LIQUOR LAWS AND MATERIAL PROSPERITY.

Evening Star, Issue 3783, 9 April 1875, Page 2

LIQUOR LAWS AND MATERIAL PROSPERITY.

[We ape not responsible for the opinions ex • pressed by our correspondents.]

To the Editor. Sra.-In the notice by the ‘ Otago Daily Ihmes of the eecond lecture delivered here by the Hon. S. D. Hastings, the following passage occursNo more interesting subject was touched upon by the lecturer upon Tuesday than this, viz., the effect upon the materiiS prosperity of those States which had adopted prohibitory legislation. We should much like to hear more upon this point.” With your permission, I will endeavor to further enlighten your morning contemporary. In the ‘ Affiance News * of the 6th February last is a 'long and very instructive letter, written by Mr A. C. Orne, of Vineland, New Jersey, in compliance I with the earnest request of Miles Hanford D.D.. of Salem, New Jersey. In the course oi his letter to Mr Orne, Dr Sanford says; ''You and I, as residents of Massachusetts—myself for twenty-five years, and yourself for nearly sixty years—know that, notwithstanding all the sojihisms, evasions, special pleadings, and falsehoods, known and unknown, •which have been uttered about prohibition there, it has nevertheless done wonders, not to say miracles, for the grand old commonwealth. ” In my recent interview with you I was amazed at the results you gave me, as gathered from the assessor’s returns and the related facts, showing conclusively that prohibition, unraixed and has proved itself a practical political economist which, instead of cutting the gordian knot of finance has skilfully untied it, and shown, not only to individuals but to States, how to enrich themselves in the best and truest sense.” I now propose to give some extracts from Mr Ome’s letter written, as I have said in compliance with the request of i)r Sanford thus earnestly put, and as the subject is one now exercising statesmen and philanthropists the world over, I trust you will be able to afford room for a pretty full statement of Mr 1 hue's case. I have condensed as much as possible. He says:— “ The State of Massachusetts had on her statute book a prohibitory law for thirty years, but as the enforcement of that law depended upon th<* authorities of the different cities and towns, its practical operation would be the same as local option: but when the State enforced the law by her State constables, and we had a report that there was not an open bar in the State, then we bad prohibition. Now I propose to show the difference between local option prohibition and free rum, and how the material interests of the State have been affected by tlm change of law. Before going into the question I think it would give us a clearer view of the sußject if I should show the cause which first led me to investigate thematter. When Horace Mann was Secretaiy of the Board of hducation, he gave in his reports the valuation of the different towns in the State, and the amount raised for the support of schools. The reports were sent to the School Committees of the different towns.- I read one of these reports, and from it I learned that my native town, Marblehead, was one of the richest towns in the Commonwealth in 1840. About twenty years later, at a town meeting, I so stated, but was met by statistics showing she was one of the poorest. Feeling an interest in the subject led me to investigate the matter, and I found that in twenty years from being one of the richest towns in the State, it had become one of the poorest. The next year -the same story also a came up—l addressed the meeting, and said it became us to iiiquire the cause. I then spake of Beverly punning the same business with 886 less population, which, in twenty yean, had beaten Marblehead in valuation 1,115,000d01. We have > the best harbor on the whole coast for boating and fishing; our farms have no superior in the State; we have the shoe business and the fishing business the same as Beverley. I then asked what made the difference, and said I will tell you what has caused it. * Marblehead has for twenty yean supported thirty rum shops 1 Beverley has not during that time had one.’ This investigation caused discussion. It led to the remark, ‘Why not let Marblehead sell rum as well as Salem? Sale »• has made herself rich by the tnffic.’ Salem was the richest city in the world according to her population. I did not for once think that she (fid not bold that position atiU. But I would look and see, and what was my surprise to find that Salem, compared with the rest of the State, had fallen behind in twenty yean 16,000,000d0L My opponents were driven to the wall 4 But,’ —— said, * Look at Boston. She has 3,600 rum shops 1 Look at her prosperity.’ Well what could Ido but examine f And to my surprise I found that Boston had fallen many millions behind the rest of the State. *'.l was oow prepared to investigate the whole subject, and make othei comparisons; and for this purpose I selected the city of Salem, with the adjoining towns—Salem in the centra, with Marblehead, Lynn, Danven, and Beverly adjoining. Beverley, in twenty yean, increased in valuation 7 per cent, annually. Danvers in that period increased *in valuation 11 per cent. ‘ ynn increased from 1,310,656d0L to 10,866,874 doL Salem increased in valuation 2 per cent., and Marblehead 2 per cent. Now, in Beverly, liymn and Danvora the liquor law was enforced, while in Salem and Marblehead it was not.

“Now, I propose to charge the above five towns 5 per cent, on their valuation of 1840, and see how their standing compares with each other in 1860. I will begin with the three temperance towns.

Beverley has a surplus of ... ... 516,622d0L Danvers a surplus of 2,223,742d0L Lynn a surphis of ... 8,227,536d0L Marblehead a deficiency of ... 958,104d0L Salem a deficiency o 1 5,713,718d0L lo show the matter as clearly as possible, we will go a little further with the figures. Beverley and Marblehead, both pursuing the same business, in both of which the fishing business has gradually declined, and the manufacturers of shoes succeeded, gave this result: —Beverley, in twenty years of prohibition has beaten Marblehead with free 'rum by 1,115,000d0L Salem, the other free sale town, has the State Normal School located in it, has railroad connections with every town in the county but one, and also with the cities of Boston, Lowell, and Lawrence, yet with all these advantages it has gained but 2 per cent anDually. If I take Boston, Salem, Newbury Port, and Marblehead—four of the richest towns in Massachusetts in 1840—when the sale of liouor was unrestricted, and compare them with the rest of the State, I find that they have fallen behind in valuation in tweutv years 60.000,OOOdoL” 1 This is, I think, enough for the present I may, with your permission return to the Subject.—l am, &c., _ Observer. Dunedin, Apnl 7.