The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20
LONE MAN DRINKING CLUB.
Yen Lock Yourself In for Nip and Pay on
Honor-'Tis an Anti-Saloon Town.

Yen Lock Yourself In for Mp and Pay on
Honor-'Tis an Anti-Saloon Town.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, Sept. ls.-The dyna-
hitting Of the homo Of Fred Roher. editor
Of the Witness, a paper published In Borne.
Adams county. has developed . peculiar
condition there which has grown out OF
the attempts in the last year to close tho
saloons.
The town is German settlement and is
not opposed to saloons. But it Is not In
corporated. and for this reason is not
separate and distinct entity from the town
ship in which It stands. Tho majority OF
the people In the township are opposed to
saloons, and often when license has been
asked for by . man in Berne majority
Of the voters have been successful In pre-
venting the granting Of II.
Editor Roher Is the acknowledged leader
of the temperance element. His paper !"
published in Berne, but 1t is upon the coun-
try people mainly that he depends for
support. Roher Is also lawyer and has
secured authority from a majority OF the
voters to sign their names to circumstances
whenever application is made for liquor
license. Naturally the editor has been tho
target at which all tho shafts OF the saloon
advocates have been aimed. When his
home was blown up an application for .
license was pending, but the use Of OK
plosives did not deter Roher in the least.
He went before the commissioners the
next morning prepared to present remon-
STRANGE against the granting Of the license.
but the applicant withdrew from the con-
test when he saw that defeat was certain
Finding that tho indefatigable editor
could not be headed OF either with threats
or with dynamite, the anti-temperanoe
| element formed a club OF 100 members,
| opened clubhouse to which each member
| received key, and literally stocked 1t
with liquor. Whiskey was bought by the
| q member entered he locked the door after
him and while the temperance FOLKS might
guess what was going on inside they had
| to be content with guessing:
| The clubhouse has proved very attrao-
| tive place for certain citizens OF berne,
, and . number Of persons in tho township
members and have been provided with
keys. Each man has been placed on hia
! honor and keeps his own account OF the
| Kind and quantity Of liquor he imbibes
| He puts the money In a designated place
| before leaving the buiioine. ne ciup a'iiif
only to cover expenses. The money re-
ceived IL used in replenishing the stock.
The club members make no secret q
the fact that they are we'll supplied with
every kind Of liquor and that they CON
stitute company organized only for enter ,s.
temperance people consulted lawyers and
would have proceeded legally against the
club they were informed that no law could
Be invoked to brenk 1t up, for man or any
number Of men have q right, to purchase
liquor and drink 1t at Will. the only iega
ing it away to minors.
The fight against tho saloons In Indians
has been In progress ever since the passa g
Of the Nicholson law in 1895. Statistics
show, not~ outstanding the contentious O
the temperance advocates. that the mum
her az saloons has not only not decreased
but has even slightly increased in the las
! wear,