Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1909-10-14
U. S. MARSHAlLS
SPILLED BOOZE
OFFICIALS CLOSE
SALOONS IN THE RESERVATION
TOWNS AND ARE ARRESTED.

Mahnomen, Waubon, Galloway and
Ogema, towns on the White Earth re-
servation thirty miles east of Ada
were visited by deputations of U. S.
marshals last week and all the sa.
looms closed up. In all the villages
with the exception of Mahnomen the
government officials met with no re-
sistance. All liquors found in the
saloons were confiscated and emptied
out or taken to the White Earth
agency. At Mahnomen the ten deputy
marshals were given new deal. Here
the citizens, under the leadership of
Mayor Hawkinson, organized and
armed themselves. Before the
officials had completed the work of
emptying out the booze and demolish-
ing the saloon fixtures they were ar
rested by the village authorities who
claimed that the U. S. marshals had
no right to take the action they did.
The government officials submitted to
arrest and their bond was placed at
$500. each by Justice Shulind. In de-
fault of bond they were taken to the
jail at Crookston. The officers expect
to be released this week through
habeas corpus proceedings:
Speaking of the action of the gov
ernment officials at Mahnomen J. M.
&. Dickey, assistant United States Attor-
ney has the following to say: "The
men who broke up the saloons at Ma
hnomen are agents of the Indian bur-
eau and are acting within the federal
laws and with direct assistance of the
Office of the United States district at
torrney. We will proceed to prose.
cute the liquor dealers. If there is
any further resistance we know how
to proceed to maintain the authority
of the federal government"
The Mahnomen Plaintalk refers to
the work of the government marshals
as the act Of anarchists and states
that the saloon keepers expected to
be arrested and have the matter fought
out in the usual way in the courts
The Plaintalk says:
"Action by the Indian department
along this line was entirely unexpect-
ed; it was supposed that when the
time came to enforce the order recent
ly promulgated by Major Howard, the
Indian agent, that his officers would
simply arrest the various saloon keep
ers. They were willing to submit to
arrest, and in this way have the mat
ter brought into the courts and de-
cided one way or the other. They
hardly expected that the U. S. officers
would proceed like lot of anarchists.
The loss to Mahnomen saloonkeepers
amounts to several thousand dollars. -
Some decision must be made by the
courts as to the status of Mahnomen
county, whether Manhnomen county
is part of and under the Jurisdiction
of the state of Minnesota or a reserva-
tion of the United States and controll-
ed by federal laws. When Mahnomen
was incorporated as q village Attor-
ney General Young gave the opinion
that the village was no longer a part
of the reservation. Simpson, Young's
/ successor, gave a similar opinion.
The action of the government in
closing the saloons in Mahnomen
county and in that portion of Becker
county, formerly within the bound
aries of the White Earth Reservation
, will not be confined to that reserva-
tiOn alone. In Cass county forty-five
saloons have been ordered closed.
The government takes its action in in
accordance with a treaty made with
the Indians in 1858 which binds the
government to the enforcement of the
anti-liquor laws In the district cover
ed by the treaty.
The saloons were Immediately re-
opened at Mahnomen after the raid
and liquor is being sold there. The
supply is limited and the saloon men
will have difficulty in getting new sup
plies as the government threatens to
prosecute the wholesalers who sell to
dealer in the reservation territory.
Several hundred gallons of liquor
were poured into the streets and it is
said that it was so plentiful that a
Aperson could have secured a cheap jag
by using q sponge and soaking up
some of the ardent spirits. Others
got their feet wet with disastrous and
hilarious effects.