Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1906-06-01
FACE SERIOUS PROBLEM
No Saloons in Benton County, But
Drinking Increases Among
Minors.

Sentiment in Benton county is widely
divided as to the benefits and prac,
ticability Of the ''dry" plan, but all
seem to agree that any man can gel
all the liquor he wants and that it is
impossible to prevent minors from OBJ
tainingit. A prominent Benton county
citizen, writing to an Albany paper,
says that the local option law has
been faithfully enforced by the local
officers, but that the drink habit has
spread among minors to an alarming
extent. He says:
II read with interest an article in
your paper Of last week in which you
refer to the conditions in our city
since the local option went into effect
here and the saloons have been put
out OF business. With many more
that know OF, who today look upon the
matter the same way do, I voted for
dry county. 1 did this because 1 am
by principle opposed to the liquor
traffic. am past middle age and
have raised a family, and / have
never taken drink Of any intoxicant
in my life and I expect to finish my
course without letting it touch my
lips. And you can be sure that /
would cast my vote and throw my in
fuence for any measure that would
promise to drive out the saloon.
'"This year shall vote against local
option. 1 trust you will afford me
space that l may fully explain this
change of front. Tam just as strongly
opposed to the liquor traffic as ever
was, and wish it were in my power
to drive the evil out of our land
altogether. This county went dry be-
cause we wanted to see the liquor
traffic in the county stopped. We
were made to believe that such would
be the result. Now we know other
wise.
"When the saloons were running
here we had little or no trouble to keep
liquor away from minors. The saloon
keepers dared not sell it to them, be-
cause by so doing they risked having
their license revoked. Today, young
and old drink freely and the habit
has spread among the minors to an
alarming extent
"Let me say here that, to the sur
prise of many, the local option law is
being we'll observed. do not think
that any man can buy glass Of
LIQUOR in the town. At least, so have
been told by persons we'll informed.
But the quantity ofliquor that is being
shipped in to individuals has been
growing until today it is no exagger-
alton to say that more liquor is being
used in the town than when saloons
were running.
''Then we never were compelled to
gaze upon the awful spectacle Of half.
grown boys reeling along the streets
under the influence of liquor This is
now no uncommon sight. How do
they get it? 1t is easily explained by
a conversation between three boys that
[ overheard the other day. They were
discussing how to raise the sum neces-
sary to send for a gallon Of whiskey.
They went on down the street to find a
fourth fellow to go in on the deal.
There is the whole thing.
''It seems as though drinking is
proving more attractive. because it
cannot be indulged in openly. 1t is a
case of forbidden fruit. have seen
one wagon coming into town with 16
demiiohns. Not very long since l saw
several young men roll keg OF beer
up an alley and sit down around it to
drink. What can we do to stop it?
We had one of the most orderly towns
in the whole Willamette Valley a
couple of years ago, but now, just
walk down the main street on Satur-
day evening and see for yourself.
at is because Of the young boys
especially that 1 have considered it
my duty TO write this. There does not
seem to be any way Of stopping their
getting the stuff. One boy will go to
another and ask if he will join in and
put up his share for gallon or
quart, or whatever they want to send
for. Nine times out of ten he will say
yes at first, not because he wants the
stuff, but because he thinks it is
manly or is persuaded in some cases,
to go in against his better judgment.
After while he is only too willing to
do it, and perhaps himself will propose
it to others. And 50 the curse spreads.
This way of getting liquor dates
back to the closing Of the saloon, when
the men who had. been in the habit Of
getting their strong drink in these
places were deprived Of it and started
to send away for it. 1t didn't take
long for the boys to follow their elders
example, and the result today is in
deed deplorable.
IF local option has failed to carry
out its promises, some other method
must be found to stop the traffic. The
saloons were driven out, but a worse
condition exists. In jest, but with all
truth back Of it, men say here that
four saloons were closed and one
opened when local option went into
effect The one onened Is the express