The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-02-23
bone DRY" Law
GOV. NORBECk SIGNS BILL
URDAHL SEES A JOKER
IN THE LAW.

attached his signature to the bill
dry after the first of next July. 1t
was signed in the presence OF the
members of the temperance commit
tees OF the two houses, Lieut.. Gov.
McMasters, Speaker Roberts. mem
bers OF the state w. C.. r. ". and
prominent temperance workers, who
started the song, Nobody Knows
How Dry | Am" as the governors
signature was attached and followed
with the d%oxology. A flashlight of
the party was taken Immediately
after the signing. This formality
was followed by the signing of the
bill which makes Frances Willard"
day a partial legal holiday in South
Dakota.
1t Is a quarter of a century since
South Dakota tried constitutional
prohibition and which was repealed
within a few years as a failure be-
cause of reinforcement, but the
sentiment has changed in hat time
and the prohibitionists now believe
they have a bill which has come to
stay.
BY the terms of the law. which
becomes operative July /, 1917. in
t%oxicating liquors cannot be manu-
featured within the state for any
purpose. nor imported for purposes
other than medicinal. mechanical,
scientific or sacramental. The act Is
declared by national antisaloon
league officers TO be the most drastic
prohibition legislation yet adopted
by any state.
Ii provides that only registered
pharmacists in drug stores establish
ed one year or more may sell liquors
for the purpose allowed. and viola
tion of the provisions will forfeit the
seller his certificate as a pharmacist.
His clerks or unregistered assistants
may not sell liquors. Physicians
who issue prescriptions TO quench
thirst may suffer loss of their license
TO practice medicine in the state. Only
those pharmacists and physicians ac-
ceptable TO the prohibition commits
sioner created by the bill to enforce
its provisions may possess licenses TO
sell or 10 prescribe liquor.
OF approximately 500 towns and
cities i'm the state only 90 have sa-
looms at this time. Under the pres
ent law towns are presumed TO be dry
....gt .,AtzJ mat The hill ufunah nv
Gov. Norbeck will close as saloons.
of which thirty are in Sioux Falls;
four breweries and ten wholesale
liquor houses.
When the general prohibition bill
was up in the senate for final dis
cussion Senator Urdahl declared that
IL carried a joker in section "A, where
ii prohibits the keeping of liquor In
any of a long list of places, but does
not specifically prohibit the keeping
Of liquor in residence houses. Al
most every other kind of a building
is described, and In this he saw an
opening for letting in all the liquor
which might be desired. The sup
porters of the bill declare that all
this is covered in that portion OF sec
ton 46, which specifically prohibits
any person not specifically authoriz-
ed and empowered to possess the
same from having liquors in his pos
session prima facie evidence that the
same was received, accepted or pos
sessed in violation of the provisions
of the section, and hat further the
shipping regulations prohibit the de
livery OF liquors to any others than
those specified by the law as having
a right to receive the same, which
they claim fully covers any possible
defect in section "A il there is any
such.
Washington, Feb. 23.-The senate
bone dry" amendment to the postaI
bill, prohibiting shipments of liquor
into states which have prohibition
laws, was accepted by the house
321 to 70. 1t is counted as one Of
the most far reaching prohibition
measures in years, because ii will
make absolutely dry" states which
now permit shipments in limited
quantities.
, Every effort to change the amend
ment was defeated overwhelmingly
! Cries OF bone dry" rang throughout
and the sentiment swept the house
until the last vote for concurrence
|, was cast. Members who attempted
to explain that they were prohibition
lists at heart, but stood for states