Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1908-05-26

give Its readers It's views on tne Ioca
option law, setting forth briefly sucl
= facts as it knows to be facts, ant
!, making all statements without favor
fear or prejudice. During the las
few years, private business affair
: have caused the writer to visit all o
: the dry" counties In Western Ore
gon, and he has therefore had SOM
: opportunity for observing the practica
working of the local option law a
close range. The exchange list of th'
Observer has also enabled him to keel
In touch with every town and com
munity in Oregon, year in and yea
out, and here is what he finds:
First, there is no such thing as
dry county in Oregon. This is broad
assertion to make, but it is true. Any
man who knows the ways of the
world, any man who is not blinded by
prejudice, will tell you that it is true
after he has visited any one Of the so
called dry counties. or course, liquor
is not sold as openly as it was under
the license system, but it is sold, and
any man who "knows the ropes" can
get all the booze he wants, land a
mighty poor quality OF booze, at that.
1t Is not true that more liquor is sold
under local option than under the
license system, but drunkenness is on
the increase. To those not familiar
with conditions in the ''dry" counties,
this statement may seem strange, but
1t is fact nevertheless. Drunkenness
has not so much to do with the amount
OF liquor drank in comm unity as
with now it is drank. Men who can
not control their appetites are far
more inclined to drink to drunken
ness when they have quart bottle Of
whiskey In their possession than they
are when they can go to a we'll
regulated, licensed bar and buy it by
the single drink. The man who
occasionally drops into saloon and
takes a glass Of beer and goes on
about his business, is not nearly so
likely to drink to excess as he Is when
he Is out In some back alley In dry
county, with keg Of beer and a crowd
of boon companions. These are simple
facts, known to every thinking man,
and yet they are at the root OF the
whole evil in the counties where the
open sale OF liquor Is prohibited. Men
who drink to excess get drunk the
same as before, while men who can
control their appetites and drink
temperately are denied the privilege
OF buying drink openly and law
fully, and are obliged to keep liquor
In their homes, or buy it sneakiDgly,
II they desire 1t. The system has all
OF the undesirable features Of the
liquor problem, and none of the better
points Of the license system.
What Is the most undesirable feature
of the liquor business In Polk county?
Everyone Immediately answers, "The
Yamhill gallon house." and the
answer Is correct. With this gallon
house abolished, there would probably
be very little complaint heard Of the
liquor traffic IN the county. Who
gives the gallon house authority to
exist2 The Government. How many
Government licenses we're In force In
Lane county on May l Of this year?
Forty-one. How many In Linn countyP |
Twenty How many drug stores
are there In the two counties?
According to Folks Directory, less
than 80. What we're the other 81
Government licenses issued for2
Let echo answer. These figures
are accurate, being taken from
a letter from Hon. David NJ. Dunno,
Internal Revenue Collector for Ore
gon, written under date of May 23,
1908, and now on file in this Office.
What are these licenses forP What
are they forp Can any citizen of Polk
county who knows anything OF the
darker side OF life doubt what they are
forp Oh, the deceit and the trickery
aud the hypocrisy OF IL ALL The
Observer does not uphold the liquor
.rallic. but thousand times better for
your boy that he live in a county
where the sale OF intoxicating spirits
IS licensed and regulated, than that
ne fall into the hands OF the gallon.
louse keeper. or the depraved wretch
who will sneak around back OF some
and sell him bottle OF viii
ainous poison. or the mail order
louses that food the dry" counties
With their advertising matter and care
lothing whether the order comes from
nan or boy, so long as the money
omes with It, II the writer did not
he did not know-that the
'oys Of Polk county are safer under
he present regulated system than they
Sould be under the reign OF boot
eggers and blind pigs, he would
esign his trust as the editor OF a
newspaper that goes TO the homes aud
resides OF his friends and neighbors
md retire TO obscurity, before be !
Iould write such words as these
But II will be argued, such con
itions should not be permitted to
xist True enough, but they do I
xist, and IL Is not reasonable to sup I
ose that conditions under local option I
! Polk county would be any better 7
lan they are In Lane county, or Linn, :
r Benton, or TillamoOk. Under given
,nditions, the people OF Polk county .
~ pr,hahl,- fusf - I.vv .hlaf,s. =. Z