The Falls City tribune., 1908-08-07
IN NORTH DAKOTA.
Veteran Editor Says Prohibition Puts
Premium on Hypocrisy.

Premium on Hypocrisy.
Hon. d. r. Streeter. editor of the
Emmons County Record, published Mt
Linton, North Dakota, was requested
to describe the effect of the policy of
prohibition upon tho people of that
state. wherein he has published a
paper for twenty-four years, Under
date of April 20, 1905. Mr.. streeter
writes as follows:
Replying to your circular. permit
me 10 say that we have had eonstitn-
tionai prohibition in the state for
eighteen years. In some parts of the
state the law is reasonably we'll en-
forced rs to saloons.
South Dakota. settled by the same
class of people as North Dakota
that is. the same class of native.horn
and fo~reign-born. German.Russians
and Scandinayians being the bulk Of
these from across the sea-had statu-
tory prohibition several years, and
then, after giving II a fair trial, threw
It aside some years ago through the
medium of the referendum, returning
To license by a majority of several
thousand. | had occasion In the win
ter of 1906 and again In the winter of
1907 to obtain the figures as to retail
liquor dealers licenses issued In the
two states.
Strange as 1t may seem, prohibit
ton in North Dakota, with less popu-
lation than her southern sister, had
and has every year for that matter
more retail liquor dealers licenses
from the federal government than the
southern twin, working under high
license laws. This Is caused by the
fact that in some towns and villages
where there would be Il saloon under
license, the business being outlawed,
the licensed saloon has been succeed
ed by a bunch of worthless blindpig-
gers or boot-leggers, who are satisfied
TO sell vile stuff for a profit Of a couple
of dollars a day, with an occasional
rest in the county jail If necessary to
their business.
Drugstore Saloons.
Another cause of tie preponder-
ance of federal liquor licenses In this
state over South Dakota is the multi
plicity of one-horse drug stores, there
being at least three times as many
drug stores In this state as there Is n
legitimate business for. Still, think
1t will be a long time before prohibit
ton will be taken from our organic
law, for the reason that the drinkers,
being able to get their booze shipped
in from across the state line In either
of four directions, do not bother them
selves as to whether or not so-cal.ed
prohibition prevails in this state.
Going about the state and talking
with the people, you would think that
a majority of them were for it: but 1t
is a sort of standing joke among the
drinkers here to laud prohibition.
1 have published a paper in this tEm-
mons) county since 1884, part of the
time under license and part under pro-
hibition, and find little difference rs
to the amount of liquor drunk. Those
who were d%runkards under license are
drunkards under prohibition. | can
see no change. But II Nebraska
wants to put a premium on hypocrisy
and violation of law, she should at
once follow in the footsteps of North
Dakota. In this state, were there
a federal law preventing the inter
state carriage of whisky, wine and
beer to all but druggists, and the
druggists permit to sell were taken
away by the legislature. we would be
tumbling over one another to get I'M
der the license banner.
You are at liberty to use my let
ter. | have never been disposed TO
hide my light under a bushel in the
matter of opposition to the prohibit
ton law. | have published a paper
in this county twenty-four years, and
| am firmer in the belief each sue
ceeding year that prohibition by stat
ute or in the organic law is one of
the most costly and useless make
shifts that could be put into the code
or constitution. ] opposed it when
in this state it was adopted by a
minority vote-that is. by l 100 odd
votes, with $500 failing 10 find the
paragraph on the big Australian bal
lot, most OF such voters being Ger
a and Russians who would have
voted against prohibition.
I'm the last two sessions of the
lower house of the North Dakota
General Assembly ! introduced resub-
mission bills only to have them beaten
by a two-thirds vote-the prohibition
vote coming chiefly from the eastern
part of the state in the Red River Val
ley, where alcohol is the chief bever-
age"
Figures From Official Record.
Up to February l, 1907, 1,648 fed
eral liquor licenses had been issued Ia
North Dakota, compared with 1929
in South Dakota. There were 319