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About The Coos Bay times. (Marshfield, Or.) 1906-1957 | View Entire Issue (May 26, 1908)
f 'V'tlPi1 THE DAILY COOS BAY TIMES, MARSHFIELD, OREG ON, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1908. PROHI DOE NOT Evidence of National, State, and County Experience Shows that Liquor is Common in "Dry" Sections and that Licenses are Greater Under "Dry" Rule than Under "Wet" All evidence proves that Prohibition does not prohibit. In the days when Iowa was supposed to be tightest on liquor selling, the drug stores dispensed intoxicants; at that time fourteen saloons could be counted in Davenport in ONE block. In Kansas, Wichita had wide open saloons and shipments were made to the various cities. In Maine, the first of the Prohibition states, rum, whiskey and other intoxicants could always be obtained under the prohibition rule. In 1902, a visit or in Maine could buy intoxicants in every hamlet and the larger cities had wide open saloons. Read the evidence of the dry counties in Oregon, as outlined below in communications from men who are against the liqjor traffic. 1 BT . ! 'J w MORE LAWLESSNESS IN LANE COUNTY STATISTICS SHOW MORE LICENSES AND MORE ARRESTS UNDER PROHIBITION THAN WHEN COUNTY WAS "WET" Eugene, Ore., May 12, 1908. Editor Albany Herald: Your paper Is read In Lane county by quite a number of people. We are always glad to get It. It has the right ring to It. This Is a fine county but It Is hav ing a set-back that may prove seri ous. We have been on tho boom up hero and could speak of the morals of the county while telling of its fertility, but for tho past two .years we cannot boast quite so much. Blind pigs, it is said, are all over tho county and it has proven useless to try to stop them. Closo one out and two comes in its place. Mr. McFadden, of Corvallis, is said to bo a torror on blind pigs but ho does not seem able to stop them in iano county. You know his district Includes Lane as well as Benton. To liear him talk you would suppose he has killed every blind pig in forty miles of Corvallis, but when I was in his town a few weeks ago I saw men staggering on tho streets and "was told drunkenness was more fre quent now than when Corvallis was wet. There are eleven federal licenses given to druggists in Lano county nnd tho government renorts fifty three licenses given in tho county. That makes forty-two blind pigs li censes in tho county. What do you think of that? Some prosecuting of- flcors are given to blowing about what they can and are doing to ward shutting up blind pigs but they aro talking through their hats. It is worse than It was before it went dry because when it was wet men alono got drunk. Now boys keep company with tho men. I do wish there was some way to stop tho traf fic but there is no way presented. I was told by a neighbor who came frojx Kansas "that thero is moro drinking In that state now than when it was wot." I was radical for a dry county until my neighbor, whom I had confidence in, told me about Kansas and then I resolved to pass the local option number on the ballot by and not vote either way, for I was so violently opposed to intemperance and saloons I would not chance voting for them to con tinue. I did not vote on the subject two years ago. I made a mistake for whiskey seems as freo as water since Lano county went dry, I don't blame myself for any of It for I did what I believed to be right at the time. Since seeing what I have of the bad effects of local option I in tend to vote for the Reddy bill and for a return of tho saloon to Eu gene. I never drank a glass of whiskey In my life and never tried to drink beer but one time and the filthy stuff upset my stomach for an hour. You might ask, with this record on the liquor question how I can vote for an open saloon. I will tell you how. I have a family of boys who were raised up to respect religion and follow In tho path of temper ance and honesty. To vote for a saloon is a thing I never did do and It wounds me to do so now but of the two great evils I must choose tho lesser. I find secret drinking is worse than open drinking and I will vote for tho open saloon. If tho Lord will forgive me for not taking tho advico of my Kansas friend who had experience in a state where pro hibition and blind pigs were tho written and unwritten laws I will do what I now believe i3 my Chris tian duty on tho first day of next Juno and vote against local option and blind pig deadfalls. Yours, R. J. S. $100 REWARD OFFERED (Roseburg Review.) To the public: Owing to the per sistent misrepresentations as to the conditions which have prevailed in Lane county during tho prohibition period, the Roseburg Brewing & Ice Company, with headquarters in this city, agree to pay the sum of $100 to anyone