The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-04-22
NEARLY 1900
TEXASSAL00NS
OUT OF GAME
Ten-Mile Zone Puts Lots of
Groggeries Out of Business
in Lone Star

Dallas. Tex, April 22.-ApproXi
mately 1900 Texas saloons closed
their doors on the night of April Is
at $50 p m, in compliance with the
1N-Inile zone law law, passed by the
recent special session OF the Texas
legislature Virtually every city and
large town in the state become dry,
There still are in operation, however,
about loo saloons in smaller towns,
bnt under the statewide prohibition
Law they will be closed on June 81.
Seven hrewerieS-located in Calves.
ton, Houston, San Antonio. Fort
Worth and Dallas-are expected to
continue operation until the statewide
law becomes effective. Already some
are manufacturing soft" drinks and
il is expected that the others will fol-
low this course later.
When the lQ-mile zone law was in.
PRODUCED in the legislature il applied
only TO those towns near which army
environments were located. Later il
was altered to include every district
in which there was fort, arsenal,
aviation field or school where soldiers.
>,
tered or where ships were being built
under contract with the government
Under ruling OF the attorney gen
cral the 10-mile zone law includes
all regular landing fields for avitorS.
This ruling placed in the dry column
number of central and south Texas
towns which would have otherwise
remained open until June -.
The original prohibition move was
made in 1875 when new state con,
stitution was adopted Section 20 OF
article 16 gave the citizens the right
to vote on the local option provision.
Shortly after that the Texas Local
Option association came into exist
ence. Professor H. A. Ivy of Sherman
was the secretary and general man
ager and campaigns that were wagel
resulted in several counties voting out
saloons. In 1896 the Texas Anti-Sa
loon league was organized with Dr.
B. f. Riley as superintendent. This
organization began a systematic cam
paign on Texas saloons and has been
active in all local option contests
For several years Dr.. A. J. Barton
has been superintendent of the League
with Offices in Dallas.
The big drive by the dry forces
was launched last summe: in Dallas
when a local option election . was
called for Sept. 10. Much to the SUI
prise of many, the largest city in the
state voted dry by big majority
and on Oct 20 about 200 wholesale
and retail liquor houses closed. Waco
quickly followed and voted out the
saloons. Austin next decided that the
saloon must go and number Of the
smaller places eliminated them.
The 10-mile zone law was recon-
mended to the special session of the
legislature by Governor w. p. Hobby
at the suggestion of Secretary of War
Baker in view of the fact that there
are environments or training camps at
practically every point in Texas.
In the main, Texas saloon men eX-
pect to quit the business. A few in
tend to move to Louisiana and other
wet states, but the majority are ar
ranging to engage in other occupa-
tions When the saloons were voted
out Of Dallas, many Of the men who
had been engaged in that business
converted their establishments into
restaurants, using to great extent
the fixtures that had been installed
in the drink emporiums.
One of the peculiar phases of the
local option law under which Texas
operated until the new laws were
adopted was that while a brewery To-
Gated in Dallas was permitted to
manufacture beer, it could not be sold