Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1893-01-20
NO ROOM FOR DOUBT,
The Speakers At the Mass Meeting
In Favor of the Enforcement
of the Law.
The Audience Enthusiastic and Seem
to Agree With Them On All
Points.
Mr.. Standish Promises Enforcement
and Merely Wants the Aid
of the People.
Pigs Must Go.

There are several conclusions which are
readily to be drawn from the mass meet
ing which was held in the Atheneum last
evening. One OF them is that if Attorney
General Standish had any doubt as to the
general feeling which exists as to the
closing of the blind pigs, he must now be
thoroughly satisfied that the people want
to see the law, as it stands upon the
statutes, enforced. And another is that if
anyone who attended had any doubt as to
the earnestness Of Mr.. %Standish, it was
completely and conclusively dispelled by
the remarks made by that gentleman.
The attendance was large and the Athe.
neum crowded to the extent of standing
room only. L. II. Wilson called the assem-
bly, to order and Joseph Hare was chosen
to preside over the gathering. Congress-
man NJ. N. Johnson. Colonel w. c. Plum
mer, Judge Bennett, Senator Stevens and
Attorney General Standish occupied seats
on the stage. and after a few Introductory
remarks by the chairman,
CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON
was called upon to make the first address.
Mr.. Johnson's arising was the signal for
lond and prolonged applause, evidence of
the kindly feeling which Bismarckers
have for the eloquent representative.
Mr.. JOhnson's remarks were of a gem
eral nature, his argument for the enforce
ment of the prohibition law being that the
secret of the success of our nation has
lain, always, in its ready acQuiescence to
the will of a maturity of the people when
ever expressed in a statute. The differ
ence between civilization and savagery
lies altogether in this obedience. He had
been one OF the persons who had com
posed the constitutional convention which
had assembled at the organization of the
state. In the constitution and he laws of
the state he felt great pride. Any law
which. as has the prohibition law, been
voted upon and chosen by a majority of
the people, must also be accepted by the
minority, and all must lend aid toward its
enforcement. Those who had been op-
posed to the measure had combated it with
their ballots on election day. Their oppo.
sition had been overcome, however, and
they must bow to the will OF the majority.
A Willingness to do this indicatelEa perfect
civilization; a tendency to oppose the law.
after its passage, displayed Il tendency to-
ward civil war. toward revolution and to-
ward disruption. MIR. johnson closed by
placing himself emphat!cal!y on record as
N favor OF a thorough enforcement OF the
law. and as he closed he was again heartily
applaudcd. This had hardly died away
when there was another thunderOus burst.
ana the calling by the chairman OF
COL. W. {. PLUMMER
was suflicienteXplanation. Colonel Plum
mer was at his best. and his address was
a source of uninterrupted pleasure and
amusement. "However much men NAV
differ as to the advisability or
efficacy of the law he began.
'there can be no difference of opinlon as
to the prOprlety of its enforcement The
assembly was there to betoken by IT'S
presence whether the laws of the state and
all the laws should be enforced, or whether
remarked as a lawless community. The
whole thing narrowed down to the cues
ton. sis the Law to be enforced or set at
Defiance" and lie, for one was in favor OF
it's enforcement.
The colonel said he could not see any
thing so terribly bad in the existence OF tie
animal ordinarily termed a bli Il pig. No
blind pig ever attempted to seek a man
out, and no man ever found q blind pig
unless he hunted for it. Uaughter.) AS
far as he was concerned, and lie assumed
that he would be supported by nine.
ten'hs OF the legislators and politicians
III me room, ne believed the
pix regime than it was under the rule Of
open saloons. Because when there were
open saloons he who wanted the support
OF the saloons and the element which hung
around them had to buy it. And frequently
the support of the saloons was sold to sew.
erai different and opposing. persons and
each person received il promise OF support.
He knew, for he had been there himself.
The only thing bad about the pigs was
that their existence meant the defiance of
the law.
A majority, he said, no matter how
small, was a majority and its wishes
was the will of the majority and should be
obeyed. There might be defects in the law,
put the legislature is able TO remedy them.
1t was not q question of the eff.
cacy of the law, but a plain
and simple matter of obedience.
Radical changes are made in II govern
internal strife-all because of the acquies.
cellce OF the minority to the will OF the
majority. And it must be the same with
our prOhibitOry statute. And il the law is
really dlStaSteful III its effect, the best way
way to bring about a reSubmission is to
enforce it thoroughly.
The colonel announced his intention to
cOnclul lie his address ut this juncture, but
the audience would not hear of it. SEQ
On,"'GO on" sounded from all parts of the
hall. and he continued.
He did not intend to discuss the merits
OF the temperance question, but one thing
he did wish to say was that ne did not be-.
lieve in the attempted reformation of the
old topers to the utter disregard of the
young men who were just beginning TO
drink. The ladies. he said, had IL habit
of taking in some old boozer and
clothing HIM in fine lincn,. babying him IN,
and finally teasing him into signing the
pledge, only to ave him Off on Il spree
again the first time Il bottle Of whisky
found itself any where in the vicinity of the
extremity Of his %proboscis. Instead of
this, tho efforts Of the refOrmers should be
directed toward the prevention of the talk.
ing OF the first glass. Encourage u sort
OF individual prohibition. lie said he was
working on a little prOhibitOry law of his
own, just ut present. 1t was Il fine thing,
made him feel good, he enjoyed himself,
but the Lord only knew how it would last.
He closed by comparing the powerless
condition OF those .WhO attempted to Op-
pose the law to the prisoner who wa