Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, September 25, 1890, Page 5

THE OMAHA DAILY BEE, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 4 I NAKES DRUNKARDS, Paneful Iffects of Political Prohibition Where it Has Been Tried. STARTUNG INCREASE IN CRIME. he Ratio of Inebriates in Iowa Oities Greater Than in Omaha. PENITENTARY RECORDS SHOW IT. High Licese, on the Oontrary, Puts a Oheck on the Evil, WEBSTER PROVES THE ASSERTIONS. Governor Larrabec Continues His Line of Argument om School Phase of the Issme and Its Alleged Evils, the The series of debates at Grand Isl tlosed on Fridsy evening by ex Larrabee of Towa and Hon, Joln L. Webster of Omaha, Thearguments aregivenin full below from stenographic notes by BEE re- porters: HIGH LICENSE ALL WRONG. Fhat is the Gist of Governor Lara- bee's Closing Argument. T supposed Thad finished my talk for this vening, but it appears that General Brad- ford mid Mr. Rankin whowere invited here werenot sitistlel from the first on accoun of the armngement that was made. The eril claims that Rosewater and Mr. ebster had made the programme to s themsclves, that they should have the open- fog sud ' clsing of every meeting Mud they were displeased with it us understand, am surprised ft me here to speak aziin Tdidn't expect to have anything say toyou again, so far as Iam con- becaus niore to cerned. ‘When Tenlist] mean to bea subordinate, and At anybody can disprove what I may say I lling theysnould. Tintend to tell the truth just as itis, and if any gentleman ex- or crook in following me 0y advantage 1 have no objection to their doing it. I am sure General Webster too rouch of & gentleman to do any such thimg. There is a young gentleman from my state who intends to come over and go in his ofice s an assistant and I can sure the gentleman that [ think hewill find 8 strong prohibitionist in this young man frommy state. 1 was speaking of the ladies when I closed before and I want tosay one word more. The ladies of Towa don’t have the privilege of vot- ing, citherat school, municipality or _other electims. Some of them desireit and 1 have fold them that. their influence should beno less whether they cast thevote themselves or whether their huisbands and sons cast the vote. I have not been able to convince them of i, but 1 expect the gentlemen to beable. I want to say, ladies, have the training of the mext generation ou have the advantage of the men, and the men can voto thistimeas they please if jrou let them, but you direct the vote of the axt unm\m}.ionl. & 3 cun say for lowa that a large proportion of the young men are for prohibytions you ¢ can hardly find a boy or girl of sufficient age 10 understand this question but what is in favorof prohibition. Twantto say to the young men of Nebraska you cannot be too cautious in this matter. The competition for a livelibood, even in this country, is going 10 be closer and closer each year as time pro- gresses. We double our population about once in twenty-five years oy natural inerease whether we have ‘any immigration or not. There is going to be more and more com peti- tion for livelihood ; business is more and more complex each year and a little higher stand- ard of workmanshipis required. I carenot ‘what line of workmanship it is, whether on the farm, in theshop, the printer’s office, the Jawyer's ofice or the doctor's office, a little i andard of intelligence and integrity is required each year, Iam agood deal of an timist and believe the people are ting better and better each year. Isa; we cannot afford to patronize the aloon ; the young men whodo not touch liquor will have an advantage over him who does. Take two men of equal abili vs an pccasional visitto the saloon and the other does not, which would you prefer! whether 8s aprinter ora reporter! 1 presume if you (addressing Mr. ewater) were going to employ a reporter to send out to smell out joints you would prefer the man who takes a drink occasionally. Now, is @ man more,or less, finished for ‘beivg o pateon of a siloon! These geale- men havetold us that it hurts business. Is the farmer’s boy o better workman if he g:'.mnlze the saloon! Is the merchant's clerk tier or more reliable 1f he patronizes the saloont Is the lawyer's assistant a better clerk if ho patronizes the saloon, or I can say the same thing of the doctor, Wouldn’t you in every cuse, if you were going to employ one of two lawyers and they were equal in ability and every othor respect, but one takes a glass frequently and the other does not, is there any question whichone you would employ ! This statement that it hurts business is merest bosh and no reasonable man ought to believe it. Now, asto high license, it legalizes the business and tends to give it respectability ; and thatis a great objection to it if it does diminish the places where it1s sold. I was discussing this matter not long since with Mr Medill, theeditor