The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1905-05-13
LOCAL OPTION COSTS.
And Investigations Also Local Option
Fines-What the Balance IS.

EluGS- w udt t1S DdlduSS lSs
There has been much comment
in town about an article sent from
Corvallis and published in the
Portland Telegram. The article
says little but implies much. the
purpose beirg to indicate that the
enforcement of local option is cost
ly to taxpayers. that drunkenness
is widely prevalent, and that IN
general the experience in Corvallis
is that the law is badly discredited
by conditions. The article is as
follows:
"Corval1is, Or. May County
court records for the session just
closed show allowances for large
amount of fees to witnesses sum-
moned by the prosecuting attorney
of the county in an effort to locate
the blind pig supposedlto be re
sponsible for large number of
'jags' in evidence in Corvallis in
spite of the fact that rigid local
option law is in force here.
"That the suspected joint has
not been discovered is made pro-
bable by the fact that no arrests
have been made, although the real
reason is said to be the discloure
that most of the 'drunks' have
been accumulated on liquor brought
by freight or express from Albany
Salem. Portland and other outside
points.
Zone of the peculiar conditions
arising from the operation of the
local option law here is that a min
or, old enough to write his name,
can send the necessary money-order
to outside dealers, and have beer
wine or whiskey shipped to him in
a sealed package, with no one any
the wiser, and there is declared
to be no question that this is being
done regularly. Those who for
merly drank at the bar now drink
from the bottle. An Albany sa-
loon keeper is responsible for the
statement that he is doing a busi-
ness of from $500 to $500 each
month with Corvallis and vicinity" :"
The actual amount of costs paid
at the late term of court on account
of local option Investigations was
$47.eo. Enough more bills are
said TO be outstanding to raise the
total to date, to about SIS. Two
convictions had on account of these
Investigations by Deputy District
Attorney Bryson have yielded the
county in fines $1oo. That puts
the income $25 above the expendi-
lures. and it is extremely likely
that more fines will be paid.
The statement that minors car
send away and get liquor now il
they want to. is no more true thar
| before the local option law was
passed. The statement of the Al
bany saloon keeper is about such {
statement as an Albany saloor
keeper would be likely to make uu
der the circum stances. It is a SURE
bet that if he is selling $500 {
month TO Corvallis that he woulc
not blow about it, through fear tha
ebody else would get In ant
divide up the business with him
! As to the implied statement tina
cor ,tions as to. drunkenness ar,
as /, d or worse now than befor
the local option law went into ,ef
feet The residents of the town know
| whether that is true or not. Th,
uni ,rtunate thing in the article i
tina, the effect of its publication
gives people bro 0 a {
an Incorrect and detrimental es
tima,e of conditions in town. TIL
Times did not help pass the loea
option law nor help put it in effect
but while the measure is in efec
| let it be fairly tried and correctly
4 stated