The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-04-17
pledges in advance that / might make

touching the questions important to
the Civic Federation. Not exactly
satisfied with what l had stated to
the previous committee they were
anxious to know how I personally
stood on this question of license or
no license and whether l would adj
vocate at the city election license or
no license. In addition, I'VE want
to know what your individual vote
will be on that question" Now gen
tlemen, you will never nominate nc
for an Office or elect me-by my
wishes-expecting that 1 am going to
be tied up with pledges and promises
so that later along l have to consult
some memorandum book that l might
answer a question as to where 1 stood
upon some proposition that mosts in
and as 1 say now and to the former
earnestly, that if l had my own per-
sonal choice and if l could make it
possible, if it was within the palm
of my hand whether intoxicating IL
quors should be manufactured and
retailed as a beverage, that | would
turn every drop of intoxicating Ii
quors into the waters of the sea and
wherever it was sold | would make
music with the anvil and the
loom. But, as | said to those
men, you must be careful. This
is a delicate question. Honest
men, good men, sincere men differ as
how best to carry out the condition
of things that confront us as to the
sale of Intoxicating liquors. The sum
and substance is: / could not and
would not promise more than | stat
ed to the gentlemen who first visited
me-. Every statement that l made to
both those committees, I stand here
to reiterate and l shall not swerve
one jot from what l then stated and
what believe to be the duty of every
man who has any honor and who
won't stand up and make promises
that he cannot keep track of. If this
did not please them they would have
to look elsewhere. If they could
find some one that could make them
more promises, stronger promises,
that was their privilege and they
could endorse that candidate.
Now gentlemen, at this time you
don't know how l will vote on that
question. To be frank with you I
am not going to tell you how 1 will
vote on that question. That is my
business. If that is not satisfactory
do just exactly al l told that commit
tee: Get some M else. l don't
want this Office and l am not seeking
it. l am independent. You have
heard my statement. Now reason
together, gentlemen, just a moment.
Be candid with yourselves and don't
be carried off your feet by undue eX-
element o sentiment. / have said
good men, honest men, Conscientious
men differ as to how best to control
this evil. Now when l call it an evil,
gentlemen, the mere fact that it is
licensed in the eyes of the law,
makes it an evil. The sale of
intoxicating liquors as a beyer-
age is not the same character and
class Of business as the man who
runs a meat market or grocery store
or dry goods establishment. Now
/ am not here, gentlemen, to be car
ried OF my feet by any great excite
ment as to what the people may have
done in Georgia, nor in Kansas, nor
in Missouri, nor in Maine nor in any
southern state or elsewhere. Without
expressing my views this thought Is
worthy of some consideration on be-
half of those gentlemen who honor
ably think that license is the best
method.
/ shall not state whether I
shall vote in favor of license or no
license, prohibition or no prohibition.
Now there is one other question::
| hope that no citizen of Mitchell will
accuse me of playing double or two
faced, for / most assuredly say to
you, gentlemen, If there is any one
thing in my life of which l am proud
1T is to say that H. G. Preston has
an opinion of his own and is
independent. l want to say to
you that you have no citizen
in Mitchell that is more in ia
vor of law and order than l am, and
when l say 1T / am not talking for
fun. l mean every worn that l say
and neal it without the slightest OPP
portunity for you to question my sim
certify. 1t license carries in this city,
| am personally in favor of reducing
the number of saloons. And then l
say to you that statute law says
just what every man must do who
gets a license to vend intoxicating
liquors. The law of our state tells
your grocerymen he clnnot sell nine
pounds of sugar for ten pounds. The
Ilsw of this state tells yo,. the butcher
5cannot sell you five pounds of steak
for four pounds. The law tells you
in other respects what you must do
and when the law says that the sa-
con must close at Ii O'Clock at night
they have got to close it. l don't
care who you are, nor your standing
in the community, nor how public
spirited you may be or anything of
the kind, that law must be obeyed-
there can be nj question about it.
Again / say to you that if license
prevails in this city every single stat
ute law respecting the saloons will
be obeyed and I will make it my bus
mess to travel these streets to see
that it is obeyed and the appointive
officers under me will see that 1t is
obeyed-and if he undertakes to
let any thing go unknown or
unnoticed and it comes to my atten-
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