Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-03-22
A Retrospeotig view
lBY D. u HARR1s.J

AOoQoOtAH6- VAoVE. =
IBY D. u HARR1s.J
lnthe spring of 1869, 9enry Smiley
bought out Blrchard, Druepist, on
sixth street. and commenced BUSINESS
1t his old stand. During the. summer.
~ was customary, the druggists of
Iowa Kept business strictly fnt medt.
:'nal purposes. and passing tits rlace
Vt business we found the 6r4ymen
unloading about twen,v barrels of
Cincinnati, Whiskey Thi, to rs look.
Oh like large supply of necessary
medicine for our town, and we re-.
marked to Mr. Smiley that we thought
that very large supply Of "medicine"
Its going to be distressinglv s,ckly
here this summer. Then, like now
drug stores sold considerable amount
"f this particular brand Of medicine.
We remember case in which It
became necessary for us to examine the
sales OF one house, when th6" law reA
quired record Of sales. uhis al not
In this town. and although we had
been publishing statements claiming
that the county, in which ue then lfv.'
ed WAS very healthy. hut ON consult
Ing the record. we fonnt over i've
thousand sales of q ,or having been
nadein three months. ~ this one
house, strictly for medicine. We con-
cluded that the penp,e were using
liquor more as a preventative than q
cure. W. also fonnd another very
strange incid-l.t--In signing the re-
cord, the names of John B tioff,T Hor.
ace Greedy and many other such tenn.
perance advocates were found.
We do not know whether Mr. Hen.
~ Smiley disposed of all his MEDICINE
during that summer, but we do re.
member that we saw several men
whom we felt certain had taken q
lose. and We have always thought
CHS provision of law requiring
record Of eales Of liquor 70 he !. per.
fect burlesqne, for if !hsre IS snv sub.
lect upon which q m., mav ia sup.
,osed In prevaricase IT. is ,n the
liquor question. Ii man is sick he
mould SO permitted to buy medicine
without question, and if he is not
lick, no law should he enacted to
induce man to tell u lie. sn that
provision should be dispensed with,
and druggists be permitted 10 sell
liquor the same as other medicine. and
FOR no other purpose, tski"g the
myers word when he makes the
purchase AT that time 1t VAS only
permissible to sell intnx,c., ", : !. ,rsis.- .
ng Of native wine, cider AMI ,,4er, but
even in the use of these mid drinks
IT. was not uncommon to see a few.
uen In q beastly state Of "intox "asion
r'mes have. changed materially in
hase latter days and the sal. of in
'xtcating liquor is now LEGAL husi-
Ia IS under the mn' h "
Our CITY has made sno raprl st1id
IS in improvement during the past
our years that IT is almost Impossible
| 'ecogntse the old land marks, or re-
member the names of the men who, at
vi early day were engaged in business
n this city.
Old st John, u former good town,
'radualiy grew small and beau,ifully
ass until it ceased to b-, and where it
mes WAS has been turned 'n:o farm
,nd the houses constituting it's home
Vt the populatiOn. have been lnnvee
tn the country or removed to this c:ty
and became . portion of our improve
nents On the corner of Eric and
Third street, WHARF, once WAS built q
mall residence, now ia occupied by J
South's department store covering
he ground from Third street to the
II .rgen's building, being the largest
business building in the city, where is
TINE an immense trade in all kinds OF
merchandise, and the entire block is
covered with business houses
No one can give u systematic aud
'Orrect statement of changes without
: map, nor can listof names of the
'irSt settlement of the Valley he com
'l'ed without reference to the census
'eport of that day, but some time
'ome competent writer will take pom
lhimself the task of compiling a list of
h"se who did 40 much to make Mis-
sonri Vallev city of Ha. rison County
until that time we must wait.
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