending, It Is In even-
way wise and proper for those respon
sible for the bill to give us the facts,
which show the wisdom of the move
ment
The question of prohibition and anti
prohibition Is no longer one of senti
ment. While public sentiment all over
the United States ts largely In favor of
prohibition, the question Itself has long
since passed the sentimental stage.
What we want now are the cold
facts. Everyone Is anxious to learn
alt that can be told about the liquor
traffic. We must not confine ourselves
to either side to the exclusion of the
other. It is a great question to which
there are two sides. One side has been
In pdwer for alt the years of the past
in Georgia. What It has done for the
uplift of humanity can not fall to be
seen In the effects of the liquor traf-
Whnt prohibition does Is as read
ily seen In the portion of the state
where It has prevailed.
The question has only two aspects—
morality and finance. It Is not ns
some contend, a political Issue. With
the advocates for prohibition the ques.
tlon Is a moral one. With the liquor
people it Is purely financial. The
strongest liquor advocate admits that
there Is absolutely no morality In the
traffic. No such claim has ever been
made. No such claim can over be
made, as there Is na morality In any
phaso of the traffic from the start to
the flplsh. The claim Is made that the
traffic has great bearing on tbe finan
cial question. This claim Is not made
by the prohibitionists, Just as the antl-
prohlbittonlsts make no claim on the
good morals of the traffic.
The three great arguments of the
whisky advocates are that saloons
make business; saloons put plenty of
money with the city treasury, and that
liquor will bs sold In spits of nil legls-
fatlon. These three arguments are
practically all that Is left upon which
the advocates of the liquor traffic can
hope to live. »
We will consider them carefully and
give each declaration a fair and Im
partial Investigation.
1. Saloons make business. Not long
ago a business man was asked to sign
a petition to close up a certain saloon.
He positively refused. The reason giv
en was that ths saloon mads business.
When asked what kind of business, the
man nnswered, all kinds of business,
and added, "I wish we had a saloon on
every comer In the city. It would make
the business good everywhere.” Again
came the question, what business doss
ths saloon help? This man was a tai
lor. His business was to make clothes
for men to wear. In what way did the
saloons help him? Surely not In creat
ing a demand for more tailor-made
clothes among the patrons of the sa
loon. The saloon keeper himself was
never known to wear a tailor-made
ronlzea the saloon never has anythin*
left His family Is always In want and
trouble.
Again we ask what kind of business
dees the saloon make? Through all
centuries of tho post comes the answer
Hell. The saloon Is the . servant of Sa-'
tan and everything that touches it
travels hellward. The last effects of
•the saloon business Is seen when the
poor, helpless drunkard falls headlong
with a shriek of despair. Into the tor
ture of eternity.
Again the declaration Is made that
the saloons are a great Source of reve
nue to the city. There never wa, a
greater fallacy.
Every saloon calls for more police
protection. Instances Innumerable can
bo cited to prove that the saloon Is
the most costly thing In any communi
ty. The gambling house Is a great evil
but In gambling the real effect Is to
causa money to change ownership. A
man can gamble trway a whole fortune
and still be able to go out and earn a
living. He has not become a moral and
physical wreck. A man can not drink
up a fortune and be fit for anything,
hut the poor house. There Is no polit
ical economy In the saloon. What the
saloons pay in license Is more than
lost In the expente of dealing with tho
patrons of the saloon. Let a law pass
that all the expense growing out ot
the liquor traffic shall be met by tho
money paid by the saloon men for li
censes and see how quick the business
will fall. Ono ordinary murder case
alone, growing out of the liquor traffic,
will cost more than all the saloon men
pay Into the city bolters. Back of all
this Is the fact that the liquor traffic
Is unfair In that It sells that which Is
death-dealing and harmful for good,
lawful money. No matter how much
the saloons pay Into the treasury of a
town, It all has to come out of the
hard-earned wages of the poor unfor
tunate people who patronize them. If a
man pays license to sell clothes ha
gives something for money that will
cover the body and keep It comfortable.
The saloon keeper sells that which de
stroys the body, mind and soul and
renders tho purchaser Incapable of
taking rare of himself.
The great curse of the public school
system Is that the revenue from the
liquor traffic goes for education. While
we raise a few cents per capita from
this source, we spend dollars In pro-
tooting ourselves against the effects
of tne vile traffic. It would be cheap
er by far to abolish the sale of liquor
entirely and thus cut off the fearful
tax now levied upon us for our protec
tion. Whenever prohibition prevails
taxes become lighter. People have
moro money to spend for the necessi
ties of life. They buy more luxuries.
They enjoy life’s pleasures, becauso
they have the means for a day's out
ing, and In every way a spirit of thrift,
happiness and prosperity Is brought
Into vital touch with tho people.
The last claim Is that liquor will bs
sold In spite of all law to the contrary.
This orgument simply begs the ques
tion. If It will be sold In spite of all
suit, so the Increase of business could law,'who are the ones that will sell It?
not have been directed toward him. All, Certainly not those who ars seeking
around are other business houses, not (0 abolish Its sale. It Is simply a dec
one of which agreed with the tailor. I p,ration on the part of the liquor crowd
for the grocer, the baker, the clothing thtt t they Intend to violate every law
house, the milliner, the shoe shop, the
coal and wood dealers, the laundry
men, the pressing club, the dairyman
and even the coffin dealer, all not only
signed the petition, but said God speed
the work of getting rid of the saloon.