of the Chicago Tribune. He takes the same view asMr, Rosewater and it shows that men are influeneed by sur- rounding circumstances. Mr. Medill said that hi license had reduced the number of suloons in Chicigo about nnf per cent and ‘wheu 1 asked him how much it had reduced the consumpton of liquor hesays, “I don't now, butI think fivm five toten per cent.’” said in answer to Mr. Medill that a measure latwoull not reduce the consumption of 1QUOr more “0in ten per cent in Towa would hanily becalled a temperance measure, and it would not. Now, itseems these gentlemen are solici- tous about getting arevenue from the saloons. They carry theideathat the question of sus- taining the public schools o ebraska de- pends upon the revenue received from the salon. We have sustined probably the Dest. or 13 good as the b hool system in the United States. 1 don't. want tooverreach n this matter, but I feel proud of our school system. We have about 14,000 schools in ses- slon, T suppose, just about this time and ‘we bavea large army of children m attend- ance. Weteach the evil influences of the use of liguor in almost cvery school in the state. These school teachers, I believe four outof five, and Iam fnclinedto thinlk that mnine out of ten, of the school teachers in lowa arein favor of prohibition. We started our schools without any revenue whatever from thesatoons. The peopleof lowa thirey-five years ago declired they would take no part of the profits in the re & of liquors, and ‘we spend more than a million dollars each car forthe support of our schools, and we vo the grandest results that can be shown. “his money that goes to the support of your goyernmient, are you entitled to it for that purpse! Is jta noble thing for you to receive il What is the theory of our taxa, tion in this countryl The theory is not tha the individual sholld pay the tas, not that the person should pay the tax; the'theory is that the property should pay the tax. A man who has §10,000 should pay tentimes as much taxas the man who has 81,000, and the man ho has $100,000 should E‘y 100 times as much as the man who has 1,000, Now tiat is the thery although L know it is not enforced strictly spesking, aud if wo carried out the stri reasoning of my friends on the platform, y should repeal the laws lnhmrJ o taxat because they are not en forced strictly in ac- ;‘«)wa\flfla the law and the spirit of the aw. ‘This law in regard to taxation is perhaps enforoed reasouably as well as other luws ; wedo as wellas wocan to collect the tax nto this and see from whom this publican collects his tax. Does this publican or pub- lic tax gatherer collect it from the property holders! Does o man who owns as mucl property in Omaha as my friend Rosewater does, does he contribute his share to this source! Do you pay your share of the money collected by this blican! And how is it with my friend Webster, who I take it isa large taxpayer in the city of Omahal You have some women who pay taxes, You have some wealthy widows there, 1 understand. Do those wealthy widows pay- their share of the tax through that source and do your wholesale merchants and your large rétail merchants pay their share of this tax! Howls it with your railroad compa- nanies! 1 understand you assess property in Nebraska at a less proportion than we do in Towa, and I want to know if the railrosa companies pay their share of this tax to the public tax gatherer. Not onedime. Neither do the railroad employes because the railroad employes are requested and expected not to patronize the saloon. It is becoming more and more the custom of railroad companies, 1 notice in the Independent in the reports from the milroad companies for the last thirty days, and they discourage their em- ployes from patronizing the saloon, and I believe there is not a more tem- perate class of men in the nation than our railroad employes as a rule, and when my friend Rosewater says that nine-tenths of the temperance people of Kapsas are frauds [ don’t believe a word of it. He may think s but Idon'tbelieve it. And I can say this: The railroad men, as a rule, are thorough temperance men, & large proportion of them. If the wealthy merchant, if th Ithy real estate man, if the wealthy lawyer, if the wealthy doctor don't = pay their share to the public tax gatherer, who doss pay it1 Wil some one tell me who you think pays the larger pro- portion! Who does, Mr. chairman! The aboring man and people of small means, as a rule, pay probably nine-tenthsof this tax to the public tax-gatherer. Now tnen, if the iaboring man pays his money to the saloon keeper, understand it, the merchant, the butcher, the grocer, the lawyer, the doctor, and whoever is in the employ of this poor man, don't get the money that goes to the saloonkeeper. Now then, who is deprived of the money taken from the laboring man to support this institution! The ~women and children are entitled to