, 1890-07-10
ne PROHIBITION ISSNE.

Nebraska is being rent and torn over
the question of prohibition. which is to
be submitted to the people this fall. One
Omaha daily has come out openly in favor
of prohibition and is working the racket
In connection with its subscription list
with a good deal of skill. A joint debate
in progress at Beatrice has attracted enor-
NOUS crowds of people. Both sides have
presented the question extensively and
at times tremendously, SO much was
said about Iowa that a letter from Gov.
ernor Boies. of Iowa. to 4. Rosewater,
editor of the Omaha Bee, read at the
Beatrice meeting, may prove OF a good
deal Of interest. even to Wyoming read
ers. 1t is as follows:
Dies MoINEs, Ia. June 2s. $780,
The practical operation of prohibition in
this state seems to lay according to the
political standpoint from which the ques-
ton is viewed; our Republican friends In
sist it Is a success, the Democrats that il
is a failure. The conservative element in
both parties reach the exact truth when
they declare that In the rural districts the
law is fairly well enforced and that in the
largo cities it is openly and totally ignored
or constantly violated by secret sales
amply sufficient to meet the demand.
This has been the true situation in Iowa
since the law was enacted. Occasionally
some Of the cities will make a Temporary
effort to enforce the law, but such efforts
are spasmodic, aud in a little while the
business is renewed either openly or Sc
cretlv.
| feel certain that more distilled spirits
are used as a beverage in Iowa under the
present law than ever have been or ever
would be under a license system. but on
the other hand theress less malt liquor
used am equally sure that the spirits
used are the worst kind. Taking the
state together there is no doubt that pro.
hibition has failed to lessen the evils Of
intemperAnce, has retarded immigration
into and hastened emigration from the
same. and that it has destroyed most OF
the capital invested in breweries and dis
t~i,leries, ruined these industries and is
constantly draining the state of immense
sums of money sent to other states for the
purchase OF intoxicating liquors.
l do not believe that crime has been
diminished or criminal expenses by this
law, or that criminal convictions are less
now than they were before the law went
into effect. Instead thereof, if we count
prosecutions, convictions and expenses
incurred under this law they have been
greatly increased.
The cry mat our jails and p%eniten-
tiaries are being emptied is a delusion.
We never needed but one penitentiary in
this state. and when we built two more,
we had one more than was actually
needed. This was so beio.e prohibition
was enacted and is so still to a large ex-
tent. More wives a1d children have
been impoverished by exorbitant fines
imposed by this law than ever were
ruined in this state by all the evils of in
temperance combined, and through the
same means more families have been
separated and dissraced by the imprison-
ment of husbands and brothers. The
state is full OF cases of such extreme
hardship that my predecessor was con
stantly compelled to extend execu-
tive clemency to save whole families from
the poor house, and | can do nothing less
than follow in his footsteps. The more |
know of the practical workings of this law
the more thoroughly convinced | am that
its enactment was a s~tupendous blunder
that Iowa will not recover from in YEAR,.
Very truly yours,
HORACE BoIEs.