Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-10
IS II A REVENUE QUESTION?


IS II A REVENUE QUESTION:
of what it terms "a scheme of enforc-
ing the liquor laws" which 1t says the
county attorney of Humboldt is coll
laborating with Attorney General Fly
ers. The county attorney is to ask for
an injunction against shipments of
liquor into Humboldt from any point
in the state and the attorney general
is said to have said that such proceed
ure If successful would aid in checking
the sales of liquor into dry counties.
The Journal notes that FIT. Dodge is
but twenty miles south of Humboldt,
suggests that F't. Dodge dealers have
been violating the law by shipping to
the bibulous of Humboldt and corlsid-
ers it probable that an injunction
would be granted to prevent such
shipments 1t argues that IL successful
it will have enjoined profit out of FIT.
Dodge and into tills outside the state.
From this assumption which will not
be denied. the Journal concludes:
Simply as a matter of business 1t
might be a good idea for the legisla
ture to fix the Iowa law so that Mr..
Tai. couldn't get his injunction. So
long as booze can be consumed in
Humboldt, and can be shipped in from
outside, it is economic folly to deny
Iowa dealers the same rights Of which
outside dealers can not be deprived.
there, the average Iowan would prefer
that the money paid for 1t should stay
in Iowa rather than go to swell the
circulation up in Minnesota. When the
transaction is effected by mai! and en-
press it makes little difference to the
thirsty whether the base of supplies Is
20 or 200 miles away.
From the point of view OF the liquor
seller whose profit is being abridged
the Journal is right. Looking from the
majesty of law and the right of those
who enacted the law as majority 1t is
utterly wrong From a business point
of view 1t might be admissible were it
not for the fact often reiterated by the
courts that liquor selling by saloonists
is not business in Iowa but the traffic
of outlaws 1t fails to take into consid
permitted to be shipped thus In Iowa
is because the people of the state have
not been able to stop it tho the Dolli-
yer bill was intended to do SO and while
measures are now being pusled before
congress to enable them to dc it. 1t
does seem hard on our saloonists but
the state has not favored policy that
would make things easy for them
Iowa bears the outside shipments and
the whisky pedd,er because she has not
vet evolved plan of doing away with
them utterly Then why should she
stultify herself by a reversal of policy
because a few thirsty persons may
send their money direct to outside deal
ers without passing it thru the hands
of those in FIT Dodge or some other
saloon town.
There is such a thing as carrying
economics too far. 1t is traditional that
when the Omaha exposition was on
that a number of economically inclined
gentlemen knowing that a certain
amount of pocket picking; was certain
to ensue conceived that 1t were best
to keep the money at home and ar
rangements were made to syndicate
robbery and the percentage established
It is all in the way these things are
looked at. Economics does not consist
in getting every cent and keeping it nc
matter how or where or in what man.
ner it is to be obtained
There must be much doubt permlttec
as to whether the average citizen will
agree with the Journal. He hasn't saio
so when he has voted on questions in
timately a part of this contention II
is improbable that he has changed his
mind to the extent the Journal mag
ines. The average citizen of Iowa is n
pretty warm sympathy with present
laws and looking forward to strictel
regulation rather than to letting dowr
any barriers to the liquor traffic.