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