The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1918-03-11
Thousand Saloons Closed in
p Three Years-Introduction of
Liquor Into SO Of Sc scour- 4
= n. ". tsSg asslGf4 {a5
ties Now Forbidden.
First Big Blow Fell When Indian
Treaty Was Upheld-Road
House Laws and Safety
Board Orders Help.

ILo1up0TduC0 III MINNESOTA ana Cn0 re-
suits of activities by the Anti.Saloon
League, it may be said that in one
way or another in the last three years
more than 1000 saloons have been
closed. The liquor traffic has been
hard hit.
Only six counties out of Sc in Min
nesota were wholly dry in 1914. The
first big blow fell In October of that
year, when the United States supreme
court affirmed the validity of the In
dian treaty of 1855. Enforcement Of
that treaty in Northern Minnesota,
begun by "Pussyfoot" Johnson, had
been held up by injunction, but as
soon rs the supreme court decision
dissolved the injunction Johnson's
successors in the law enforcement
branch Of the Indian department
clamped the lid on the whole district:
This made five counties and parts of
nine others saloonless. There was
quite fight over the enforcement in
Hibhi1g and Chisholm, but the drys
won again and those towns were made
dry in December, 1915.
County Option Law Passes.
The county option law was passed
by the legislature in February, 1915.
BY that law Minnesota counties were
set up like row OF bricks, and the
drys began to knock them down one
after the other. Elections followed
fast from April to August Of that year
until A counties were voted dry, and
in each case the law gave the saloons
six months to clean up their business.
Saloons outside of incorporated cit
les and villages, usually known as
road houses" were put out of busl-
ness in the summer Of 1915 by state
law, which was bitterly contested in
courts but upheld and put in force in
July. The counties made dry by
county option began closing up their
saloons in October, 1915, and dry ter
ritory was extended rapidly in the
next three months.
The 1917 legislature submitted
prohibition amendment, subject to
vote of the people next November,
and its only other act Of hostility TO
the liquor interests, apparently, was
the bill abolishing country wholesale
houses, which were supplying many
dry counties with liquor from just ov-
er the line. But the legislature, as a
war measure, passed the Public Safe
ty commission law, giving to seven.
men, for the duration of the war, the
broadest powers for promotion of the
safety and efficiency of the public.
Safety Board Clamps Lid.
One of the first acts of this CON-
mission was the closing Of saloons in
Minneapolis below Washington ave-
nue, SO in all. This took effect May
/, 1917. Then on June 6, the commits
sion issued it's famous Order No. Z,
requiring all saloons to close at 10
p. M, and the serving Of drinks to
cease at that hour. It also prohibited
the serving Of drinks to women in or
from any licensed place, and barred
cabaret performances and public dane
Ing from places where liquor Is serv-
ed.
Investigation had shown existence
Of a big illicit trade in liquor in the
Indian lid territory, especially in Bel
trami county, and the Public Safety
commission next ordered railroads
and liquor dealers to stop shipping
wet goods" into Beltrami and Clear.
water counties.
U. s. Takes Hand.
The federal government took a hand
in curtailing the liquor business when
the Reed amendment took effect July
1, 1917. This made it a federal Of
Tense to send or carry liquor into q
dry state, and at one blow, Topped of
the mail order business of Minnesota
brewers and liquor dealers in North
Dakota and Iowa, and also in South
Dakota, which at the same date put
state prohibition in effect.
Duluth, after two hot city elections,
closed up its saloons on July 1, 1917,
The drys, when forced to a seco4d
vote in Duluth on the question, struck
back by bringing on a county option
election, and Sept. II the county went
dry by more than 5000 votes, every
city and village giving dry major
ity. BY this vote, the remaining So