St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-19
HALF-ENF0RGED LAW.
Prohibition in North Dakota
Is Proving a Dismal
Failure.
Vigilance Doesn't Prevent
Men From Becoming Clio
riously Drunk.
Very Few and Unimportant
Are the Convictions Up
to Date.
The Law Waving a Depress-
ing Effect on Officers Of
Bismarck.

Special to the Globe.
BISMARCK, N. D., Sept. 1S.-Much
has been written and said about the
prohibitory law and how it works In
North Dakota, but the true condition OF
affairs has never been made public
There is a general impression outside
this state that the law is working quite
satisfactorily to those who were instru,
mental in placing it on the statutes, but
such is not fact, by any means, and
the fathers of the supposedly ironclad
law are painfully aware of it. True,
they are vigilant and painstaking, and
in some few portions of the state sue
ceed in effectually crushing the traffic OF
intoxicants, but there are many towns
where booze is dispensed with almost
as much freedom as of yore. In coun-
ties where the anti-prohibitionists have
majority the opposing forces are
wholly at loss for adequate means to
repel the onslaughts of the enemy. 1t is
an impossibility to get a jury that
will Sincb the violators Of the law. The
state enforcement league recently
formed has succeeded in doing some
good work for the cause. but members
thereof having submitted to all sorts of
abuse and indignities, often very rough
treatment, have lost much of the en-
thuSiastic interest which characterized
its commencement.
The Enforcement League
wanes, the members are discouraged
and the other side is correspondent
happy at the outlook. The league sue
ceeded in landing one Bismarck blind
pigger in the tolls. s. j. Swenson, who
had hearing in the justice court, and
and was bound over to the district
court in bonds of $1,000. The leaguers
engineered this little coup adroitly. \
confederate went in the saloon and pur-
chased bottle of whisky, which was
sampled by Methodist minister
and other confederates, who were
anXiously awaiting the result
outside. The minister evidently
knew the qualities of good whisky, for
he took snort and pronounced it
regular old tanglefoot, and the very
worst at that. BIS action in samplipg
liquor and his evident knowledge of the
ingredients used in its manufacture,
has given rise to 10 little upfavorable
comment among the members of his
flock in church. He will probably not
do it again. The local league then
overstepped the bounds of its own
jurisdiction and turned its attention to
Mandan, the neighboring city across
the river. The trip came dangerously
near proving fatal one. A Bismarck
SaloOnkeeper learned of their intentions
and quietly informed his Mandan
brethren in crime to be on the lookout
for the invaders. A telegram found its
way over the wires in plenty of time for
the Mandanites to receive the Bismarck
invaders. When they arrived on. the
scene of action every resort was closed.
Not drop of booze could they get for
love or money. though strange to re-
late, it was noticeable that several men
were promenading the streets in a
state of
Great HiIarity,
caused by the eXhilarating zone of the
Missouri slope, the prohibs presumed.
Well, they prowled around the little
town nearly whole day in fruitless
search for beer, whisky or anything
that would make the head swim, and a
prominent citizen of Mandan told the
writer next day that it was providential
for them that they got back to Bis
rangem2nts had been nearly perfected
for tai and feather picnic later in the
evening. with the Bismarck prohibs as
the principals in the bee. l am told
that liquor is sold with more abandon
in Mandan than in Bismarck. A gen
tleman from there tells me that the sa-
loonkeepers pay a monthly license of
$50 each to the city treasurer, not be-
cause they have to do it, but probably to
promote feeling Of good fellowship all
around and help liquidate the city's in
debtedneSs. This is, indeed, the most
gIaring violation of the law that has
yet come to light. Here in Bismarck
the piggers pay nothing for the prlvi-
lege of running the risk of getting
''sinched." During the infancy OF pro-
hibition the city exacted fine of $50
per month from each. Some paid. 9TH
ers didn't: but it was all right anyway,
whether the fine was collected or not.
for the municipal government was just
as deep In tine mire for levying special
saloonkeepers were for carrying on the
business. However. little money in
the city treasury Just now would be
Thankfully Received.
no matter from what source it comes.
mere lids U66Il dl aching VOlu ever
since the law went into effect, and the
void is getting bigger and aching more
as the months roll by with no prospects
OF making good the ever-increasing de-
ficiency. The city officeholders are
perhaps more deeply interested i'll the
replenishment of the treasury than any
one else, as their salaries have been
chopped down to an alarming extent in
order to conform with the now invis-
IDLE surplus. Ed Barrett, the city clerk.
who is serving his sixth consecutive
term, each time elected on salary of
SIS per month. registers a big kick.
The council cut down his stipend'to S25,
payable in warrants, which means
about SIG in cold, hard cash. Barrett
wants to know who could live on sal
airy like that in this wild Western bor-
ough. / met him OH the street the
other night with his violin and man.
dolin tucked under either arm, and a
hunted expression on his face. He ex-
planned that he had to do it at last
part with his dearly loved instruments.
He was OH his way to pawnbroker's
where he soaked the Instruments for
money with which to appease the de-
mands of his landlady. : The city treas
urer is another mortal in hard luck
at present, but as he has other
business to claim bis attention