The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-23

A gentleman was in the city from Day.
export last night. He is saloon keeper
over there. EYES," said he in answer to
question, Il sell beer, wine and whisky
the same as 1 always did. If man asks
for whisky he gets it. The same may be
said of beer and wine. The mum" and
conversation water" business is played
out. Prohibition in Iowa, so far as Dav>
export is concerned, is a failure One
thing about the attempted enforcement
of this law in Iowa is peculiar.
An attempt has been made in every town
on the river except Davenport to enforce
the law. 1t has been tried in Dubuque,
Clinton, Muscatine, Burlington and Keo =
kuk. In the interior of the state, Des
Moines, Marshalltown, Dodge City, Sioux
City, Council Bluffs, and other cities have
had more or less trouble with the new
law. But Davenport stands out alone as
the only city, of any pretentions, in the
state where no attempt has been made to
enforce this law" why is it2' was
asked. well, the point lies just here, y
replied the gentleman. Davenport is
largely composed of Germans. who value
their personal liberty They do not pro-
pose to dictate to the people of Davenport
what they shall or shall not partake of as
a beverage. They consider it the per
conal right of any man to determine what
he wants to drink. If he wants beer
they consider that no one has
any right to say to him that he can not
have 1t. The same rule prevails as re
CARDS whisky or any other stimulant.
The fact that not single attempt has
been made in Davenport to enforce the
prohibitOry law, proves these facts
believe that there are more liberal hearted
people in the city of Davenport than in
any other part of the state. You never
hear of any great lawlessness in Daven>
port, do you? There is not a city
of its size in Iowa that can show
better record as regards quiet and re-
spectability. Take, for instance these
towns in which the enforcement of the
prohibitory law has been tried What dis
graceful scenes have ensued. Look at the
riot in Marshalltown when the state ma
litia had to be called out to qucll the dis,
turbance Did you ever hear of any such
performance in Davenport? Itell you as
liquor dealer, hate to see intoXication
| never want to see man
get drunk in my saloon. Yet
fellows will come in partially intoXi
Gated They will order more drinks and
finally get full, and then when they are
seen staggering out of Il mans place it i;
at once surmised that they got DRUM
there. We all must stand this for it is
liable to happen to any of US. But | wish
to say that am IN favor of personal lib
erty. Let man do what he pleases st
long as he does not injure others. He is
the sufferer and no one else If h,
does injury to anyone but himsel
there are laws which will recompensc the
injured person. Last year DavenpOr
collected a license of $4,000 from til,
saloons This year she gets little owe
$500. She is lucky in that she has no
had any law suits to deplete her narrowed
treasury like other cities that have beer
named Set it down in plain English
prohibition in Iowa has been, and will be
so long as the German element predomi
mates, failure. This is no reflection up
on the Germans as drinkers, but they lov'
their personal liberty and will have it.