The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-04-11

a IyIltincns SMbMH SAe1ky man ~ ~
charged, was approached BY Her, who
contributed $25 for church purposes, with
the request that the preacher would keep
his mouth shut on the Prohibition ques-
tion. The clergyman refused TO DO as
asked. From reliable sources il is learned
that the liquor men are thoroughly fright
ennd at the outlook in Nebraska. Joe
Iler,, brother Of Peter, admitted to a
Nebrasks City lawyer at o liquor dealers
banquet in Kansas City, that the situa-
ton in this State Was critical md that he
Iler) would not be surprised if the Pro-
hibitory Amendment carried.-Letter
from Omaha.
Governor Boies VS.. Governor Larrabee.
Many Of our daily contemporaries are
directing our attention to the recent ut
terances of Governor Boies of Iowa, re-
garding the prohibition law of that State.
The EpeninO Post hints that Prohibi-
tionists must be very aulacious to claim
anything for the law after the Govern
or's vigorous assault upon it. We wish,
in reply, to point out several facts. One
is that Governor Boies contents himself
with expressions of opinion, and gives
no specific facts whatever to uphold his
opinion. His opinion, moreover, is
worth 10 more now than VIII an he was q
private citizen, for his words were ut
tered, not after he hal had experience in
the gubernatorial chair, but just ms he
was taking his seat.
On the contrary, Governor Larrabee,
after four years experience as Governor,
speaks in his retiring message lin VIII eh,
if ever, an official voices his sincere be-
liefs) Of the remarkable benefits secured
by the law, and gives specific facts from
the records. Note this: The number of
convicts, said Governor Larrabea, in
Iowa in 1880 was one to $50 of popula-
ton; in 1889 it was one to $3.50. TT is
the testimony of the Judges of our
courts, he said farther, that criminal
business has been reduced so to IS per
cent, and that criminal expenses have
been reduced in like proportion" Many
other facts Of similar import were given.
and were published in the Voice of Feb
uary 20.
Compare with these specific statements
the strongest assertions made by Govern
or Boies, and see how weak the latter
are in fact. He says:
1t is o patent fact, known to every one
who has taken the pains to inform him
self, that in many of our cities mo
names given containing, as they do, a
large fraction of our population, the
only effect of the law has been to relieve
the traffic in these liquors from legal re-
straint of every kind.
1T is equally notorious that in the
large cities of the State where the open
saloon has been closed Gan admission
that there is some legal restraint!!) a
secret traffic sufficient to supply all the
wants of the trade has Immediately fol-
lowed.
There is not q large city in the world
whore the demand for intoxicating liquor
rs a beverage is not supplied by either
a lesalized or illicit traffic therein, nor
has there been nor will there be-"
This last statement shows how far from
II judicial frame OF mind the Governor
was. He speaks with ms much assurance
of the large cities of the world, and not
only of their present but of their illimit-
able future, as of those in his own State.
( His frame of mind is further evinced by
the following:
In my Judgment the chief obstacle to
the enforcement of this law lies In the
fact that in and of itself it is a cruel
violation of one of the most valued of
human rights"
Governor Boies has the same right to
his opinion that Governor Larrabee had
to his; but if one is after q question of
fact, he will find an ounce of Governor
Larrabee's facts worth a ton of Governor
Boies' theories. THE Voice.