Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-09-15
DRY CAMPAIGN
is LAUNCHED
Temperance Leaders of State Will
Not Be Caught Mapping


Sioux Falls, S. D., If South
Dakota at the next general election
votes to. remain license state rather
than enter the prohibition list, it will
not be because of a lack of organiza-
tion, according to statement recent
ly made here by R. N. Holsaple OF
Mitchell. Mr.. Holsaple is the head
of the Anti-Saloon league of the state
and is probably more closely in touch
with the sentiment on the wet and
dry issue than any other man in the
state, visiting as he does every town
in the state, many of them several
times a year. He has had several
years experience in political organiza-
tions and is planning with his lieu
tenants and helpers to show the old
political leaders few things in the
way of building effective organiza
tions. In fact he refers to his cam
paign organization as machine
and says it will be in constant run
ming order.
"Our greatest DANGER" said the
Anti-Saloon League leader, "is from
old General Apathy. He has lost
many battle for a good cause. And
just now there is a tendency to take
it for granted that this state will go
dry without an effort. Nothing is
farther from the facts than that 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. Nothing to it! Elec-
tions 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 wasoe are familiar with
the conditions in the state outside of
| their own towns. Take it from me,
| the liquor interests are not going to
| let South Dakota vote dry without a
protest on their part. Why just think
what it 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 100000 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 care
of Sioux City's liquor trade when Iowa
goes dry That's why they hope to
keep South Dakota wet and they will
do it, too, unless the dry voters stop
this nonsense about it being a dead
sure thing that the state will go dry
and that no specially aggressive cam
paign need be conducted, and get out
and hustle for votes.
"In 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 it 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 it that every voter
gets out to vote. 1t makes no differ
ence how many dry votes there are in
the state, the only ones that will count
In this contest are the ones 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 it by
one vote. That's why we do not pro-
pose to take any chances"