the earnings of the husband and this laboring man should pay his money over for the support of his family; his disposition is good to do it, but the temptation is before him and the chances are he paysthe money to the public tax- gatherer. Now, you propose to rob the women und children of Nebraska, and for the purpose of carryiag on your government, do you?! It isa standard of government which I think you should not establish. This great Missouri Valley was givenus fora different purpose. And I teil you we have something else to do besides to eat, drink and be merry i this country. InIowaif a man worked on one day inthe week hecould earnenough to eat drinkand be merry perhaps, but he works six days in the week, and he can't even get away withall the money he carus in six that s all T have tosay tax is concerned. I don’t belie it. Idon'tbelieve the women want it. The women are justas much interested in this question as the men, and you men should re- member that you do thevoting under our laws, and these gentlomen on the platfc with me understand well that all the standard writers on political ethics lay it down as a rule that those whodo not cast a vote should be represented just as well as those who do cast thevote. I say standard authors on political ethics lay that down as a rule, Gentlemen, you should consult with your wives on this question. Iknow that many think that women are foolish and that women are governed by instinct, but I tell you that their instincts are oftener right than wrong nd you can rely on that,and the man that onsults his wife freely'is apt to get along very much better than he who does not. As to the character of the men that sup- port prohibition in Iowa. Wehave a vast number of preachers in Iowa. My friend from Kansas claims that they have more ‘churches in proportion to the population than any one else, but I am incined to dispute the ground with him. Tn Iowa our churches are supported, I believe, about as wellas any place you can find in the country. We have @ host of Methodist preachers “there, and I believe 99 out of every 1,000 are prohibi- tionists. They are zealous, intelligent class of workers, and you can’tbuy thewm nor you can’t scare them. What Isay of the Metho- dist ministers islargely true of other denom- inations. My friend Rosewater still insists- that pro- hibition don't probibit and it seems has been taking a little trip down into Kansas and Lowa recently and he was giving us an account of his travels. I think if he would publish them they would be intevesting, and part of would be like Baron Munchausen stories T think. His experience in the city of Des Moines is very different from mine.” I have visited Des Moines many times in the last four years and I never carried a revol- ver or even s walking canc and I never had any fears in visiting any part of the city in the whole four years Was in the execu- tive office, and I want to tell him that his the danger, so far a8 being slugged is con- cerned, is all moonshine. Don't you ever have any fear. (To Rosewafer): I would like to ask you if youwas ever slugged in Des Moines? I'think not. Now I would like to ask you if you was ever slugged in Omaha! |Great Laoghter.] You know that article [ read from Tue Oxana Bee. ;You know whatit said about those who camein_contact with liquor influ- ences, that it was demoralizing and corrupt- ing, and I certainly think it is, and I would advise my friend Rosewater to be a little more careful in the future and avoid temptation. _[Laughter.| What he s: approves what 1 sald before. Thi are unscrupulous and often somo of the drog- gists are not suficiently law-abiding, Asa rule, I thing our druggists are pretty good men and they compare favorably with any other stdte. But it seems his statement cor- roborates what [ said, and in_relation to that I want tosay to my friend Rosewater that [ know what the law is 50 far as denggists are concerned, and I believe that honest face of his would get a bottle of whisky if he looked sick at most any drug storein the city of Des Moines. 1 really believe that honest face of his would get it, but I know a great many men who Bave tried that thiog on the tln% stores and failed. So far as the sheriff ofDes Moines is coneerned, he is a democrat and is not in sympathy with the faw and does not do his duty with regard to it unless forced to. When I' was in the cxec- utive oftice I presume this law was more strictly enforced than it has been under Goy- ernor Boles. Ladies and gentlemen, 1 want to urge on ou again, as the apportunities of the even- ng have offered, when you goto the polls vote for prohibition. I dou't care what your politics are. I am a republi- can and _ have ulways been & re- publican. I became a voterand voted the republican ticket about the time of the Kansas-Nebraska bill and I have voted the republican ticket ever since. 