Omaha daily bee., 1889-01-30

In January of this year, up to the 18th
inst, the number of cases in the same court
was thirty-siX, as against twenty-five of the
preceding year. and twenty-five of the year
1855 for the whole month Of January.
These facts show that while it is claimed
prohibition tends to repress crime. that so
far from doing so it seems TO encourage it,
because the past year has witnessed LAY
cases before the police magistrate, as against
$50 of the preceding year, an increase of
nearly 800 per cent. This wonderful increase
in crime cannot be explained on the ground
of the increase of population because
that would require in the last year an in
crease Of not less than 10000, which is now
fair estimate Of the entire population of the
city,
If whisky be the root of crime, the whisky
must be had in order to bear its fruit. There
is no sane man in Sioux City who denies that
whisky may be had; that it is daily procured
and drank in quantities which have conduced
to the above showing. In this instance it is
proposed to speak of but one means whereby
this appetite is appeased, and it is no less
place than Covington, IN the state Of Ne
braska.
Sioux City is situated on the Missouri.
Facing it on the Missouri is the town of Gov
ington. When Covington was town thirty
years ago Sioux City was a hamlet. But
its glory long since departed but the fan
tical zeal of the prohibtionists seems to have,
IN q measure, infused into in new vlgor and
life.
Some months ago the liquor dealers, in
their fight against the law, brought to the
supreme court the question as to the right Of
the officers of the law to interfere with
~ I'm
while it was in transit. The
objection was sustained, and imme-
mediately the liberal minded people of the
city went wild with enthusiasm. There
was discovered means by which those de-
string liquor could procure it in any quantity
they might see tit to order. Accordingly
hundreds of orders were sent abroad and in
response came the liquors. They were de-
livered to the private citizen in his residence,
the merchant in his store, and the official in
his public place of business. Thousands of
dollars in this way went abroad, especially
for beer An article which Sioux City had
brewed which had given her "A market for
certain grains, which had led to the cxpendi-
ture of perhaps $4,000 in her midst and
given in its manufacture and handling en-
ployment to about 1000 people, was now
brought TO the citizens, and the town did not
enjoy one penny Of income from its sale or
manufacture But, ii beer and whisky could
be shipped into the state from other states
and by other citizens, why could
not Sioux City people engage in
the enterprise There was no reason why
they could not, and they Immediately under
took IL.
A couple of citizens, Arensdorf and Leader,
established a bottlmg works on the west side
OF the river. There they daily received beer
from Anheuser Busch in ST. Louis, Schlitz
and Best, of Milwaukee, aud Lemp, of st.
Louis. These were followed by Il. Sell
zer & Bro, who entered into
the same business. The keg beer
was put into bottles. corked, labelled and
was ready for transportation TO Sioux City.
Herein originated the idea Of transportation
companies. The people on the east side of
tie river wanted the beer and the whisky
and hired people with teams, from time to
time, 10 bring the liquors across the river.
These orders became so numerous that one
after another the number of those who went
into the hauling business increased so that,
at last accounts, there were about thirty
of them in the city These
assumed the titles Of transportation com.
panies, each having u distinctive name and
q set OF officers, comprising president, sec
retary and treasurer, and having nominally
q certain amount OF capital They filed
articles of incorporation with the recorder,
and became, in the eyes OF the law, inter-
state transportation companies the same dc
gree as a railroad company engaged in inter
state trafic.
These companies, the leading one of which
is uthe Nebraska Iowa, pretend 10
do nothing more than carry goods from
one town to the other, but it is known by
many and suspected by all that they do a
lively business in the sale Of the goods which
they so transport. They have offices in va
rious parts of the city, and in most cases
these are supplied with telephones. Over
these telephones they receive orders for
whatever kind Of liquor may be desired.
II the party ordering is known to