Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-10
LOCAL OPTION IN IOWA
MANNER OF OPERATION OF THE
PRESENT Law.
Proposed Introduction of the Liquor
Dispensary System of South Caro-
Hna-Opposition Manifested.

Secretary Shaw and Iowa people in Wash
ington are deeply interested in the an
nouncement of E. W. Weeks, prominent
member Of the Iowa legislature that he
proposes to introduce in the next session
of the legislature and push to his utmost
ability a bill establishing dispensary law
in that state modelled closely after the South
Carolina law. Mr.. Weeks is secretary of
the National Association of Republican
Clubs and stands well in the legislature. He
has recently made a visit to South Caro-
lima, where he studied the operations of the
dispensary system and was pleased with
1t. He believes that the long-standing con-
tention of Iowa people over the control of
liquor can be settled by the introduction Of
the South Carolina plan
Secretary Shaw and many Iowa people
believe that the existing law Is a pretty
good one, and that it will be difficult to
induce the legislature to make a change.
William H. Fleming an official of the treas
ury, in speaking of the Iowa law, said:
The Iowa Law.
THE law was enacted in 1894, and pro-
vides that where the majority of the voters
of city of 5000 petition the board of su-
pervisors to permit the opening of saloons
the petition may be granted, the tax for
each saloon being 5000 year, and the city
council may make it as much more as the
officials see fit In some of the cities the
tax is as high as $1,000. In Des Moines the
tax is $1,000 a year on each saloon.
I'm counties where there are no cities
having over 5000 in population and in coun-
ties outside cities of that number of people
65 per cent of the voters are required to au-
thorize the opening of saloons. That Is. a
city of 5000 people in any county may open
saloons nv cent of the voters petit
tioning to that effect, but in the county in
which the city is located it will take 20
per cent. No selling of liquor is allowed
outside of city or Incorporated town, and
even in a county in which 10 per cent of
the people have consented to saloons 90 per
cent of the people of any township or town
may prevent the opening of saloons IN their
localities by withholding their consent Inc
law as is seen, requires series of consents
of the people. There is this exception to
the 10 per cent proposition. In any county
where TO per cent of the people reIus sc tlilr
consent to the opening of saloons ~ per
cent of the voters in a city or town may
secure the opening of saloons by petltlonlns
therefor The manufacture of liquors re-
uuires the same formalities.
THE voters whose consent is required are
those whose names appeared on the poll
lists of the last general election. After I'd
per cent of the voters of a county nave con-
scented to the opening of saloons, ana De-
fore this consent has been put into eXecu-
ton by the boards of county supervisors,
the temperance advocates may succeed, II.
getting the names of sufficient numDer ol
voters removed to bring the petition beio"
65 per cent, in which case the required per
centage would not have been Obtained. a.
any time after saloons have peeh opehett
they may be shut up again by % per cen, en-
of the voters signing petitions thereloi' ou'
this is unusual
Checks on the Saloons
1.-The penalties for violation OF the Id"
Of
which provides for the closing OF saiooii'
at 10 o clock at night and their renhai'iiie
closed until o'clock in the morning Win
closing on all Sundays and holidays, are
fines which increase in amount WIN INC
number of offenses and seizure and destruc-
tion of Iouor and vessels containing tnem
Saloons are not allowed to nave chalrS Vi
adjoining rooms in which people can 81
down, and the doors must De "i.liou .
screens opening in plain view on the street.
This feature of the law is enforced IN most
of the cities and counties, but IN a lie" Oh
the river localities the officials do not lflsisl
upon the rigid enforcement of early clos
ing. not allowing chairs and preventing
screen doors.
the people changing their minds ana they
do so The law imposes further reStric-
lions by authorizing the district courts TO
enioin the sale of liquors in any gwen place
or by any person and the injunction WIZ
apply to the person throughout the Judlclai
district The main object of this provision
of law is to protect people against a class
of saloon keepers who repeatedly violate
the law.
There is no great amount of violation
of the law in the state and blind tigers are
not as frequent as might be supposed. They
are kept down by a provision of the law
that makes the property in which they
are located liable to a tax of 5000 or what
ever it may be, and the owner of the prop
crty must prove that he did not know 1t
was being used saloon.
mo women are allowed in Iowa saloons
and the law is strict in providing that
saloon keeper cannot sell whisky to a
minor or to an habitual drunkard after
notification to cease doing So