Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1892-12-08

printed any of the excellent replies to it
that have been made in the same paper,
l ask You to do me the honor OF permit
ting me to lay the following thoughts
before those who have read that letter.
I desire to impeach the witnesses
whose testimonies have caused the
bishop to betray prohibition into the
hands OF its enemies. Who are bis wit
nesses: First, wholesale liquor deal
ers." Where is their place of business?
Not in North Dakota. thank God.
impeach them as witnesses on the
ground that they are too interested to
be trustworthy witnesses; but especially
do impeach them on the ground that
their business is of nature calculated
to make men untruthful. An eminent
Massachusetts judge says, "The experl.
ence of forty years has convinced me that
rumsellers and barkeepers will lie about
everything relating to their business"
The eminent DIR. Millner Fothergill of
England, IN his standard work on Diet
says: mo reliance whatever can be
placed on the word, statement, or asser-
tion corroborated by solemn oatbs, of
drunkard." And I would not do these
liquor dealers the great wrong of
imagining that they would help make
drunkards of others. unless they we're
such themselves.
The second class of witnesses are "rail-
road and express men," 1 will not
bring the accusation Of falsehood against
these, but will break the force of their
testimony by calling attention to the
fact that these men are not in position
to know wi ersof they speak. When
license was the rule, the great bulk of
the liquors were shipped by freight, and
consequently but little attention was
paid to the amount of it. But now, be-
cause of wholesome fear, that the un-
fortunate consumer may be the more
sure to get his coveted possession, he
now has it shipped by express. Then is
it not true that the wholesaler knows
that a whiskey bill cannot be collected
under our prohibition law, and conse-
quently be insists that it be sent CO.
D.? The result Is, that these railroad
and express men referred to are now
cognizant of that whereof formerly they
knew nothing; but the business not
being on the same basis it was formerly,
their comparisons are valueless as evil
dence. Then. we notice the arrival of all
such goods now because of our law,
whereas under License no attention was
paid to their arrival.
The third class of witnesses are ''com-
mercial Travellers I insist these men
are not in position to 6nd out the facts
in the case, it they attend to their busi-
ness, and if they do not so do, 1 fear it Is
because they come under the condemna-
ton that rests upon the first class. Only
resident of town is in position to give
reliable testimony concerning this mat
ter.
Then, IN closing, the bishop states that
''hotel men scarcely know what to do
with the empty whiskey bottles left in
the rooms by guests Now call the at
tent,on of the public to the inconsist-
ency there is between this statement, and
the statement as to the hourishiDg con-
dition of the whiskey trade in the state.
What do those bottles prove? They
prove, from the bishops own putting of
the case, that in whatever town this large
crop of bottles is found, there the "blind
Pig tourisheth not. The bottles only
show that the pure deluded victim of
drink prepared for life while in North Da-
kota, before he entered the state. High
license Minnesota fills the most of the
bottles that the thirsty traveller en1pties
in North Dakota.
close after touching this one point
IN this letter, though it is exceedingly
vulnerable in It's every part.
SAMUEL. E. RYAN,