1am not one of those who condemn everything that the dem- does, and 1 can_see many good atthey do: and I want to'say to the democrats, When you go to the polls vote for prohibition. And this to the democratic farmers and laborers: Vote for prohibition. I have no more fear of prohibition being repealed in Iowa than I have of our law against gambling, and I say to my republican {rieuds, Don't you have any fears of it de- feating' the republican party.~ If the repub- iican party dou't serve the people’s interests, and the best interests, we don’t have any nse for any party that don‘t serve the best inter- estsof the people of this country, and I say to you all, Dou't have any doubts ‘whatever, andif you have a doubt, give the benetit to prohibition and you will never regret it, I thank you again, 50 faras this you want DRUNKENNESS AND CRIME, Webster Quotes Statistics Showing Prohibition Increases the Evils, My Fellow Citizens of Grand Island: Tho- lieve.it very becoming of me at this time to make a statement and yougvill perhaps agree with me that Governor Larrabee is entitled to our favorable consideration for the honest and earnest, and I believe, faithful maner in_which he has endeavored to present his sido of the question, I must say to you freely and fravkly that I admire the manner in which he considers the question, and I am firmly satisfied that in what he bas said to you hie has stated that which he earnestly be- lieves and talked to you of such facts us came under his observation ; and when he tries to persuado the people of Nebraska to adopt the prohibition amendment 10 our constitution he ls us what he belioves to bé for the wel- fare of our state. All the time that he talked, however, 1 was constantly reminded of the fact that he nowhere took the time to tell the people in what res) orin what particular or to furnish any of evidence to sat- isfy a listening audience that the crime of drunkenness had been diminished in his state under his probibition doctrine, On two mectings upon this platform have t challenged my opponents in this debate to produce evidence that prohibition as a polit- ical doctrine; statutory or constitutional, had diminished crime or drunkenness, and up to this, the closing s ‘hof this two days de- bate, no prohibition orator has stepped for- ward to tell the people and to furnish the proof that drunkenness had diminished in }nw;\. in Kansas, in Maine, in New Hamp- shire or 1n the state of Vermont by reason of prohibition, statutory or constitutional. When I was invited to como hero to enter into this debate, it was by a letter written by the manager of this institution to_meet as op- nents Governor Larrabee and Governor St. .Il'g!m of the state of Kansas. I answered that invitation by letter stating the terms and conditions by which I should come here and they were simply, as I believed, fairly stated, | that Mr. Rosewater and myself would meet these two geutiemen as the representative men of the two prohibition states of this union ; that they should affirm that prohibi- tion asa constitutional amendment was to the wélfare of the state, and that Mr. Rose- water and myself would deny it; that they should hold to the afirmative of the pro; ion and open the discussion, to be followed by us, and that that manner of debating should con- tinue from the opening to the close of it. Shortly afterwards I was informed by the managers of thissugar palace that for some reason or other Governor St. John could not be secured, and they asked my consent that they should substitute some other person to represent the state of Kansas, They,present- ed forour consideration the name' of At v (Gencral Bradford, and after some Lit- tle consideratior, we agreed to accept it, A little later we were told that by reason of some other political engagement that Gover- nor Larrabee would not speak yesterday. They then asked us to agree that some other gentleman might be substituted in his place, Finally, as you observed in the discussion of last night, We agreed to that. After last night's debate was over (and I leaye it to the audience to judge how it was conducted and s to its result,) Mr. Rosewater and myself were notified this morning that complaints were being made by the prohibition orators that we ~ were treating them unfairly, and tonight when bis debate was about to be opened, and when the presiding ofticer had sunounced to this waiting audience the order of the debate for tonight to continue, just as it had been agreed, with no variation and with no unfair- ness, Colonel Rankin and Aftorney General Bradford came upon this platform and told the presiding officer that tney would not speak in this debate unless we changed the order of the proceeding and gave them the closing discussion, for fear that Imighi Y ething against them or their cause which vould not l)u}xcr.nil\onl to answer. And were notified by the presiding officer that the programme should be