The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-02-08
BY John Saugstad now a member Of

Inc S0udLe. fs4 t2EgEg .7-. 'E .t1s ..
! + "a newspaper reporter sent letters
to country newspapers saying the
bill had been smothered in the COM
mittee. This was absolutely and
unqualifiedly false. The committee
had the bill 13 days and that was
ALL" ,~rs .s-5. r..
Taking up his arguments against
the present bill, Mr.. Mackenzie
said: .'~ = @a4.
"Ever since the beginning of time,
man has consumed drink aor mar
cotics.'' .." - E,@
He said it. long had been con-.
tended that the excessive use of
stimulants was detrimental to the
welfare of humanity and added that
anything used in excess is de-
trimental. .~.Z 4.
81 dare say, said Mr.. Mackenzie,
that Incorporate eating has caused
a greater mortality than has intem-
perate drinking. This is illustrated
in such temperate countries as Eng
land, France and Germany where
mans physical stature reaches it's
highest development as does also the
arts and sciences.
'Now there is another erroneous
impression which is that drink is an
impetus to immortality and to crime.
There is more Imagination than any,
thing else to these arguments. A
spendthrift drunkard is spend
thrift rover"
1t was at this point that the hiss
ing became so loud that the speaker
uttered his warning to the gallery.
Order having been restored, Mr..
Mackenzie continued: ~. -.
':Intoxication does not chang
man. 1t merely exposes him as he
is. Now the opponents to county
option or prohibition do not inter-
fere with men that wish to abstain;
they let them abstain to their hearts
content"
Mr.. Mackenzie then delved into
the scriptures for appropriate quota
etions such as "Wine that maketh
glad the heart of man" or 7s'Take a.
little wine for thy stomach's~ sake"
The speaker also cited the 'Saviour's
act of turning water into wine. Re-
verting to the original subject he
said:
"There is not and has never been
any real demand for county option.
Why the folks of Fergus Falls have
as much right to dictate to their
citizens in St. Paul as the citizens of
Perham would have to dictate to
Fergus Falls
Mr.. Mackenzie dwelt at length up
on the evils of blind pigs and said
they spread more poison and have a
worse effect than any licensed sa-
LOOM"
J. A. A. Burnquist, who was the
principal opponent to H. H. Dunn
for the Office Of speaker Of the house
and who is recognized as brilliant
St. Paul attorney, followed Mr.. Mac
kenzie and delivered a dashing and
eloquent speech in favor of county
option which set the friends of the
measure in the galleries and on the
floor wild and the applause was loud
and long.
Representative Hopkins of Min
neapolis spoke against the bill but
his arguments were so confusing that
Representative w. I. Nolan of Min
neapolis, who followed in schorch-
ing defense of the measure, created
tumultuous laughter by saying of
Mr.. Hopkins:
81 do not wonder that my COL
league is a member of the house for
the people of his district must have
thought that he was on both Sides"
Mr.. Nolan declared the question
before the house was in many ways
the most important to be acted upon
by the present legislature. He said:
County option is based on the
fundamental principles Of our gov
eminent. 1t is in no way an isolat-
ed issue. 1t is part of and inter
woven in the great movement of the
people today who demand for them
selves a greater participation in the
government. The people behind
this movement are in. dead earnest
and if this bill is not passed today,