The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-07-14
DRY CAMPAIGN TO
Be AGGRESSIVE
Temperance Leaders Of State VIII
Not Be Caught Mapping,
ORGANIZE TO WIN CONTEST

Sioux Falls, s. d.. July 13.-If South
Dakota at the next general election
votes to remain a license state rather
thar enter the prohibition list, ii will
not be because of a lack of %organiza.
ton, according to a statement recent
ly made here by r. N. Holsaple OF
Mitchell. MIR. Holsaple is the head
of the Anti-Saloon league of the state
and is probably more closely in touch
dry issue than any other man in the
state. visiting as he does every town
ia the state, many of them several
times a year. lie has had several
years experience In political %organiza.
tions and Is planning with his lieu
tenants and helpers to show the old
political leaders a few things in the
way Of building effective ~organiza.
lions. In fact he refers to his cam
paign organization as a machine"
and says 1t will be in constant run
ming order.
oht EItdtEEA AunECis BuAh hhV
Anti-Saloon League leader. is from
old General Apathy He has lost
many a battle for a good cause. And
just now there is a tendency to take
IL for granted that this state will go
dry without an effort. Nothing is
farther from the facts than hat idea.
The temperance people are fed up
with their successes, which have been
very remarkable of late, and so some
of them think that about all necessary
to make the entire state dry Is To call
an election and the votes will, in some
way, find their way TO the ballot box
automatically. Nything to IL! Elec-
tons are not won that way, and the
man who talks that way simply does
not know what he is talking about,
and he is doing the cause as much
harm as though he were working for
the vets. Such statements do not
come from men who are familiar with
the conditions In the state outside Of
their own towns. Take II from me-,
the liquor interests are not going to
let South Dakota vote dry without a
protest on their part. Why just think
what 1t means to them! North Dako-
Ia is dry on the north, Iowa will be
dry. Nebraska will vote at the same
time we do and the indications are
the state will go dry. The whole west
side OF Minnesota Is already dry. DO
you see the strategic position South
Dakota occupies as an oasis In the
great prohibition desert? This Is an
ideal location from a standpoint OF
shipping facilities as we'll as other
advantages for a distributing center
for booze. Just recently a $4,000 cor
poration was formed to engage In the
retail liquor business at Jefferson. the
last station in this state this side of
Sioux City. What for? To take are
of Sioux City's liquor trade when Iowa
goes dry. That's why they hope to
keep South Dakota wet and they will
do IL. too, unless the dry voters stop
this nonsense about 1t being a dead
sure thing that the state will 20 dry
and that no specially aggressive cam
paign need be conducted, and get out
and hustle for votes.
I'm 1896, when prohibition was last
submitted. the state voted wet by
about 5000 majority and there were
$4,000 voters who went to the polls
and voted for some state officer who
did not vote on prohibition at all.
And most OF them, as shown by an
examination of the returns, were In
the sections of state where 1t was
reasonable to expect the largest dry
majorities. The temperance people
thought then, as many of them do
now, that the state could not be made
wet, but they were mistaken"
How do you propose to overcome
the tendency to apathy on the part of
the voters?" Mr.. Holsaple was asked.
Organize" said he. Organize!
That's the secret of the whole thing.
Have county and precinct organiza.
tions all over the state. Get the issue
to every voter during the campaign
and then see to 1t that every voter
gets put to vote. 1t makes no differ
ence how many dry votes there are in
the state, the only mes that will count
In this contest are the one that find
their way into the tin ballot boxes.
Anyway we would rather win the
campaign by $4,000 majority than by
100 majority or possibly lose 1t by
m vote. That's why we do not pro-
pose to take any chances"