Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-11-28
EblrED ny Mrs. Z. V. M1Lss.
oVerpo"er-ng is not always convinc-


oVerpoWerlng is not always conyinc-
ing.
N0t"'son OF the Government to the LID
uor Traffic. J..
Cncle sam owns a farm; it is divided
into thlrty-eight fields, leased by' his
nephews, while he has nine new fields
besides the home garden under his care.
Inc use OF bitters by the hands is the
great curse that affects Uncle Sans
farm. 1t makes the hired men lazy. un-
healthy and many of them criminals.
three Or four of his nephews have de-
clared they would not allow this wretch
ed drink to be either made or sold in
their fields, have held a meeting of all
their tenants and agreed to keep out
this nuisance Or die in the attempt.
They have gone about this matter with
SO much pluck and determination that
they would actually have kept their
fields comparatively free but for one
thing, viz: Uncle Sam has a different
theory about controlling this dangerous
drink. He says it is a great evil but I
will make it a'great benelcence. In
the first place we shall always have
these bitters made and sold; you may
set that down as a fixed fact. Farmer
John sends it across the water and |
shall let it in, but not until he has paid
a neayy tax. That will go agood ways
towards supporting MT and make your
rent less. Then since they will make
this stuff any how; I will just let it in
my new fields, and on my garden spot,
and you must not mind if I have it
carried through your fields Oh the way
to my own, besides III let ours make it
under my own eye, in places set apart
for that purpose right irl the fields next
yours, where they haven't the fanatical
rule that you have about not letting it
be sold. Then, in my own garden patch,
I'll make special arrangements not to
have it sold unless each man thatkecps
it pays sc much right direct to me. If
they'll do that. III Yet it come straight
into my own house with the big dome.
But Uncle Sans nephews are not so
stupid as the old gentleman imagines.
They reply: Now see here, so long as
you are writing TO the men that make
these bitters, telling them they may,
and taking ninety cents for yourself
every twenty cents they get for all
their trouble, SO long will you want
this drink made and sold. Don't you
see that you are thegreat bittcrs maker
yourself? Why you have become so
avaricious that you actually hold in
your own hand the key to every bitter
manufacture on the big farm and put
your men then to watch by day and
might, SO that yon shall be sure to get
your share. You then tell the "bitters"
man what sort Of d building and you
lock up his materials for making the
vile stuff, not however until he has
bought and paid for them under your
eye. You stand then and weigh and
measure and make sure that you know
Just how much he manufactures and
then you shut it up tight and put a
watch dog at the door SO that nobody
can 90 in Or out without your knowing
it. Then when q man sells q gallon
you take your tithes Of the profit. If
he sells to another nan that works the
stuff into some other kind of drink you
make the last man pay you $20O.W for
this last privilege; if he sells it at
wholesale you charge him $3.50; if he
sells it out to our hands in small guam
titles, S25. Then by doing this you
make it next to impossible for us to
keep the stuff out of our field. 1t is SO
handy to smuggle across the line that
we can never keep the abomination out
altogether, do what VIC will, when you
cart it across it is so easy to let IL key
drop off here and there.
The far thing for you to do is, to go
out Of partnership with the business
Yourself and then to send word out into
the territory Of your nine distant fields,
that they canncver have from you such
a lease as you gave us in the thirty
eight older ones, unless they promise
to never let the bitters in. Besides,
continued the %go-ahead, anti-bitters
men, as your rules now stand, you come
into our fields, and if you find a man
convicted of selling, you make him pay
so much so that he gets a sort OF a per-
nit from you that makes it harder Tor
Ms to convict Of his crime. | tell you,
Uncle Sam, we don't propose to stand
this thing much longer, but to send a
lot Of our men to your garden patch
and make you do us justice. we are
in the war path for that very thing.
We've picked out our leader and count
on I'D our men. and will be along quick