who can prove that thero were fewer United States retail liquor licenses during prohibition than during the time under license. We further agree to pay the sum of $100 to anyone that can prove that there were more arrests for drunk enness during license than during prohibition. The list below talks for itself, and shows conclusively that during the period of prohibition there wero many more arrests for drunkenness than during the time of the saloon: The printed lists show 114 arrests for drunkenness in tho Eugene city recorders' office In tho past 20 months of prohibition as against 58 arrests for drunkenness in the 24 months previous under high license. The list of arrests under license Is as follows: CITY OP EUGENE, OREGON, RE CORDER'S COURT. For 1904: November John Doe, Oscar Jensen, Tom Jones, L. J. Hennbre. For 190B: January Joe Wallace, John Hurst. February J. F. McKenn. March W. A. Spencer, Master son. , May John Kenney. June W. L. Vaughn. July Albert Able. August Milton Spores, Ben Lo well, Alfred Butler, William Kelley, Shell Coffman, John McCulloch, W. P. Shelly, W. Morgan, D. Baker, Wm. G. Kopelin, dward Vay. September Richard Martin. October James Kerr, George Kelly, S. Edwards, V. Pitzuer, James Wilson, Al Harker. November Charles Davis. December Charles Brady, Frank Sdwards, Zip Yornell, Liss Jerrard. For 1906: January W. Van Alstine. February Ben Venable, , Walter Eddy. May Andrew Barrett, M. S. Han sen, Ed. Washburn, P. A. Cruclani, LINCOLN COUNTY FULL OF "JOINTS" BUSINESS MEN TIRE OF CONDITIONS UNDER "DRY" RULE AND ARE WORKING E0R A CHANGE Portland Jour- (Speclal Dispatch to nal.) NEWPORT, Ore., May 21. Pre sent indications aro that Lincoln county has had enough of tho drought which struck it two years ago when a majority of tho voters declared for a dry county, and that at the next election, June 1, the peo ple will switch to the other side and reinstate tho saloons. Newport at tho last election was two to one for a wet county but was overruled by Toledo and tho coun try districts. In the opinion of what appears to bo a majority of the Geo. Bunn, Richard Roe, John Doe, voters, Including all of the business Shell Coffman, Ray Littlefield. men 1'rohlbition, which may bo all Juno Charles Davis, C. M. rlSht for some PIaces ,s not suIted t0 Rrnlib. Rrl. F. AriiPr Mot nn a summer resort. r - - ..-.. w. , .... . w ,, .., W. Kelso, Walter Eddy, James Kar han, Thomas Murry and George Myrland. J. M. states? Wo certainly never hear of l most of tho nation, Jackson county r JOSEPHINE WOULD SUFFER, A Southern Oregon publication has tho following to say regarding tho prohibition movement in Jackson county, which in substance, applies to other communities throughout the state: To tho Citizens and Taxpayers of Jackson County: Tho paramount issue of tho pres ent campaign is tho prohibition ques tion, and tho purposo of this paper is to present to tho Intelligent voter reasons and argument againht tho adoption of nny prohibitory law in Jackson county. To begin with, does prohibition prohibit? Not ovon tho most sontimontal ndvoeato of the proposition will claim that it does. Eugene is tho glowing examplo that Is held out by tho dry advocates tu representing tho success of prohibi tion. Let us look Into tho real con dition In Eugene. Tho bureau of statistics of tho United States revenue department shows that Lano county (prohibi tion) has 55 licenses, an lucrcaso of 25 por cont over tho licenses Issued nnd in forco during high license in that county. Of these licenses 20 wero granted to parties in Eugeno, Indicating that aside from tho four or flvo drug stores doing a liquor buslnoss in that city thero aro In the neighborhood of 20 blind pigs. Dur ing the last 17 months of high liconso in Eugono tho police couit records of that city show 5S arrests for drunkonuoss and during tho fol lowing 20 mouths uudor prohibition, tho samo records show 114 arrosts ifor drunkenness, indlcatiuu nearly twice as much drunkenness under prohibition as under high liecence. A business mnii of Modford lias de posited a ceitilled check for $100 in tho Med ford National bank, this minify to be paid over to the park impi'OM'iiu'iit fund in the event the alxi( statistics are proven not cor rect. And although tills money has been on deposit for some time, no one lias attempted to refute these statist Irs, Another example of what prohibition lias dono for Eugeno is found In its tax rolls. Eugeno and Rosoburg aro cities of about tho samo size. Eugeno (prohibition) had a tax levy last year threo times greater than Roseburg, a licensed town. Eugeno, like every othor example that the prohibitionist puts up, needs only a little of tho searchlight of in vestigation to show tho futility and fraud of prohibition, and thero is plenty of authority