St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-16
InWA MATTERS.
Questions for iFAe Coming Legisla-
MISREPRESENTATION.

tHTeee
Special to the Globe.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Ia, Dec. 15.-The
prohibition question-how will it be dis
posed OF by the coming session of the legis-
lature? This is the topic most frequently
discussed by the politicians of all parties in
Iowa. By all parties, reference is made to
the Republicans. Observation-Disclosures,
Democrats, Greenbackers, and the sprink-
ling OF long-haired woman suffragists just
beginning to size up as a factor i'll Iowa
politics. The prohibitory law now on our
statute books is agreed upon as failure by
all excepting the a-ProhibitiOnistS, who
concede that it is not enforced. and, II not
failure, is certainly not success On the
Attn day of July. 1884 the present law be-
gan its operation, prohibiting the anufac-
tuie and sale of spurious. malt and vlnouS
liquors within the state. Promptly on that
day the breweries and distilleries. with the
exception of the big distillery at Des
MoineS. in which certain very warm friends
Of the enactment were interested. were
closed down and
SALOON DOORS WERE SHUT
throughout the state. For week or two
Iowa was about as near the realization OF
the Prohibitionists' dream as it is ever likely
to become. But the ingenuity of man
proved equal to the occasion. Walking.
saloons sprung up and flourshed in all
parts of the state. When one wanted a
drink he stood upon street corner with an
expression similar to that of the jaybird
wondering what's inside the acorn. His
want was anticipated by one of these walk
ing saloons, and adjournment to friendly
alley and drink from the mouth OF bottle
followed. The bottle-holders grew holder
and holder. and three months after the pas
sage of the law many of the saloons. more
notably in the larger cities of the state, were
selling to back-dOOr custom without license.
All efforts to enfore the law proved little
more effective than to restrict the public
sale. These restrictions soon wore off and
to-day the saloon business is carried on as
publicly in Iowa as in any state. In Cedar
Rapids, city of $4,000. there are 110
| saloons in active and successful operation,
and everybody knows just where they are
located. Throughout the state there are
more public saloons now in existence than
before the prohibitory law went into effect.
With this state of affairs and the cities
RUNNING DEEPLY IN DEBT
on account of deprivation of the usual rev.
enue deprived from saloon licenses, it is not
alluded to in connection with the converting
of the legislature should be that of the dis
position of the prohibition question. Some
thing must be done, but what? 1t is within
the power of the Republicans who enacted
the present law to retain it, but not within
their desire. The authority of the enact
ment being with the Republicans has had
the effect of reducing the party vote so ma
terially that the leaders are heartily sick Of
the law, and will meet the efforts of the
Democrats to repeal or amend. Beside the
prohibition question the legislature about to
convene is expected to take some action
looking to better facilities for transactiDg
the legal business of the citizens of Iowa.
The state has fourteen judicial districts
which dispose of the legal work by means
of circuit and district courts. the circuit
court has exclusive jurisdiction in probate
matters and concurrent jurisdiction with the
district court in all other branches of itiga-
ton, though
CRIMINAL TRIALS
| usually fall to the district court as set-of
to the probate business. The trouble is
that these courts are unable to handle the
vast amount of business that reaches them.
and each term adds to the uncompleted
docket. Important cases are held back and
delayed so much to the detriment of the
general public that it is agreed all around
that something must be done to keep the
| wheels from clogging. Several new dis
tricts will be created, and the larger or more
pupulous ones reduced. The legislature
will also be called upon to make final dis
position of the Sherman-BrOwn fight, and
the action taken in this matter is expected
to widen the breach between the factions
of the Republican party. The Knights of
Labor, now grown to respectable proper
tions, will seek recognition at the hands of
the legislature in the passage of bill on
coal screening, and in measures looking to
the abolition of competition from convict
| labor