The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-03-07

G LICENSE AT WORK.
A VERY PRACTICAL ILLUsrRATION
or ITS EFFECrs.
How Sioux City's Outiawed Rumsellers
Continue to Prey Upon the 7'opnlace of
That Place Under tho Protection of the
Nebraska Law.
sioux City letter to the votce.l
Persons DESTROYS of. studying the
comparative results OF prohibition and
high license can make no more in
%strEative observations than bv visiting
this city and the two Nebraska towns,
Stanton and Coyington, which lie on
the opposite side of the Missouri River.
After the murder of DIR. Haddock by
the liquor men, in 1886, there began an
era Of law enforcement against the
saloons Of Sioux City. This was very
effective, and before long the open sa-
loon was entirely suppressed. In 1887
u. A. Magee was elected Sheriff of
Woodbury. County. He was thorough
ly i'll favor of the enforcement of the
law, and under his vigorous admins
tration Sioux City became a very IN
de irable place for %evil-doers. Liquor
sellers, gamblers, prostitutes and other
criminals were made to feel the arm of
the law, and the town was cleansed as
probably no town of equal size and
wickedness had ever been cleAnsed be-
fore. The result was most gratifying.
and all decent citizens recognized the
blessings Of the prohibitory law.
Sioux City would now be entirely
free from the evil consequences of the
open liquor trafficif it were not for the
protection offered to the worst classes
of society under the high-license law
OF Nebraska, on the other side of the
river.
HADDocK's MURDERER CROSSES THE
When the miscreants engaged in
lawless occupations realized that
Sioux City would show them no quar-
ter. they conceived the plan of build
ing up a.town of, for, and by criminals
across the Missouri, under the milder
auspices Of the champion high-license
State. Accordingly the little hamlet
of Covington, Neb., suddenly received
large accessions. The murderers OF
Haddock removed their bar-room eff
facts to that quarter. To-day, within
100 feet of the spot where Haddock
fell in Sioux City, is a small wooden
building, temporarily constructed,
about 1ON12 feet in dimensions, and in
it are a telephone und table and one
attendant. On the outside, over the
door, is a sign which reads:
Arensdorf 4 Ieader. Covington. Neb
Dealers and Bottlers of Milwaukee Beer.
etc.
The Arensdorf of this firm is the
brewer who, in the belief of every I'M
biased citizen of Sioux City, fired the
|'shot which killed Haddock. Prohibit
DRY law in Sioux City-the toughest
city in all Iowa-was strong enough
to drive him and his fellow rascals out
Of business. He removed to the high
license town of Covington, and there
he conducts his traffic unmolested and
even ships liquors over to Sioux City
under cover Of Federal laws.
SO all the murderers and other Grim
lnal and dirty wretches who kept
saloons in Sioux Citv-or at least all
OF them who thought it would be worth
while to continue in the business
emiglated to Covington. Nearly every
house in that town speedily became a
And every proprietor paid a high Ii
cense fee and sang the praises of the
law of Nebraska.
At first, Covington was reached only
by ferry, and by ice during winter.
But the enterprising scoundrels en-
gagged in the rum and prostitution
trades. desiring better communication
with Sioux City, constructed a pontoon
bridge. Then began very brisk times.
Within a few months another high
license town was thrown np-the town
of Stanton.
THE HIGH-LICENsE TOWN OF STANTON.
Stanton is less than a year old. An
actual enumeration of the buildings
there shows hat there are now Just 81,
1 of which ID are saloons, 3 are whole,
sale liquor houses, 9 are dwellings, | is
a barber-shop, l a restaurant, l a fruit
and grocery store, l a real-estate office,
L a Jail, and l is vacant. A town of
only31 buildings, and 1G of these occu-
pied by liquor establishments, each
paying an annual license of $500!
That is what exists under the boosted
high-license law of Nebraska. and it
exists solely for multiplying the prohibi-
tory law of Iowa.
Stanton and Covington have much
success in their efforts to set at naught
decency and sobriety among the citi-
zens of Sioux City. It is only ten
minutes walk to them by the pontoon
bridge. Their vile liquors and vile
women are in great demand. Whole
sale robbery fourishes there, and it is
the. constant effort OF the high license
proprietors to sell as much stuff as
possible. Thousands of Sioux City's
dollars are absorbed, and in return we
get only Keeling drunkards and sin
smirched or crime-bent men. The two
high license towns harbor professional
thieves, burglars, pimps, etc., who
make Stanton and Covington their
rendezvous for depredations in Sioux
City.
This part of Iowa is much interested
in the pending prohibition question in
Nebraska. Sioux City is a good place
to solicit subscriptions for the cam
paigd fund against the high license law
of the sister State. The people know
by bitter experience that high license
is a beautiful measure for the scum of
the earth and for them. only.
Tl,a Sr1n1, =, DolsAsa- -.l