St. Paul daily globe., 1893-11-17
NORTH DAKOTA STORIES.

Congressman Johnson's suit against
the Great Northern railroad for 5000
damages. for being elected from one OF
their trains, according to published in
terviews with Mr.. Johnson. is to be
pushed with yigor during the recess of
congress. There is much in this case
OF interest. and because this suit was
pending at the time of the first sena-
torial election in North Dakota. Mr..
johnson was not elected to the senate
as colleague of Gilbert A. Pierce.
MIR. johnson was county attorney of
Nelson county, and as such attorney
commenced numerou. suits against
the railroad company, which
were regarded by the company
as being intended to annoy rather than
accomplish any good purpose. Section
men working OH Sunday in the repair
OF the track Or roadbed were arrested
Tor violation of the Sunday laws, and
upwards of 100 suits were begun be-
cause engineers failed to whistle at a
prairie crossing of public highway
hear his farm.
Finally Mr.. Johnson purchased a
burg, live miles distant, and attempted
to make the second trip from Lakota to
petersburg on the return portion of the
ticket. The company. holding that
tickets of this kind, having been sold at
reduced figure--one fare and half
being the rate charged-Sbould not be
received except i'll accordance with the
contract, conductors were required to
collect full fare. If such were presented.
johnson refused to pay fare or to leave
the train. even with force enough ap-
pied to give him cause of actonfor fore
lDle eJectment, whereupon the conduc-
tor called to his aid two trainmen, who,
atter hard struggle, succeeded in car
fvlng hlm OFT the train, feet foremost,
leaving him to walk to his home, about
four miles distant. This is his case.
As the Great Northern railroad was
pushing its way across the continent,
seeking the right of way across Indian
| and military reservations. and was con-
testing sharply in the interior depart
ment points i'll relation to public lands
| with other roads, it took an active
interest in JOhnson's defeat for the
United States senate, and, no doubt. in
huenced his defeat, though he received
majority Of votes in the Republican
caucus. which was Stampeded and ad-
| JOuTned before the ballot was an-
nounced. johnson's defeat for the SEN
| ate by the means adopted led to his Sc
| curing Hansbrongh's seat in congress
! and to Hansbrough's election tn the
United States senate in place of Pierce,
and to PIerce'S appointment as q foreign
minister during the last days of Harri-
| sons administration.
~*
hn %Lo
ton law i'll North Dakota, so far as it
relates TO sales by druggists, is we'll
illustrated by the sworn affidavits
placed on file by Fargo druggist ac-
comDanying his report for October.
Druggists are permitted to sell intox-
Icatlng liquors when granted permit
to do so upon petition signed by twenty
five householderS and twenty-five
reputable women of the city or town
where the sales are to be made, after
publication of notice of intention to ap-
ply giving time and opportunity for
protest. The sales must be for medic
mai, sacramental, or mechanical pur
poses, and are restricted in amount, and
to those who make affidavit showing
that the intoXicants are to be used for
purposes covered by the law, the lnten-
tion being to prohibit entirely their use
for beverages. These affidaYitS are re-
qulred to he filed with monthly
report embracing the names of all per-
sons to whom sales have been made, the
quantity sold to each. the purpose for
which 1T was to be used, the amount OH
hand at the beginning and close of the
month, the amount purchased and from
whom. In the case in point the pub
lIshed sales for the months as given by
the Fargo Forum, together with state
ment of the law and its purposes,
amount to 400. OF these III had plain,
every day colds, a dozen had cramps,
! two or three chllls, occasionally there
| was case of diarrhGa, Others were con-
! Stlpated, a few had feverS, and several
| rheumatism. Some wanted it for bath
ing, and one, like Paul, concluded to
| drink no longer water, but take little
| wine for the stomach's sake" while
| another invariably wanted it for black
| nearly every day, and some two
| or tnree times day, each time
| with different trouble, which only
| the spirits could allay. One mans heart
| troubled him, and to quiet it he pur-
| chased twenty two ounces early in the
| day, and later in the same day twelve
| ounces more. The erasures and appar-
| ent omissions in the druggists report
| show intention to comply in part with
| the forms of the law. Sales were made
in many instances at the drug store
| without requiring any statement, and.
| emboldened by his success, it is charged
he kept room open to all safe persons
where no inquiry whatever was made
when drinks were ordered. Such vio-
lationS by druggists are the rule rather
than exception, and their success only
| emboldens the boot-leggerS and the
blind piggers. the latter as numerous as
the saloons before the law was passed,
to go on without semblancn of COM
pliance, fines being cheaper than license.