Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-07-11
WHISKY I'M NORTH DAKOTA.
Prohibition Has Closed tho Saloons and
Dealers Will Soil Original Packages.

Prohibition Has Closed the Saloons and
Dealers viii Soil Original Packages.
Every saloon and liquor house in North
Dakota closed its doors according to the
prohibition law which went into effect at
midnight, June 80. Notwithstanding the
apparently iron clad prohibition law passed
by the legislature last winter, beer, whisky
and all other intoxicants will be as freely
dispensed as ever, though treating at the
bar is necessarily done IVA with. Orig
inal package depots are already in active
operation throughout the state. Fargo has
thirteen such depots, Grand Forks a SINH
lar number and Bismarck, jamestown and
Mandana about half a dozen each. About
half the saloon keepers in North Dakota
have slgniied their intention Of selling
original packages and the other half will
go out OF the business. AS a general rule
hrst-closs saloons with substantial backing
are the ones which will defy the law, while
smaller lager beer resorts are frozen out.
They all expect to have q tussle or two
with the law, but are determined
to sell original packages. For
a few days some parts of
North Dakota will be dry, as the agencies
have not yet been thoroughly established.
Not a drink of liquor can be obtained in
Bismarck this week, but next week the
thirsty will rejoice over the arrival of q
number of carloads of beer in bottles and
Kegs direct from the east. Original pack
ages are nothing more or less than beer and
whisky dispensed over a bar IN bottles.
The man who wants an ~"eye-opener" can
oct IT. without frn,I1o 80, ,o.ooJ, .,k
ing as many drinks as he sees fit to carry
along, but he cannot treat his neighbors at
the bar, consequently there will be a per-
ceptible decrease in the liquor traffic.
North Dakota must remain nominally a
prohibition state for at least three years,
waen it is generally conceded prohibition
will be defeated. The state is
not prohibition by any means.
The constitution, with its prohibi-
ton clause, was voted on at last October's
first state election. and slipped in and be-
came a law before anyone was aware of the
fact. Over half the voters did not know
they voted for or against prohibition. 1t
received a majority of a bare thousand.
Prohibition is considered a disastrous set
back for the new state. Former North
bahoIa sdloou meu, VIII tnolr I1mllleS ana
possessions, are scattered all over Mon
tana, Washington and Oregon, which
means a loss of many people and thous-
ands of dollars to North Dakota. Prohi-
bition here does not prohibit, and is q
farce from beginning to end. Taxes will
be increased to make up the deficiency
caused by the loss of the big annual in
come from saloon interests.
The jamestown saloons all closed at
midnight June 80. They will sell no liquor
and there will be no original package house
for o week. All but one saloon man will
keep open and sell soft drinks" Much
interest is felt here as to congressional ac-
tion on the amendment to the inter- state
commerce law now pending. An enforce
ment league was organized last week, but
the leading members say they can do
nothing unless the bill is passed. Last
night was n of great hilarity and sounds
of revelry were heard long afterthe saloons
closed. Local liquor stocks were all run
out. The citizens depended on original
packages" for future supplies and laid in
no private stock.