for tho predic tion that the taxpayers of Lano coun ty will throw off tho burdens in cidental to prohibition at tho coming election. Another local argument that is frequently advanced by tho prohibi tionists is tho prosperity of tho dry Mates. A careful perusal on this papor will satisfy any thinking man on tho uttor fallacy of that conten tion, but look at tho proposition ns we seo it at homo. If this bo truo, why all this Immigration from Kan sas, North Dakota and othor dry states to Orogon, a wet state. If things aro so satisfactory in dry states, why all this Influx into wot anybody leaving Jackson county and moving back to dry states, at least there has been no excursions of that kind. The prohibitionists say "want to save the boys, and every right- minded and honorable man will en dorse that sentiment, provided of course tho boys are in danger, and provided further that tho remedy does not increase tho danger. When your father was raising you there wasn't any prohibition agita tion, and your father had confidence in your ability to take caro of your- jsolf, and now, as a father, don't you j think you had better emulate the ex , ample of your father and put the same confidence in your son? It I worked all right in your caso and II lit 14 J Ulll UUJ fc. 1I1W1 VUIL1 Jll Will bition Is a real menace to tho boys, and tho reason is obvious. The saloon man under license gives a benal bond conditioned upon the faithful compliance witli the law on his part, and tho penalty for selling to a minor is tho prompt termina- has been enjoying a most phenomenal development. Settlers aro coming hero from every part of the Union. They havo doubled and trebled the value of your land; they are filling up tho waste places; reclaiming the desert; carving farms out of tho wlldness; developing your minerals and adding millions of dollars of tax able property to bear tho burden of good roads, good schools and other improvements. Forty per cent of Tho liquor men have been work ing quietly to chango the existing condition of things and aro confident that they will bo successful. They havo mado no stir in tho matter, fearing that any appearanco of acti vity on their part would havo tho ef fect of bringing tho professional anti saloon workers down In forco from Portland and greatly lessen their chances of winning tho county to the wet ticket. The nntis havo been do ing nothing, evidently thinking they have tho county solid. Tho blind pig flourishes in some parts of the county, but Nowport liquor dealers havo obeyed tho law well since the county went dry. To ledo, however, is full of Illicit liquor places, and tho extent to which these have multiplied of late Is conceded to be one of tho chief factors in changing popular sentiment in Lin coln county. BOOZE COMMON IN LINN ALBANY, Ore., May 26. With tho approach of tho Juno election when a vote on the local-option question in Linn county will be once moro taken, tho hardest fight yet waged In this county on tho liquor question is in prospect; oven now has reached the point of personal animosity. The situation in Linn Is interest ing at present because of the deter- theso men at the most conservative mined fight the anti-local optionists estimate are men who have a high re- are making to bring back the condl- gard for their personal liberty and who, when they feel the need of a glass of beer or something stronger, insist on having the same without be coming a liar, hypocrite and a law breaker to get It. Thero are too tions of two years ago. Anti-prohibitionists have organized effectively throughout tho county, with head quarters In this city. The labor of securing signatures to their petition was directed from this city, and tho many places In the west where tho petition, containing over 700 names, sentimental lanatic is now operating, was Hied a few days ago. Dr. J. L. and where opportunity offers similar Hill filed it. To meet tills move tho inducement to our own for us to hope prohibitionists, backed by tho state to secure any of this class of capital or homeseeker under prohibition law. Prohibition will give the death blow to more than ono budding in- tion of his business. Tho law alsOjdustry in Jackson county, not tho limits tho handling of this business to men of good character, and if bad men engage in the business it is the fault of tho law rather than tho busi ness. Under the law tho business passes from tho licensed and bonded business man to tho criminal typo who would as soon sell to a minor as to any patron, and with liquor flowing in bottles nnd jugs rather than glasses tho danger to tho boy becomes ns Impending as tho sus pended sword of Damocles. A review of tho statistics taken from prohibi tion states will show beyond tho per advonturo of a doubt tho danger of tho so-called