The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-01-01
Reform ;Or Revenue
Some Plain Facts on the Charge Of
is being Prosecuted Because
OF its Temperance prin
ciDleS

News, which comes over from
Ortonvllle one week and from
Summit the next week. has been
making an appeal for support as
a great prohibition paper. un-
der the plea that it> life has
been crushed out OF it by the sa-
loon interests OF the community.
Ii the faire>t and shortest way
possible we wish to show up the
hollowness and utter hypocrisy
OF this charge and the purpose
for which it is made.
Passing over the checkered
financial history of the News
both before and under it's pres
ent manage ment we find that it
has been several years since Mr.
Fosburg assn med control, but
until within the past month or
two when he saw his financial
difficulties closing about his bus
ines he never lifted his voice
for reform of any kind, and when
he practically charges that Chris
Lien and Henry Schafer the men
who brou yht suit against the
News and secured judgments
would act under saloon influence
the absurdity of the charge is
apparent. Mr.. Lien has been
one of the principal factors in
making and keeping Summit a
dry town. while Mr.. Schafer,
who is known as former long
time resident of this city. is
known as the strongest kind Of a
prohibitionist, and either of
these men would scorn to assist
in any manner the saloon inter-
ests Of any community. Their
action in the News matter was
the result Of plain business
necessity and thickness on the
part of Mr.. Fosberg in an at.
tempt to escape payment OF his
honest debts.
The cry of the News Of liquor
persecution is simply shrewd
and pretty We'll conceived plan
tc enlist financial aid to boost up
the fortunes OF Mr.. Eos burg
when he saw the financial storm
closing in upon him, plainly
evidenced by the fact that dur
ing all the previous years of Mr..
Fosburg's management of the
paper it had not word to offer
on moral issues, but was closely
tied up with the liquor interests
anc those other interests which
gave to Milbank during the sum-
mer days the Sunday picture
shows, Sunday baseball, and tent
dancings, and when Mr.. Fosburg
needed bondsman upon his ar
rest for libeling his former EN-
ployer, John Smull. it was a sa-
loon keeper with whom he was
most intimate and whom he sc
cured to 90 on his bond. His
sudden conversion to lurid ad-
yocacy Of reform has been but Of
a month or two, as it was just at
close Of the last spring term Of
the city schools that the saloon
keeper, who was on Mr.. Fos-
burg 5 bond, with others engag.
eel IN the same business, was ar
rested charged with selling Ii
qu0rs to minor school boys. but
not a word Of tn $ incident ap
peared III the Grant County
News, although the fac were
Well-knoWn and public talk on the
streets, ana the readers Of the
great reform luminary would
not have known through that pa
per that anything Of the kind
had happened, had the Herald
Advance not given the facts in
the case. That we would offend
number of our friends and
readers by giving these facts we
We're we'll aware, and it proved
SO, but we did not deem it nee
essary to mount the housetop
and proclaim our own virtue or
courage or start a subscription
at SO share to reimburse US
for our wonderful goodness.
But the most disgusting thing
about the whole matter is that
this recent convert to reform,
who has scarcely had time to
wipe the lager foam off his nous
tache has been around slyly
questioning the sincerity of one
our citizens who has been a tigh
ter for prohibition from his youth
up, who has given his time, his
energy and his money to the
cause of prohibition in a larger
degree than any other man in
the city, but who refuses to en-
dorse the lurid vaporings that
have recently appeared in the