The saioon was abolished. The tailor
moved out of tho neighborhood. On
the same lot he formerly occupied
there are now three separate and dis
tinct new business firms. Within fifty
yards there are two other new firms.
! n the building which was formerly
a saloon. Is now a large and prosper
ous wholesale manufacturing estab
lishment. while adjoining the building
arc two new flourishing stores. The
coal houso on the other side has nearly
doubled Its offlee capacity.
Ths saldon had been right there for
eighteen years and not a single new
firm was started. Now. Just one year
since the saloon was abolished, there
aro seven new firms, all doing welt,
within the space of one block. Prop
erty all around has advanced about
60 per cent. Now wherein does the Sa
loon make business? What Is true of
tills Identical saloon Is practically true
of all saloons. Right here In Atlanta
Is a clothing house near to several sa
loons. A man saw a suit of clothes
displayed In the window that he de
sired. He went home and asked Ills
wife to go with him and look at It
with a view of purchasing. When he
told her where the store was located
her answer was, "I never walk on that
side of the street because of the sa
loons." When pressed to go she said.
"I once met an Intoxicated man coming
out of one of those saloons near there
and I had so much rather go some
where else.” That clothing house did
not gain business on account of the sa
loon. It lost business. A restaurant
next door to a saloon Is seldom If ever
patronized by* self-respecting people.
They are afraid to be seen coming out
of a place so near to a saloon. Why?
Certainly not because the saloon makes
business good. The fact Is the saloon
Is a festering sore. Like some conta
gious disease. It Is a thing to be avoid
ed. There Is one ward In the city of
Atlanta In which there IS not a single
saloon. In that ward there are more
saloon keepers' homes than In nearly
all the balance of Atlanta. Why? Be.
cause the saloon Is a good business
proposition? No. Even the saloon
keeper Is anxious to rear hts children
In a purer atmosphere than that of the
saloon.
The only business made by the sa
loon ts that which makes tears, sor
row, pbverty, drunkenness, widows, or-
fiiana and death. Take away the sa-
oons and yon decrei.se the business of
the policemen. You put the Jailer and
sheriff almost out of business. You
shut up houses of lit feme. You make
loafers go to work and cause the rum-
soaked. red-nosed gong to become re
spectable, law-abiding citizens. If the
saloon makes business. It Is up to the
saloon advocatei to tell us what kind
of business they make. Certainly they
will not dare say that their business
helps to sell any of the common ne-
that looks to Ihe discontinuance of tho
tralfic. If the sale of liquor Is pro
hibited by law no one will have the
right to sell and therefore anyone sell
ing will bb punlshbd for his wrong
doing. Whoever sells a drop under
euch conditions becomes by his own
act an outlaw. He is classed with the
burglar, the thief, the libertine and tho
murderer. The law Is amply able to
take care of all such objectionable cit
izen*. It would be much easier to pun-
tsh the man who unlawfully sells liquor
than It now is to deal with the thou
sands of poor, deluded drunkards, our
claim Is that with the right kind of
prohibitory law against tho manufact
ure and sale of Intoxicating liquor we
only need goed officer* nnd the ssl*
will cense. We nre a law-abiding peo
ple. We obey the law even It It Is not
of our making and sanction. We be
lieve In law and only the greedy, rum-
besotted- whisky adherents ever say
that liquor will ba sold no matter what
law forbids It.
We dose by saying that no darker
stain ever rested upon the escutcheon
of our fair land than the saloon evil.
No one thing has caused so much or
downfnl! nnd sotrow. It has no goou
In It. It Is unholy. It Is unseemly. “
Is horrible In fact and effect, and Is nb.
solutely without a single redeeming
feature. . _
In view of al Ithls, we ask how Ion*
shall an enlightened, civilized nation
endure this evil? Is It not high tlmo
that we regulate the whole business,
so fraught with evil, and only evil, to
the past? , _
A few facts. Supposing that there
are 2,500,000 people In Georgia who pay
7E cents each for religion and charUJ,
SO cents for stote government. I I ‘'
for education and 34.00 per capita for
liquor. Who pays this $4.00? Not tn*
saloon men. No, the people pay It.
Maine there are $103.76 per capita m
savings banks. No other state has hair
so much, in California one mur.ier,
over a keg of beer costing $1.25. caused
the taxpayers to pay out $32,000 in
Kansas 44 counties are without a sin
gle pauper, 25 counties have no P»‘ ,r
house and 37 counties have not a sin
gle prisoner In Jail nor a solitary vase
on the court docket.
A. C. WORD.
Body Shipped to Kentucky.
Special to The Georgian.
Brunswick, Gs., July The remain*
of J. F. Barker, a lineman of the South
ern Belt Telephone Company. hay*
been sent to his home at Sturgis. h>-
for interment. While working on in*
telephone wire* In this city last - r ‘
day evening Barker came In conts“
with a live wire and was alsctrocuieu-
House Destroyed by Fire.
Special to The Georgtsn.
Gaffney, 8. C.. July The dwelling
of Smith Littlejohn wa* totally de
stroyed by fire yesterday morning ne
tween 1 and 2 o'clock. Some of »»
furniture, was saved. Los* pnrtisuj
■'«'« of life, for the man wfryZ.