The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1911-04-14
LIQUOR IS AN ISSUE
SOUTH DAKOTA CITIES WILL
HOLD ELECTIONS APRIL
7; 18TH.
HAPPE NINGS OVER THE STATE
What Is Going On Here and There
That Is Of interest to the Read.
ers Throughout South Da.
kota and Vicinity.

Municipal elections which will be
held throughout the state on April Is
are not likely to affect the liquor situa-
ton in the Black Hills. All the towns
and cities In the Hills are now largely
"wet" and there is no indication that
any OF them will change, although the
question of license will be voted on in
each town. Deadwood and Lead usu-
ally return majorities IN favor of IL
cense OF 400 and 200 respectively, and
these are likely to be cut down this
year, where the contest has been much
more brisk than at any town in the
Hills, with the possible exception of
Spearfish. Here, too, there is a bare
possibility that the town may go dry
on account of the state normal school
being situated there and the increase
in feeling against saloons.
All elections In the Hills will be non
partisan, and so far as known at pres
ent Lead, Deadwood, Spearfish and
Rapid City will furnish contests for Of
fees. No special propositions are to
be voted upon on the 18th, but to vary
the monotony, Lead will elect a munich
pal judge, this being the first mu-
nicipal court to be established west of
the river. Fol this office of municipal
judge, to which a salary of $4,000 per
annum attaches, Lead has four candi-
dates, Judge Herbert z. Dewey, Judge
John Walch, John II. Rogers and
Thomas e. Havey, Seven aldermen,
against whom as yet no contests have
been filed, are to be elected.
In Deadwood the most spirited con-
test is being waged, where the reform
element, under the leadership of the
civic league, has been ~contending for
better conditions. Their chief fight is
to be made In the Fourth ward, where
they have nominated Frank De Mouth,
a pioneer, to run against Alderman
John Treber, a wholesale liquor dealer
and representative In the recent legis-
lature. In the First ward Deadwood
already has one socialist alderman and
]. A. Rakestraw, the socialist candi-
date this year for alderman in that
fWdTu, VIII not De opposed
In Rapid City, which has the com
mission form of government, there is
one contest, Joseph Jay contending for
the sole commissionership to be voted
on, against John McElroy, the present
incumbent.
In Spearfish, where the ministers and
the reform party have waged a bitter
war against the saloons, the license
issue clouds all others, but there is a
likelihood that there will be opposi.
ton to the three aldermen to be elect.
ed, chiefly on the license issue.
At Sturgis and Belle Fourche three
aldermen are to be elected and the Ii.
cense issue is not attracting much at.
.tention.
At Central City, Whitewood, Hill
City, Custer, Rockford, Tilford and
Keystone, the usual town officers are
to be chosen and the license question
voted upon, but in none of these towns
is there any particular element Of In
'terest in the election.
A petition was filed with the com
m~issioners at Canton signed by 81 per.
sons, asking that the question of sa-
loon license be submitted at the com
ing election. The law requires 25
names of freeholders to make a license
petition legal. The city attorney had
passed on the petition and was appar-
emily satisfied that it was legal, as he
made no objection to the name of any
one The commissioners had a meet.
ing and Commissioner Knowlton de
manded that five names be stricken
from the petition, as they were not
freehollers. This opened up business
fast. The city attorney conceded that
two not fl eeholders, but wanted
more time to determine the standing
of the other three, who own no real
estate but are paying for lots under
contract. The commissioners seem to
have had a hot time over the matter.
The petition was sustained and the
question of saloon license will be voted
upon in the next city election. The
fight will be a hot one.
Wagner has three candidates for
mayor at the coming election, and all
democrats at that. The candidates are
w. BRAZIL, w. Donahue and ]. Stead.
eronsky, all good representative bust
ness men. While there is more or less
electioneering, the citizens of Wagner
are not worrying over results, as any
of the candidates are qualified for the
office. H. ID. James, the present In
cumbent, has neid the office for two
terms and r~etires, leaving behind him
a splendid record. The four years in
which he has acted as mayor have
been marked by many substantial pub
lis improvements.
The situation at Armour In regard to
the saloon question is warming up. A
petition signed by 35 legal freeholders
has been presented and an election or
dered. Both sides are making an ac-
tive The license people claim
that business has been better this year
with the saloons than last year without
them. Those favoring no license show
from the police court records that
there has been just twice the arrests
for drunkenness In the nine months
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