The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-03-17
Is Said to Have Further Stated Pub
icly That the "Best Method is
F.. at Roulette Wheel"
IS, j., DoNAHUE" NOT KNOWN
Inquiry at Brewery Agencies, Hotels
Banks and Directory Does Not
Reveal Such a Person. -

After crediting "a" E.. Mcdonald,
of Bemidji, with telling the senate
temperance committee that : the
O'Neill .roadhouse bill will drive out
a few licensed places which are con-
Quoted in an orderly manner and
that it will not touch the real road
houses because they are not licensed,
the St. Paul Pioneer Press, under a
heading "Good Thing to Rolf Lum-
berjacks" printed the following ar
ticle Friday.
Regarding the Nelson bill, Mr..
Mcdonald said it would cut the sa-
looms in Bemidji from about thirty
to about eleven. This would take a
great deal of revenue from the city
and leave many vacant buildings
without reducing the amount of
drinking, he said. Their business is
largely that of separating the lum-
berjack from his roll he said. Many
OF them work all winter with no 9TH
er purpose than to get enough money
for good spree, he said, and the
quicker. they are separated from their
roll the better for them.
"In fact I believe the best meth
cd for lumberjack to seperate him.
self from his "roll" is at roulette
Wheel he added, explaining he
meant this was less harmful than if
the man drank it up. He added that
there are no roulette wheels in Be-
midi now. He also said he thought
open gambling better than secret
gambling because when it is open
men play only with their own money.
Men who have other peoples money
intrusted to them would not dare
play in the open, he said"
In telling Of the appearance of Mr..
Mcdonald before the temperance
committee, the Press further said:
"A. E. Mcdonald, of Bemidji, de-
clared that the term 'roadhouse' bill
for the O'Neill measure is a misno-
mer. 1t will drive out a few licensed
places which are conducted in an
orderly manner, he said, but will not
touch the real roadhouses because
they are not licensed. The city of
Bemidji had one disorderly house
which was driven out during re-
form wave about year ago, he said,
and it is now located outside the city
limits and doing more harm than
ever before. When it was inside the
city, he said, none of the people of
Bemidji ever went there, but now
many pople go there. The O'Neill
bill will not touch the place be-
cause it has no saloon license, he
said"
The Minneapolis Journal, in
speaking of the hearing, said in part
as follows:
IS. j. Donahue of Bemidji said
that his town had thirty saloons and
that the bill, if enacted, would throw
the liquor problem into such con-
dition that it would be impossible for
the small cities to adjust affairs. He
said that the legislature was dealing
with a condition and that the only
way to handle the traffic was to give
each city the right to fix the number
Of saloons. Senator Charles S. Mar
den asked for an amendment to ex-
clude cities of the fourth class oper-
ating under a home rule charter He
said if this was done practically all
the towns in the timber country and
along the Dakota border line would
be able to control the situation"
The Bemidji directory does not
list IS. j. Donahue" nor does such a
person appear to be known to the
brewery agencies, the hotels nor
banks here. At the Markham it was
stated this morning that "Dona-
hue" who sells soap comes here oc-
casionally but it could not be learn
ed at press time if this man appeared
before the committee. The general
opinion here seems to be that some
person falsified his name before the
committee or falsified his address.
3. 3. Mcdonald this morning stat
ed that he appeared before the sem
ate committee Thursday in connec-
Continued OF iast pa5s5.