The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1888-02-24
AND ORDER.
1l16 nt h0rities Make a Move in
That Direction.
OIlcsrs Durell aud RiclSert are
||'|| Discharged.
ork ola Private Detective
|iSIISsssS sslSsssiiS Revealed.
ll5liress of the Cases for Sell
ing Without License.
ynry Bring in a Verdict of
s Guilty.

Guilty.
7s;S aking Clean Sweep.
There was a decidedly meaty session
Qf8the city council last week. The
ltsopened with Mayor Mentzer in
SEhair and aldermen Gilbert, Welch,
t1tNh, Dawson, Rogers and Walrath
'sxesent, with city attorney Hitchcock
md city clerk Kimball in their respec-
tlye places, and city treasurer Ward,
SnArshall Durell, a representative of
iesREPUBLICAN and modest appear
stranger as spectators.
Ss Eater, Messrs. Wills and Orswell and
sn18ht police John Rickert dropped in.
SSSs hmeeting was q special one, and
4 although the members knew some
stha3g OF Importance was on foot, few
sny Of them, realized the nature of
sNbuslness. They were soon enlight-
ssd. however, when the mayor arose
spoke as follows:
aSsas sSss OF TIE COUNCIL:
SsSalt is no pleasant duty that have to
SHrform tonight. 1t is one that have
with reluctance out of
eard to the feelings of others and be-
Use dislike to call in question the
sSracter of any man or any officer.
s@t feel that l owe it to myself as
smayor of this city, to you as men,
LIS OF this city government and to the
r fame and good reputation of our
S6y and its Inhabitants that you
ShOuld be informed and apprised of
ste culpable neglect and failure to per-
Sarm their duty Of your city marshal
&nd night policeman.
|EsssSkAS you are well aware at the close of
The year 1887 the saloon keepers, by
your own action were refused license
e1Isell intoxicating liquors in Mitchell.
s1sicenses already granted and issued at
S1y suggestion were revoked and the
money which had been paid therefor
AsAs refunded. BY your act you had
in favor of prohibition within
The limits of Mitchell and compliance
18th the provisions of the local option
wv, at least until that law was declar-
N unconstitutional accepted your de-
Ielsion in good faith and notified the
VSey1lOOA Hull MllO nClO UllCl1 plCOCAU
sYRnd many of them Were) and also
Others privately. SO that ali had due
sSQotice, that | would use my best efforts
No see the law carried into effect and
Nthe sale of Intoxicating liquors preven-
Bted in Mitchell. While the majority
I'm favor of prohibition was only seven
Ito me, it was as good as 700 majority
NV ould have been. For am thoroughly
in my belief, I believe in
Sthe will of the majority
Illegally expressed as the law.
#of the land, even though that majority
@be only one. | wanted to give the law
S:l fair trial; it was entitled to that. 1t
8made no difference to me what my pri-
@Vate opinions were or had been, Wheth-
8er was for license or prohibition.
Nj l was your officer, or more properly
your servant. and the servant
@of the citizens of the city of Mitchell,
sftO see that the laws were enforced and
Ss0beyed,
VI 1t became simply a question of the
reinforcement of the laW-whether our
s##laHs would be obeyed and respected,
#or disobeyed, violated and set at
& naught.
Instructed the marshal and night
! policeman from that time forward to
4 see that the laws were strictly enforced.
1 particularly cautioned them to see
I that the prohibitory law was enforced,
and also that all gambling be sup
3 pressed. I called their attention to
Kthese matters time and again, but am
#sorry to say nothing was done. The
Efair was full OF runors that whiskey
and liquors of all kinds were sold in
defiance of law in Mitchell. Gamblers
& were holding high carnival night after
night and yet nothing was done, no
Harrests were made, nobody punished,
the law was set at defiance.
/ I-called your officers attention again
TO these matters and still nothing was
done. The city government became a
laughing stock and the local option
law huge joke-because those violas
tors OF the law We're not caught and
punished. Failing to secure the
support OF the men who were
employed for this purpose,
] resolved to make one more effort.
! sent.for stranger, for a man to come
here and do that work and perform
those duties your marshal and night
policeman We're sworn and employed
to debut which they did not do, 1
will leave to you to decide for what
reason.
And L come ROW before you to i'm
peach them for misdemeanor in Office.
for tlagrant neglect of duty, for failing
to arrest men who had violated your
laws and set your authority at deli
ance-to put it in mild term, for incom-
potency in Office. ! will now give in
facts and instances, and shall now ask
at your hands that the present city po-
lice officers to be dismissed from your
service ! tell you frankly l have lost
confidence in them to enforce the laws
of this city. | want officers in whom
Ihaye confidence, who are honest men,
and about whose reputation and char
actar there can he no question, and
about whom the tongue of SANDER has
not coiled and recoiied its vcmonous
folds. | ask only for the due execu-
tion of the laws. You are sworn TO
support them as well as myself. l
want to see them enforced, l want to
give this local option law a fair, hon-
est trial. The great body of voters
who voted for it, are entitled to it
Many men who voted against it want
it given a fair trial and enforced
5 and surely all good citizens desire OuI