The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1907-08-01
BLIND IOWA PIGS
SiqhtIess POrkerS Said To Thrive
In The Hawkeye State
WHISKfY ON The QUIET
Former Resident of Sank Centre
Writes About What lie Has Seen
In That Part of the Country

MASON CITY, IOWA, July q,
Editor, Sank Centre Herald, Sank
Centre, Mimi, Dear Sir;
was very much interested in the
pro and con argument on the liquor
question on the first page of your
edition of the 25th inst; specially in
the letter of w. S. Wingate.
1t is very plain to be seen that Mr..
Wingate never resided in prohibition
country; his argument is very good for
theory but it stands to reason it never
will become practical as long as poll
tics is financial interest and the drug
stores cab cover their counters with
government license and peddle "Home
Brand" in bottles seven days week,
and only take time to run over to the
church Sunday morning and drop
their little contribution in the box for
appearance sake.
The writer, a former Sank Centreite,
on removing to Iowa, the state that
these temperance lecturers all laud as
the banner state of the Union, couldn't
help but sit up and take notice, on
seeing SO many jags without the
saloons. The answer is easily solved
when | was informed that the doctors
OF Iowa all fill their own prescriptions,
from their own medicine, and that
druggist does not see one prescription
from a doctor to his patient, yet here
in Mason City we have thirteen drug
stores, all occupying the best build
ings in the city, and think without
one exception their proprietors own
automobiles. Now it stands to reason
they can't put up this front on the
profit Of moth-balls and porous
plasters.
Taking the stand from the old say
ing GAS long as man liveth there's
BOOZE" / think the temptation is a
good deal stronger, especially among
the younger set, when they can 60 into
drug store and show their "intiu-
ence' by calling the druggist to one
side, whisper to him, have the druggist
retire to the rear Of his prescription
case and return with package; then
the influential youngster and his
friends retire to some dark alley and
proceed to see which can crook elbows
the longest. | have seen boys that l
would be willing to take oath had
never seen their sixteenth birthday do
this very thing.
On the other hand, take the working
man, who would naturally be satisfied
with a drink of beer after hard days
work, could not in the first place buy
"a glass of beer there's not enough
money in it, but will have to buy a.
pint OF whiskey, or in other words,
will have to buy drunk to get drink.
1t stands to reason that he isn't going
to pass it around, because he has had
ito work too hard Cor the money that
bought it, and the result is that he has
picked up a glorious package before
he knows it, and as is generally the
rule, his family suffers for it. Take
for an example, that an employe from
the Keller factory went into Tom
.Barrett's or Ben Schoenhoff's and
asked them to set up ten drinks of
.whiskey in row as he wanted to drink
,them all at once, do you think he
would be waited upon? Yet that is
what they are ,peddling out in bottles
here in Iowa.
had an instance come up in one OF
the towns in my territory recently. A
merchant invited a friend of his over
Ito the drug store "for refreshments. /"
The druggist in taking down bottle
informed them that it was the best
money could buy. They .partook
thereof, to the sorrow of the merchant,
for on returning to his Office, he was
taken deathly sick, and only the