Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-08-25

| L.
The Hon. A. X. Delaney. ex-district
judge OF this territory. says that Ben
nett. while practising before him.
used 10 be drunk for weeks at a time.
Judge Delaney cha.acterizes him as a
drunken i'm becilt" Recently while
drunk the district attorney met Col
lector lvey in q street of juneau and
abusively complained to him about
his course OF conduct in seiZing Ii
quors and arresting Benefits friends.
the smugglers, and specially referred
to Frank Kane, the man whom | have
mentioned above.
When it remembered that upon the
concerted action of the collector of
customs. the district attorney. and the
district judge depends the enforce
ment Of law, it can be readily under
stood why the prohibitory law is not
we'll enforced in the territory of
Alaska.
But these are not the only obstacles
that Collector Ivey has had to face.
" lille he has been raiding saloons,
closing brew cries, and Selling liquor
| Che has up to this time probably
seized mole than 100 tons of liquor),
every possible method of opposition
and intimidation has been tried against
him by the lawless classes. He has
been threatened with personal vio-
lence; it has been commonly boosted
through the territory that he would be
dead inside of 90 DAYS; attempts have
been made to murder him; on one oc-
casion his office was blown up with
giant powder; and efforts have been
made to blacken his reputation and to
secure his removal from office The
newspapers of the territory were
against him. The merchants have
been against him because they wanted
the patronage of the saloons The
electric light company and the water
works company of this city have been
against him because they too wanted
the patronage of the saloons. In short
he has stood practically alone and UNI
aided. The editor of one of the papers
admits to the writer. Il would like to
turn my paper loose in defence of the
collector / know that he is right, but
dare not do so. for would loose my
|
be so strong. On the contrary have
to write slurs and Misrepresentation
against him in order to hold my bust
ness - Not all Of the papers. however
even have desire to defend the right.
The Alaska Miner, small paper pub
lished in Juneau. is heartily in the in
terest of the whisky ring. It's editorial
writer is an alien-W. A. Beddoe, ac-
cording to his own admission fugi-
tive from justice, and a habitual
drlnker. The owner of that paper
made an effort inSeptemb Der last to
bride Collector Ivey, and finding this
impossible. attempted to intimidatc
him by threatening to 60 to Washing
ton and secure his removal. These
plans both failing, the paper devotes
the greater share of its space to abuse
and misrepresentation of the collector,
and to lies about the liquor situation.
The newspaper reporters coming
here from the states fall into the
hands Of men of men of thi descrip-
ton, are filled with all kinds of stories
about the failure OF prohibitory law,
and as result write for their home
papers the kind of stuff that the peo-
pie in the states have been reading for
| the last few months about the failure
of Prohibition in this territory.
Just now conspiracy is on foot,
headed by Bennett and Judge johnson
and abetted by men of the BeddOe
stamp, to bring influence to bear at
Washington to remove Collector Ivey
A corruption fund has been raised.
one of the breweries that the c3llector
recently closed at Juneau heading the
list with $1,000. All sorts of low
criminals are being enlisted in the
plot under the promise of receiving
appointments when Ivey is oosted
and their man gets in. Beddoe is to
have charge of things at Juneau and
expects to find gold mine in the
saloons Of that place.
Collector Ivey said recently to the
writer. Give me sober honest, fear
less district attorney. and fearless
honest Judge, and | will enforce the
laws of Congress whether they be
popular or unpopular, and | will not
ask for soldiers either. | can stand
their threats Of murder, mysterious
disappearance. and removal from Of
flee | can stand such attempts as
were made by the criminals at Wran-
gel few weeks ago to blow up the
custom house with giant powder. But
| will not stand the attempts of these
men to injure my mare and official
record by foul and cowardiv means.
Collector Iyey's fighting blood is M.
and the liquor conspirators in this
territory are growing hotter instead OF
cooling down.
The responsibility for the failure of
Prohibition in this territory lies not
half 50 much with the salooH-keepers
as it lies with the government officials
who prostitute their office at the bid
ding of the criminals.
Prohibition can be enforced in Alas
ka just as any other law can be en-
forced by putting into office honest
men. who have rpsDpct for the law