The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-10-23


All Booze Is Taboo.
1.-THE Illicit sale of alcohol must not
interfere with the training Of men at
Camp Dodge. Continued efforts will
be made by the military police to To-
cate offenders and the full conse-
quences will be imposed. is the
warning issued by Col. II. T. Harbe-
son, commanding military police.
Colonel Harbeson called newspaper
men of Des Moines into his office,
and asked for cooperation in the
matter Of stamping out the sale OF
liquor to soldiers.
1t was pointed out that regardless
of ones ideas towards the sale Of
liquor, the training OF 10000 men is
at stake and that these men cannot
become efficient soldiers who will up
hold the honor of the United States
in France IL they are allowed to pro-
cure booze.
Several man and one druggist have
been located who have sold liquor to
soldiers. They were warned by the
military police that this must be
stopped.
Druggist 10 Sorry.
The colonel read letter from the
offending druggist, in which he
promised that he would aid the mill
tary police authorities in every con-
ceivable manner, and that he would
not sell liquor in the future. The
druggist thanked the colonel for be-
ing considerate and expressed him
self as being very sorry he had been
30 foolish as to look on the sale Of
liquor In the wrong light.
The following statement has been
given out by Harbeson:
very few Of the recruits now
training at Camp Dodge desire to OBJ
tain liquor iIlicitly in the city OF Dies
Moines or elsewhere. They realize
that the use Of alcohol renders them
unfit for the strenuous course Of
training they must undergo before
they can give efficient service on the
firing line against Germany. They
are taking genuine, earnest interest
in the daily work and are letting
nothing interfere with their getting
the most and the best out Of the in
struCtiOn given them.
The soldier who does seek alcohol
in any form il finding 1t very difficult
to obtain, since the self-respecting
citizen would sell it to him under no
bootlegger, who has no honor to lose,
has learned the selling OF liquor to
men in the country's uniform is a
more dangerous than lucrative bust
ness.
Few Men Intoxicated.
The number Of men who have
been found under the influence of
liquor since the beginning Of train
ing Is almost incredibly small, and
every one OF these. after getting over
the effects. has given to the authOri-
ties every detail OF the purchase and
sale, so that the offenders that did
not disappear are now in the clutches
of the law with such evidence against
them as will insure the limit Of pun
ishment. = .
Occasional cases Of irresponsible
persons furnishing liquor to men in
uniform are to be expected, but the
authorities were greatly surprised
recently when confronted with prac-
tically absolute proof that a we'll es-
tablished druggist in good standing
had sold whisky to a recruit in uni
form. 1t cannot be conceived that
this druggist fully realized the grav-
ity Of his action or it's injury to the
cause Of his country now at war with
a powerful nation. Certainly he did
not consider the ruinous conse-
quences to himself IL caught and the
absolute certainty Of his being
caught, sooner or later.
Would Mean Ruin.
ITO complete the evidence in the
case and push the charges to convic-
ton would mean the irretrievable
ruin Of the man, who though he may
have been thoughtless and foolish,
cannot be mean and sneaking and,
for the small profit from Illicit sale,
Intentionally and knowingly guilty Of
undermining his country's manpower
in time Of war and great stress. The
state penalty coupled with the fedeF-
al fine OF $1,000 and one years i'm
prisonment, would be the least OF the
consequences. His business career,
Of course. would be at an end in this
city. He would be marked and dis
honored in a patriotic community, and
undoubtedly results Of his downfall
would follow him wherever he might
wander. Most pitiable Of all would
be the lot that would fall to his in
nocent wife and children. The
thought of these and the bare posi-
bility of mistake in the evidence have
caused the military police authorities
to request that the case be dropped.
Offenders Beware.
1T cannot be conceived that a like
offense will again occur among the
reputable. patriotic citizens of this
community. but this occasion is TAX
en- advantage Of to give fair warning
to all that the military police, aided
by the local police authorities, have
simple and ample means Of locating
offenders and securing incontestable
evidence. The Illicit sale of alcohol
must not and can not be allowed to
interfere with the training of the
men at Camp Dodge. In the future