Omaha daily bee., 1890-07-31
THE WIND-UP.
Prof Dickia's Closin = Attack on High
License.

Ladies and Gentlemen: | am in such bad
voice that it will be difficult for me to make
myself heard. These two gentlemen who
have discussed this question from the stand
point of high license are afflicted with the
disease OF knowing great many things that
are not true IapplauScl, and | cannot refrain,
although it is my purpose to abstain alto
gether from unpleasant personalities from
expressing my surprise that gentleman of
professional standing should have stood upon
this platform for the last fOrty-iive minutes
and consumed nearly his entire time with the
Intentional effort to deceive this Intelligent
audience. want to give you the reason for
the opinion that entertain.
Mr.. Webster has been unfair in dealing
with the taOulated statement published under
date of July in the New York Voice, and
when ] called his attention to the fact that it
was simply a reprint of the official document
issued by the beer brewers national organiza-
tion he undertook to play the trick of the
police court lawyer and have me say to this
audience through him that the Voice was
publishing it in the interest of the liquor
dealers, Furthermore that this table before
him, strong, elaborate and satisfactory
Demonstration ofthe triumph of prohibition
In potn ...-3r-'s ana iowa, ignores the strong
Column for the year(lsss witch so sSro ar
emily give bad showing for Iowa as COM
pared with Nebraska Now | want simply
to give you the truth, Here are the facts in
Ille NoLhI loco Will lo5U, JlldI Is
the fiscal year ending April 80,
ing April 80, 1890, and there
has been for the state of Iowa, as reported by
the beer brewers themselves a decrease of
l35,477 barrels. want to repeat that num-
ber-a decrease of 1876, Az barrels in the state
of Iowa. [Applausel. Whereas in the state
of Nebraska for the same period of time upon
the same authority there has been an in
crease of S9Ol3 barrels so that the difference
as reported by this beer brewers Organiza-
tion is a difference in behalf of prohibition of
something like 2l5O00 barrels. Now, | ask in
the name of all fairness why didn't my friend
who has so gracefully retired from the scene
give this audience the actual truth in the
case and not undertake to practice a diShOn-
orabie deception My good looking, genial
brother from Omaha, who is editor Of the So
called newspaper that does not tell very much
of the news after all undertook to mislead
this audience. trust in al charity uninten-
tiOnally by telling you that in Nebraska the
assessment on property valuation is from one
seventh to onC-tenth OF its real value, where
as in Kansas the assessment was very much
higher, and in that way he accounted for the
much more rapid increase Of property value
in Kansas | have here the official statistics,
obtained like the statement of the old almanac
from the financial officers of the two states
and the result is that Iowa is assessed 2S17
per cent of her real valuation, Kansas u. .9S
per cent and Nebraska 81 ~ per cent ap-
plausel, so that in the state of Nebraska
being assessed at a valuation lower than Kan
Sas and Iowa. it is actually assessed at a
higher ratio than either of those two prohibi-
tion states; but, nevertheless, we find the
actual valuation according to the asses sment
in Kansas doubling up and more than doub-
hng'upOn the gain in Nebraska.
Tho qucsti was asked why God does not
Kill the devil | suppose it is so that The
OMAHA BEE won't have to go out of business.
Great applause.
Allow me to call your attention to another
thing which must dcnOminate, in all charity
and kindness from Mr.. Webster IA trick
of the police court shyStCr. Standing on this
platform, and with his vigorous voice weH at
command Mr., Webster undertook to deceive
You intelligent people by quoting the number
OF United States revenue stamps sold in these
various states, and using in express terns the
language that would convey to you, if you
knew no better, the idea that every revenue
stamp sold in a prohibition state stands for
an open saloon. Now Mr. Webster knows
better. Mr., Webster either knows nothing
at all, which l cannot conceive to
be true, or he knows that every
drug store is required to take
out of these United States licenses as he calls
It, which is no license at all, but simply a tax
receipt for the payment of 80 eXacted from
the drug store precisely the same as from the
ordinary saloon. Mr.. Webster knows another
thing that every boOtlcsger every man that
goes across the line from Nebraska into Kan
sas on Iowa to sell liquor out OF his satchel,
and there are great many of them, is re-
quired to take out one of these same United
States internal revenue stamps or receipts,
while in Ne braSka such receipt stands for
place of this character open the year round.
In the state of Iowa and in the state Of Kan
sas the bootlegger or the joint dealer, unwill-
ing to risk the chances of apprehension by the
United States authorities, pays his s!5, but it
may be that the payment OF the S25 represents
one day, Two days, one week or two weeks
in the business, aud scores and hundreds of
men take out these internal revenue receipts
who do not open saloons and who do not keep
even joints, but: who sell from bootlegs and
from satchels, and do avery limited business
in very small and criminal way
was rather astOniShcl at the theological
lecture that my friend. Mr. Webster, be-
slowed upon Brother Small, explaining TO
Brother Small that the bible nowhere pro-
hibits the manufacture and sale of ardent
spirits. Why, ladies and gentlemen, defy
MIR, Webster TO show me a single place In the
bible where crime or arson is prohibited or
where the crime of forgery is prohibited.
The bible is not specific; the bible is general,
and when it thunders its anathema, ''Woe
unto him that putteth the bottle TO his neigh
boris lips,n l ask Mr.. Webster II that means
free whisky or high license. Applause.
We are told by the gentlemen that prohi-
bition is wrong in principle, What a lament
able fact that the legal talent OF Mr.. Webster
OF the state Of Nebraska has not been
substituted Tor that Indifferent and very