Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1910-11-03
n. r. DENTON, Editor.
County Ontion


raised in this state in regard to the
proposed county option amendment to
be voted upon at the coming election.
The prohibitionists are waging vigor-
GUS campain in behalf of the amend
ment, but it is evident that they are
making very little Roadway, their
arguments being so palpably erroneous
and the proposed amendment so dis
tinctly unfair that they cannot impress
upon the voters any advantage to be
gained by substituting county option
for our present local option system.
The proposed amendment is not a
direct county option amendment but is
county option and local option com
bined, and like the general run of such
proposed measures is decidedly unfair
in its terms. 1t is county option if the
county goes prohibition, but in the
event of the county failing to vote
dry" the amendment is so framed that
another vote must be taken in the var
ious communities of the county before
license TO sell intoxicating liquor can be
issued. In other words the county goes
dry" if the majority vote of the county
is against the issuance of license, but
should the ''wets" carry the county
the question of permitting the sale of
liquors again reverts to local option
and each community must take vote
upon the question before license can be
issued Is this in line with the aver
age Dakotan's conception of fair play
and square deal? 1t certainly is not
Why should the trainers of that amend
ment propose to force the voters to
hold two elections before license can be
secured? Why do they propose to
ignore the will of the majority should
the county go wet? Why do they
present the argument that the farmers
should have voice in debating the pol
icy of the towns and cities when the
proposed amendment provides that the
farmer has absolutely nothing to do
with the question unless he votes dry?
If the amendment carries, the farmer
who issopposed to prohibition will have
absolutely nothing to do in determining
whether license shall be issued in his
market town. His vote on the question
would not count by reason of the pro-
vision in the proposed amendment
which would compel the various towns
and cities to take another vote upon the
question in the event of the pro- license
voters carrying the county.
County option, such as this amend
ment proposes, virtually means county
prohibition, loss of thousands of dol
lars to the taxpayers and another era
of blind pigs. criminal prosecutions and
heavy court costs. At the present time
Day county is deriving 81, 400 per year
from liquor licenses, and the court rec
ords show that the bulk of the court
costs Of the county come from the pros
ecution Of blind piggers who ply their
business in the dry" communities.
During the year 1906 when Webster
was on the dry" list, twenty-six gov
eminent licenses were issued to resi-
dents of this city, and it required nearly
a month for the circuit court to clean
up the numerous blind pig cases which
were the direct result of prohibition in
this city. The memory Of the outrag-
eous conditions existing in this city
during that year with which the author
tiles were unable to cope and the heavy
court costs arising therefrom win long
linger in the memory of our people and
prove an object lesson of the evils of
prohibition.
The proposed amendment is also
direct violation of the American policy
of local self government. 1t was the
intention of the founders of this repub-
lie to make it nation wherein liberty
Of thought and action could not be sup /
Every locality was given the ,
liberty tosgovern itself to meet local |
conditions. Towns and cities have the /
right TO pass ordinances too for their !
local government. Every school district
i governed BY its board. and the costs | /
a these local governments are paid by =
he people Of the town Or locality. Why
should we vote for an amendment to | :
be constitution which will remove this | 1
light n local self government? Would !
'ou. Nh. Farmer, allow the residents | /
4 : town o. city 70 dictate to you how Il
3 run your schools or tell your town. s