Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-02-10


to count on their support Mt the next election
They nre to be reckoned among the mavbes--
they may he on one side, or they may be on the
other.
Now, with all these things in favor of those
who oppose the law and against it's successes, it
is almost a wonder that the Republican party
have u large WORKING maiority III both houses
shows that the people have strong faith i'll the
doctrine OF prohibition. When we count the
bition-for it took that ground-nnd at least
lo,o0) left in the rank of the Democratic purity
who would not change till they can be further
assured that the Republican party is honest in
its clailns in favor of the law, and then add tu
this the splendid victory. and all this in view
OF the fact that not q single Republican re-
1nained in the party that was not in favor of
prohibition, ami the results of the last election
hibtory law
The man who supposes that Iowa is likely to
go back on prohibition does not know the
State. All the sister States ought to know that
prohibition has come to Iowa. to remain. Po-
lltical parties may change. or may be removed
entirely, but the churches will hive to be ban
ished and the free school system blotted out
and their influence lost before Iowa will ever
invite the saloon to return.
But while this State may prefer prohibition,
it may be TINT other States will not wish it.
Hence, it is desired to know to what extent the
law has been enforced, and what effect it has
had on criminnlity and business Let us deal
with the first of these questions How well has
the law been enforced? We hnve been asking
Judges and leading business men in the State
pointed questions respecting this matter. We
have received very different answers, for cont
munities have differed very largely in the en-
forcenient of the law, Hence, from many of
the counties in the State the answer comes
"Ihe prohibitory law.is as we'll enforced any
other lay on our statute books From other
places it is sad thar the law is dead letter
and u great injury to the State. These letters
are accounted for by the difference in tho
places from, which they come and also the
w bo ia,
From the counties i'll which the law is re-
garded and observed. the universal statement
is that the law is q success. and has lessened
crime and helped the business of our people.
And Just rs universally from the counties in
which the law is not kept comes the statement
that the law is " failure and has greatly dam
aged the people. One Gun see the consistency
IN the reports from the proi bition counties. but
no reason i'll the others Bettering business
might ho accounted for on the basis of the OBJ
serNnncc of the law, and almost every is
agreed that il the law should be enforced it
would certainly lessen crime. But where is the
logic u saying that the law is II failure, more
liquor beng sold and drank than before the en-
actmcat ot the law, and yet THAT it has ruined
business
lhorc is another argument coming from the
mon engaged III the manufacture and sale OF
rum In substance not in words the law does
not lessen the sale of liquors; there is as much
sold nov us ever before" =. We will give
ajoO,oJO to defeat the law, or even the purity that
supports it, This anxiety to defeat u law that
does not iniure their business that thoy may be
permitted to pay half-nlill on aollars in license
foes for the privilege OF doing what they could
do just as we'll without sur,assas wonders This
is ineNplicable. No man the logic of
this unless be looks through the bottom of
beer mug. 10 all other men the very fact that
tue liquor men are opposing this law with all
| their might is proof positive that the law does
prohibit or the men engaged i'll the traffic do
not understand their business. Hence / call
upon trese men for testimony in the case. No
mum would leave the State because of prohibi-
ton if there WIS not prohibition in the State
IN ,rNr,1l Il
not oppose his business. The fact is that they
know 5hGt it does prohibit and that is the
reason they are lighting it. In eighty-1ive coun
ties there is not an open saloon. In several of
the remaining fourteen the law is greatly les
SEEMING the traffic.
I do not mean by this that there is no liquor
and then u place is found whore the traffic is
being carried on il u clandcstine manner. The
amount of business dono in this way is not
large. There are few towns in the State
where the law has net been regarded, and there
has been no attempt to enforce it, but there are
but q few Of such places. OF course, if man
should be travelling i'll Iowa and only visit those
places, he might honestly reach the conclusion
that the law was wholly disregarded i'll the
State. And there are good men here now who
suppose that prohibition does not prohibit siul-
ply because they have taken @ large number of
exceptions and made them into II rule. And
yet from statistics that are now being received
from the officers of the law in the different
counties, there is not fifth of the liquor sold
| and drank that there was before the enactment
of the law. And with such results in so short
| a. time, and under such difficult circumstances,
we may reasonably hope that in the near future
the rum power will be banished entirely from
our borders.
the state? This might be briefly stated, i'll the
usual form, by saying that Iowa is no exception
to the general rule Seven-tenths of the mis-
demeanor and criminalty of the country is
justly chargeable to the drink traffic. And just
as that traffic has been reduced these things
have disappeared. So it is i'll Iowa; just as
,fp.a x>ft1
| against saloons crinlinaty is removed. re-
member that four years ago, in this county, our
jail had two departments, and there were from
twenty to forty i'll there all tho time. Since the
enforcement of the law the jail is empty !. good
part OF the time. could quote from neatly all
our judges i'll the State. but my space will not
permit. Governor Larrsbee has gone to record
so many times this subject that it does not
seem fair to quote from him. He always states
that thas greatly lessenel crime. Indeed, it is
tho working of the law that converted the Gov
ernor to the principle OF prohibition. / will
give one quotation from Judge Harvey which
is only a sample OF What We would have from
haze been loyal to the government ana that,
us already Indicated, is tive-siHths of the State
GENlLEMEN--I have been requested to make
q statement showing the number of persons
sent to tho pententary from this district since
[ have been on the bench. took my seat on
the LIST day OF January, 1884, and the following
shows the number of persons sent to the peni-
tentiary during each Year.
during lSol.........., ..-...........25
During 1855. 90
During first six months of 1887 ............. :;
Total ................ 81
OF this number only three were females ten
We're colored, sixty-sX unmarried and twenty
five married, twenty-five under twenty one
years old, and only Six past forty years old,
thus showing that most of the Grim es are COM
mitted by persons who are comDarat vely young.
During these four years and IL half the coun-
ties Of the district are represented as follows,
to-wit:
decatur y
hln8eOld ...................... u
lnYlof ................. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
faSe ................... .........I II
montgomery ..............- ...................2 Is
Union Observation-Disclosures. .................GO
Clarke NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 6
Wayne has only been i'll the district since the
LIST of January. 1887. l am frequently asked
what is the cause of this decrease in crime
during the last four years. My answer is tho
enforcement OF the prohibitorY law. And it
seems to me that the above figures prove this
beyond Il doubt. The first year L wills on the
bench tho saloons were running; the second
and third years they We're running in some To-
culities, but the fourth year ] do not believe
there saiGoi in the district. l salts
fed that there WlS not ~; open led
Oak. in Montgomery County. and Crestcn, in
Union County, were the last places III the dis
trict to give up the saloons, and the record
from these Two counties snow the result. The
result from those counties is not because they
.ni I(,a,,