carried ont; and they left the hall and forsook this debate, and I leave this audience to answer the ques- tibn whether it is because they were afraid tomeet us in the discussion or whether it was because they were unable to answer the arguments which we have produced to show that prohibition did not rn:\'l'm drunkenness, and the very thing which I have challenged them on two previous occasions to auswer me. [Greatapplause, | My friend, Governor Larrabee, under these circamstan is doubly entitled to our credit because by his remaining here he has helped the show to go on, and we have been somewhat advertised by 'his presence [applause] and the public in & measure en- tertained. However, I must therefore necessarily pay my respects to the governor of the state of lowa touching the prohibition in his state; and it was a remarkable circum- stance that when the governor, standing be- fore this audience telling them about the benefits of prohibition in the state of lowa, reading here the opinions of judges of his state, failed to read to this aucdience a writ- ten letter over the signature of any judge in his state that undertook to tell the people that drunkenness had been decreased under prohibition; and let itbe remarked that the letters which were read were letters in general terms, without passing into detail, without furnishing any evidence, without pointing to the proofs that they did not think that prohibition ought to be re- pealed. But what I purpose to do despite the letters of these judges is to call their at. tention to facts, if they never knew it be fore, that inthe cities of the state of Iowa, under their prohibition law, that drunken- ness has increased. It 1s not a question whether the consumption of liquor has in- creased; but the question is, whether pro. hibition does away with whit we all agree to be the thing that lies at the foundation of this question. Mr. Rosewater and myself, 1 apprebend, stand_before an audience * agrée- ing on the general proposition that temper- ance is right. 'We are not here as the advo- cates of drunkenness—as the advocates of the saloon. I want to say to this audience for Mr, Rosewater and m; f that we are here before the people arand Island without compensation for cur timeor our ser- vices from this or any soclety or from any class of people. [Applause.] Weare not hero representing any organ- ization. Mr. Rosewater and myself have given our own personal time to gather the data and the statistics that we might come out aud talk to the people of this state of that which concerns their welfare justas it con- carns ours; to tell them what we believe would advance the welfare of the state just as we want it to build up the state in which we live; that as our lives run along with the lives of our fellow-citizens in the years which are yet before us, that we could wit- ness the ‘growth of our state merging on in prosperity from year to year, hop ing that in a few years there shoula come to it the erowning glory of 2,000,000 of people, equal to the population of the state orluwn. and atthe same time preserve our peoplo from the curse of drunkenness ina measure, at least, by maintaining our present license regulating system, which, in our judgment, is of more benefit to us than the prohibition laws of the state of Iowa, or the state of Kan- sas. [Applause.) 1 cannot, however, forego in this discus- sion inviting particular attention for the bene- fit of the judges of the state of Iowa, as well as my friénd Governor Larrabee, to a state of historical facts. We have been told in general terms by these judges that prohibition had tended to decrease crime in the state of Iowa. Let itbe remembered that in the state of Towa statutory prokibition has failed since 855. (Am I Correct asto the year, Governor Larrabee?) By Governor Larrabee—That is Mr. Webster. By Mr, Webster—If that be true, if the law'is the remedy, since 1835 you have been making the march to prosperity, andto vir- tue, and to sobriety, and to fair dealing, and 0 honesty, and to the diminution of crime, yet when I examine tne reports of the state of Iowa published in its records of econ - tions of criminals in a bound volume which 1 have in my hand here, and others which 1 ha t my command, I find that in 1531 there were 341 persons in the penitentiaries of the state of low in 1883, 378 (mark the in- crease) ; in 1887, 073; in 1859, 619 in 1500, 619, Now mark thé comparison. From 1881 to 1890 the number of inmates in the peniten. tiaries of the state of Jowa had increased mearly 100 per cent, while in the state of ebraska, un- der our regulating system, the peoplo in our penitentiaries numbered 345, Now mark the comparison. In our state, without prohibition, we had about one-half the num- or of criminals in‘our penitentiary that were resting inthe cells of the itentiaries of the state of Iowa when my friend Governor Larrabee us governor was seeking to enforce Its prohibition laws. [Applnu:&u.