Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-27
LOOKER-ON IN IOWA.
OsIsSSsSSfsiSSs99sYstsS6ssySsG1.
For the Times-Republican

For the Times Republican.
Jewell, May 26.-An individual in the
Register advances the position that the
recent supreme court decision by Judge
Weaver changes conditions but little.
and that the friends of temperance need
not go into Mysteries. Some of us VINO
are not prohibitionists, but mildly
claim to be on the right side OF the
temperance question, sec in this decls-
ion a body blow to the best attempts to
control the sale of liquor within the
limits OF the state Of Iowa.
Judge Weaver reluctantly admits
that the law preventing the sale OF
liquor by citizens Of other states to the
citizens of Iowa is unconstitutional. in
that it infringes upon the rights and
privileges of interstate commerce. Inc
result is that any travelling agent can
now come into Iowa and sell to the con-
sumer in any quantity. in any county,
wet or dry ship the goods by ex-
press and collect his bill after the goods
are received. Not every one will real
lZe the Importance of the after part
of the business transaction, all rendered
strictly legal by this last decision,
C. o. D. is an open question, as 1t raises
the point of where the actual sale takes
rlace, but this decision makes 1T posi-
BILE for any common drunkard TO order
liquor thru a travelling agent, to receive
the same by express, and to pay for the
same according to arrangements with
the travelling man.
And the editor of the Register In his
high tower in Des Moines in common
with many others, has but little idea of
the extent of this business. Previous to
the passage of this law now killed by
this decision travelling agents Tor
wholesale liquor houses were as COM
mon as almost any other line repre-
sented on the road. These men do not
work the drug or saloon trade. Their
whole business is with the consumer,
the man who wants pint, quart or gal
lon They canvassed the towns in get
ting the names of those who occasion
ally indulge" they hired livery teams
and drivers and called on every farmer
who was likely to give them an order.
And they made regular trips calling on
their trade every sixty or ninety days.
And they will all be at it again, with
nothing to prevent, as it's now legal
business. Still another bad feature is
The quality of liquor sold. A driver for
one of these travelling agents, one who
claimed to get his information from
the travelling agent, who rode with him,
says the agent told him: 1--WE can ship
these farmers any kind of stuff and get
SO a gallon for it, And the writer once
heard farmer giving an agent fits"
because of the quality of the last lot
sent him. ut wasn't fit for a hog to
drink" So said the farmer, and the re-
mark was probably literally true. And
here is statement fully as true: In
one of our Iowa towns, during the past
twelve years, nine farmers have been
KILLED by being thrown out of their
wagons while returning home drunk.
The writer has no means of knowing,
But in each case the newspaper account
mentioned the fact of beer or jug of
whisky being in the wagon.
AS much of the foregoing is in the
moralizing mood, here's some more of
the same: Yes, sir: our preacher act
TALLY takes the Chicago American. If I
was q preacher, and setting myself up
as an example of right living, and a
PREACHER of morals and patriotism, I
wouldn't be seen going thru the streets
carrying that sensational sheet" So
said the hard-headed business man who
probably doesn't belong to our church
Now the writer with more charity can
explain why the preacher takes paper
SO full of the accounts of murders
rapes, burglaries and all manner of the
evil men and women do. He can even
understand why thespreacher takes and
reads paper that many consider fac
tor in the events that led up to the as
sassination of Mckinley. The preach
er's Summing. How can he preach
against the crime of seduction unless
he reads about 1t? What does he know
of murder till after he has read how 1t
is done. How can he preach on honesty
unless he reads detailed accounts of the
work Of thieves. How will he know of
evil unless he reads about it? For in
this town where the preacher lives
nothing of the kind is going on. Again.
1t relieves the sameness of the daily
odor of sanctity. He is daily and hour
ly thrown in contact with only the good,
the pure, the holy. By reading the
American his jaded, holy-seared mind
as it were is stirred up, pricked into ac-
tivity. My dear business man. don't
kick because the preacher reads the
Chicago American. He's Summing a
la Parkhurst, only he goes thru the coll
umns of a newspaper instead Of into
the dives themselves.