prohibition to tho boys. Jackson county has been moving forward in seven league boots. While panic depression and hard times havo spread their mantles like a pall over least of which is tho grape industry, which unmolested, bids fair to win as groat a fame for the county ns tho world-renowned wino producing grapes of France. High taxes, hy pocrisy, lawlessness, drunkness and crime aro tho legitimate camp fol lowers of prohibition. Every experi ment has been a failure, and why tho people of Jackson county should want It In tho face of its record is an unsolvablo problem. Mr. Voter and Thinker, Do your self and tho county the Justice to read tho evidence submitted In this paper and givo it careful considera tion. We are prosperous, and the future looks rosestinted; opportunity is already hero. Why turn It away for tho experiment, an experiment league, aro at work. A meeting of Hub. Bryant, Rev. W. P. White, Rev. W. P. Elmore and A. C. Schmitt, local prohibition leaders, was held yesterday to map out plans of cam paign. That prohibition in this county does not prohibit absolutely Is ad mitted by even tho prohibitionists. Immense quantities of liquors aro shipped in, and it is no uncommon sight to seo youths of immature years Intoxicated on tho streets of Albany. All efforts to stop this il legal selling to minors In this county have as yet proved ineffective. An instance occurred a few days ago when a number of boys, members of a local club, procured liquor and, becoming intoxicated, created a dis turbance in tho clubhouse, with the result that tho Institutions is now closed on Sundays by order of the board of directors. FROM "DRY" CURRY COUNTY (From Portland Oregonlan.) WEDDERBURN, Ore., May 25. (Special.) Curry County has been in tho hands of tho prohibitionists for tho past two years, and iimi. johns havo been the order of the day and night. Whisky is being shipped on almost every stage from both north and south and is very easy to get. Those desiring saloons havo again petitioned for an election, and notices are now up calling for a re submission of tho question at tho election on Juno 1. To bo sure tho friends of prohibi tion aro many, and It Is a question with all the evidences against tho In effectiveness of prohibitory laws as tiiey exist if tho "wets" can must- whoso every score has been a blank? tho strength to return to tho saloon. Tho prlmo mover in this action is Gold Beach, tho county seat. The law as it stands affects tho wholo county, that is, it is a county law, all precincts having decided to eschew tho saloon. It is a very peculiar situation. The mnn who wnnts plenty of whisky and finds it easy to get, votes prohibition. Tile total abstainer votes for prohibi tion, for tho reason that if ho is known to be a prohi he sees little of tho demijohn and thinks tho law prohibits, excepting occasionally when tho boys get beyond control at a danco. But tho man who knows and understands and wants tho sale of liquor properly controlled, ho is tho ono who will vote for the licensed! saloon. CLERGY SAYS PROHIBITION IS NOTi.THE SOLUTION Bishop Potter, of New York. Our prohibitory laws, whether wo put them In oporatlon on ono day only, or on all days, aro as stupid as thoy aro Ineffectual. Most of our methods for dealing with tho drink evil in our day and generation are tainted with falsohood, dishonored by ossontial uuroallty and discredit ed by widespread and consistent failure. Bishop Hall, of Vermont. Prohibition drives undergroun 1 tho mischief which it seeks to cure, making it moro dlificult to deal with tho evil and impossible to regulate tho trade, as for instance, la tho quality of liquor sold. The Itev. Dr. Rn histoid of Xeiv York To drink Is no sin. Jesus Ohnst drank. To koep a saloon is no sin nd any policy that claims tho name of Christ or does not claim Ills name, that deals with tho well-nigh n universal tasto of man of alcohol on tho basis of law and order alone, cannot commend itself to the best intelligence and is doomed to fall. Bishop Chirk, of Rhode Island. Prohibition has been disastrous to tho causo of temporance. Bishop Grafton, of Wisconsin. I cannot seo tho benefits to bo derived from compulsory abstinonce. Rabid temperance workors have ac complished vory little toward des troying tho drluk evil, in tho Church of England thero is a temperance so ciety which accomplishes great good by tho moderation of Its demands. Thoso who wish to pledge themselves to abstain totally from tho use of spirits aro accepted with thoso who pledge themselves to moderate use of spirits. Henry Wnrd Ucecher. If you say to mo that I ought not to drink porhaps I would agreo with you; but if you tell mo I must not drink, I will drink, because I hava a natural right to do so to drl'ifc what I please. ? i v-jSh
