Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-01-09
NORTH DAKOTA FINDS
PROHIBITION PROFITABLE

Fargo, n. d., Dec. l2.-After ten
years OF prohibition in this State Ii
may be said that nowhere have prohi-
bitory laws been more successfully en-
forced than here.
Prohibition was made part of tho
Constitution by small popular majCr.
ity in 1889. Out of total vote of &c..
900 the majority was only 1859. The
law furnishing means to enforce tho
provision was passed at the next ses
sion Of the Legislature.
Along the eastern side of the state,
by the Red River, in the Bread Bas-
ket Of the World" as Dakotans proud
ly call il, the people are farmers,
steady and industrious, and in general,
prohibition laws have received ther
support. On the west side of the
State, in the COW counties. the popu-
lation has cowboy character and pro-
hibition has not been so popular. But
even there the Enforcement League has
been at work and has accomplished
great things. Even Bismarck. the
State capital. is now prohibition
This Enforcement League was cs-
tablshed in the eastern counties when
IL was seen that sort of private organ
izatiOn was needed to enforce the law
Il has employed detectives and secret
agents to look up blind pigs" the
term for Illicit saloons in North DakO-
Ia. 1t is constantly making investlga.
lions as to liquor carried by express
companies in original packages and as
to liquor sold by drug stores for "medl-
Cinal purposes II has maintained
election organizations and has secured
the election to office Of men pledged
TO enforce the laws.
The eastern part of the State has al
ways shown a disposition to comply
with the law, though there have al
most continuously been blind pigs in
Fargo and Grand Forks, and the lag
wagon has been a iourishing insti-
tuition in the border towns. The lag
wagon is u vehicle run by the saloon
keepers of Mourehead and East Grand
Forks. Mimi, for the free conveyance
into Minnesota from Fargo and Grand
Forks Of men with thirst and 70.
their free reconveyance, the thirst we'll
allayed, back to the other side. They
have done u steady and remarkable
trade.
For several years after the enact.
ment of the Prohibitory law several
towns in the eastern part of the State,
and these the biRgpst I'm North noEntn
continued to gain a revenue by the sale
OF liquor. Proprietors of billiard sal
looms, temperance saloons, coffee halls
and other places with soft drink names
but hard drink reputation, were eth
er required to pay a certain amount
monthly into the city treasury or were
regularly brought before the municipal
officers and fined, both methods being
in tacit recognition Of their business.
But when tho county, State or En-
forcement League took a notion to
swoop down and gather In the keepers
there was trouble, and when such men
as Judge Pollock were on the bench
and gave the limit in the sentence
every time, the business declined. Uu-
der the state law any building in which
liquor selling Is carried on can lie
closed and abandoned. for all business
purposes for a certain period. which
means the loss of all revenue to the
owner This law has been source CT
strength for the Prohibitionists.
There Is a remarkable number OF
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