The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-10-20
w. u. COLUMN.
CONDUCTED BY MRS. NJ. L. HOBBS.
judge Pollock and Prohibition

judge Pollock and Prohibition
So much testimony has been given
by experts, judges, philanthroplsts
and police officials regarding the
e Effects of license system, as com
pared with prohibition, tn It no more
is needed to satisfy any reasonable
man, but none the less 1t Is inter
esting from time to time to give
new evidence bearing to the same
inevitable conclusion, that the
liquor traffic is a crime, and that
prohibition does prohibit. la the
November of the State Issue, pub
Iished at Mitchell, South Dabota,
there is lengthy letter from Judge
Pollock, of Fargo, that is worth
more than passing notice. Regard
ing the conditions in Fargo before
the prohibitory law of the state was
adopted, he says:
"The list | have of the year 1886
showed in this city forty-one IL
censed saloons, Fargo being then as
now the metropolis of the state I;
and seventy eight in tn entire
county OF Cass. This list is the
one which you saw, and which |
nave KEEP. from that day to this as
'an argument settler. Fargo at
[ at date had about 5000 inhab-
litants, and the county perhaps
| % 600.
"The politics Of the county were
dominated by the rum traffic. All
of the smaller llaces of the county
containeG generally from two TO
three saloons. During the harvest
season, when large number OF
men came in for harvesting pur-
poses, our streets were constantly
lined with drunken men. The
crimes at that time were those orig
mating very largely from dtunke n
crawls. Every farmer hated t. see
rainy day, not only because OF the
loss to crops, but like wise the mis-
fortune coming from drunken men
who during the rainy days would 60
to the smaller towns and become in
toxicated.
at was alleged by the opposers
of t.e prohibitory system, especial
Iy in Fargo, that our store buildings
would remain vacant; many men
said that if it was carried they would
offvr their property at fifty cents On
the dollar. Very many good men
voted against the measure because
they felt that it could MT be en-
forced, and that rather than have a
reign of free whisky tie matter
should be curbed by a judi9ious
high license system.
The o her side of the picture is
most emphatic, giving the present
conditions, under the baneficent
operation of a prohibitory law:
"You will remember that in 1873
we had "A fire in Fargo which des-
|troyed about three and a half mil
lion dollars worth of property.
Notwithstanding that our city has
been practically rebuilt, and today
we have a population of about II,
1000. Stores are being constantly
Ierected; there are 10 vacant stores
business is prosperous; our ,ity is
being paved, and there is general
prosperity among the business men.
al do not know OF single open
saloon in the county, indeed, am
very sure there are none. Iors
than that, while there probably are
few places in the county where
liquor is secretly sold, yet they are
so very few that one can practically
say that they are entirely banished.
"a year ago our mayor, then
meeting with body Of mayors at
some place in the east think in
Columbus, Ohio there to discuss
questions with reference to NUM-
cipal government, made aa offer to
that body that if any of them could
C )me TO Fargo and find lace
where liquor was unlawfully sold,
he would pay the entire expenses of
the trip; with the understand ng, of
course, that if they found nothing
they we're to pay their own expenses.
This proposition was madein answer
to some very loud statements made
nv certain parties who were boo
hooing the statement that a pro-
|hibitory liquor law could be en-
forced. No takers were found
II is not only waste; it has har-
vest; it is a great sowing broadcast,
and what springs from the furrow?
Deaths, mortality in every form,
disease of every kind, crime Of every
die, madness Of every intensity,
misery beyond the comprehension