Omaha daily bee., 1890-09-20
they Attempt to Prove Prohibition Sue.
cess Wherever Tried.
ARRABEE ON IoWNS LIQUOR LAW
His Arguments Promptly Refuted by the
High License Speakers
SOME INTERESTING COMPARISONS,
Mcssrs Rosewatcr and Webster Pro-
sent an Array OF Convincing
statistics i'm Support or
the Nebraska Law,

thc NcDfaska Law,
GRAND ISLAND, Neb., Sept. l0--fSpecial
I'legram to The BEE. The prohibition dc.
bate closed here tonight From the stand.
point In which the sugar palace people were
apparently most interested, the affair has
been moderately successful They were In.
tccsted for the money there was in it. This
didnot take well with the citaons of Grand
Island. These felt and were not slow in so
expressing themselves that they had contrib.
uted to the support of the palace enterprise
by their attendance on various occasions, and
they did not take at all kindly to tho idea OF
paying four admissions to hear a political de.
bate, even though it was by able speakers
and upon the greatest issue before the people
of the state. This fact became apparent after
Yesterdays meeting, and an effort was made
this morning to have the discussions of this
afternoon and evening held in tho
opera house and free TO every-
body. The friends of high license
agreed to pay for the hail. but the palace peo-
pie demurred and wanted healthy bonus for
their consent to the change. The demand
was considered exorbitact and the meetings
Were continued in the sugar palace, the man.
further advertize the meeting
EN-Gov ernOr Larrabec's speech.
Probably five hundred people were present
at the afternoon session. Ex-Governor viii.
lam Larrabee of Iowa was tho first speaker
lie said he was not accustomed TO speak to
such small audiences, but would do his best
to add his testimony to the efficacy of legal
prohibition. He did not consider himselfa
"foreigner'' in any state of the union, and es-
pecially in Nebraska, where he found so
many Iowa people located He said he did
not know the situation in Nebraska, but he
did know that Iowa had prospered in the
law No portion Of tho earth was more pro.
ductive than Nebraska, and here was grand
opportunity for the building of a great state,
and the importance OF starting out Alright
should be- well considered
state that follows the advice of its wsest
men Is the surest to prosper. Prompt
action, too, is needed in dealing
with evils. Slavery could have been easily
suppressed at one time, but it was allowed to
grow until millions of men and money were
required to wipe out the curse. SO It'll with
the liquor traffic. 1t must be handled vigor-
oHsly in this young state or 1t will be beyond
your control and the evil will be suppressed
only after vast outlay of time and money.
Material and intellectual advantages are not
the essentials of a peoples greatness. A
moral advancement is needed. This is q pro-
gresSiVe civilization.
Governor Larrabcc said he had lived thirty
seven years in Iowa. He recited the history
of the liquor Legislation of the state since
1Si6, and showed that Iowa had n law against
the sale of strong drink since Sol to the pas
sage of the prohibition law in 1888. A law
nor in cola of nln
passed in 1858, and 5000 saloons were opened
in that state and the anti-strong drink law
was daily violated all over the state. In 1889
the prohibition amendment went into effect
on Julyi. The saloons all closed, but in
ninety days they were opened again. The
amendment set aside by the supreme
court and was again adopted by the egisa-
ture and went into effect on July 4, 1884.
When the speaker was inaugurated gov
ernor of Iowa. in Jan uary, 1886, no said sev-
enty saloons were running in Des Moines and
paying license of 81 900 n year On May 26,
1856, he issued n proclamation calling upon
the county officials to assist in the enforce
ment of the law. While he was in Office over
three thousand saloons were closed in the
state of Iowa He would not claim that the
law was enforced thoroughly, but il was as
well enforced as was any law on the statute.
books, with the exception of Council Bluffs,
Dubuque, Burlington, MuScatine and Daven-
port
In denying the statement that it would ruin
business to close the saloons, Governor Lar
rabee pointed the finger of pride at. Sioux
City as pros porous city without a saloon.
DcS Moines, he said, had doubled in business
and population in ten years, and was
prosperous. He would name the pro-
hibition cities when the prosperous
towns of Iowa were named and
he would point out the dull towns when tho
places were named in which the prohibitory
law was violated.
There was but one state official in Iowa
who opposed prohibition, and the speaker
thought that two years in the governors
chair would bring change of heart in even
Governor Boies. He reiterated his former
statement, that crime had decreased under
prohi btion rule in Iowa. and stated that ho
was firm in the belief that not one-twentieth
part ofthe liquor was being used in Iowa
that there was five years ago.
Governor Larrabee's speech was well re-
celved.