} Ifiud a little furtber, that in 1889, of his icts that it represented 619 penitentiary con one out of every 1 people of his state, while in the state of Nebraska that our nu ber of penitentiary convicts was one to 3, So, therefore, my dear governor, as accord g to population, we have a less percentage of our people in ‘our penitentiary than you had over in Towa; and please expluin to me how it is if prohibition, if you had it backed ¢ the written opinion ‘of 100 judges, di- crime over there. [Applause.] Now I want tosay one word to the gover- uor before I get into dewails about expenses over there. The governor tells you that the expenses have diminished of ‘running the Rovernment so far as, [ believe he stated, in the prosecution of criminals; but look at the expeuses at large as a sum total. The state expenses according the report of the state auditor for June 30, 1887, was $2,021,000,while in the state of Nebraska for the same period of time our entire state expenses were §2,27 Or, in other words, it cost to run the state of {owa during the Same period of time 640,000 more than it cost to run the goveru- ment of thestate of Nebraska. That does not look to me very much as if prohibition was a matter of " state TR W member during the session of the legislature of this state at its last sit- ting, Governor Larrabee honored the state of Nebraska by making it a formal visitin his capacity governor, and in that official correct, ca y he was jovited! 't aadress the legislature of our state. Awmong the things which he then stated 10 the people of Ne- braska and to its law-making officers was that oriminal business in many counties of tnestateof Towa had deareased fully one- half, Mark the startling fict. In 188, on tho 81st day of July for that fiscal year, there were convicted and, sentenced to the nitentiary in the state of lowa %33 persons. The governor tetls this people that that cov- ers a period of but ten months, Granted. 1 will add, therefore, onesixth more to cover the other two. Thatwoull make ayear; that would make 140 More; that makes & total, then, of ¥iS. When I turned over the records of 13890 I found, however that there were convictéd in the state of Towa 1,108 persons. Now mark the fact that while the governor was proclaiming to the governor of the state of Nebraska and to our lawmaking oficers that the crimes were di- minishing and criminals were being dimin- ished as to the number of convictions. the of- ficial reportshows during the same fiscal year the number of conviction: the state of Towa had increased from to 1,108, [Applause. } That was 8 very peculiar pre- sentation of the prohibition subject by Goy- ernor Larrabee. It was in ‘the attitude rather of an apology for having a prohibition law., 1 admired the gentleman’s honesty when he confessed to you that prohibition was not enforced very much in lowa up to the time when he became governor; yot it had been there as a law from 1855, Let me put to youthesimplesensible question : Tsit right for this people to be requested to incorporate into our state constitution, alaw which probibits the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors, if the state of Nebraska is to be what the governor concedes it was to the state of Iowa, to remain as a part of your constitution for a long period, and then witheatover being enforced. 'Why, furthermore, he confessed to you during this discussion that prohibition never was enforced in many of thelarge cities of the state of Iowa. Itwas a confes- sion therefore, that the law, when incorpor- ated into the constitution of the state could not be enforced. When you admit to me the Proposition that prohibition cannot be enforced statutory or constitutional,you have given me oneof the grandest arguments that could fall from human lips against its adop . It stands in the mature of anapoeal to every citizen of the state of Nebraska that your law cannot be enforced, and therefore do not vote for that, but let us regulate the liquor by the legislature so that we can have some reasonable control over the liquor traftc. Over in thelittle town of Davenport,in the state of Iowa, they kept arresting drunkards right along. In 1385 there were 5; in 1887, 24; in 1888, 34; fn 1889, cording to the report which I h signature of the chief of poli Kessler, the number of arrests for ness was 107, When 1wentto make alittle comparison, 1 found that the number of arrests for drunkenness in thetown of Daven- port had increased from 61 to 107 in one year; aud when I came to compare that with the population of Davenport, I found there pre- vailed in that town a degree of drunkenness, according to percentageof population, greater than in the townof Grana Island; greater than that in the city of Lincoln; greater than that in the city of Omaha, and greater than that anywhere within the Limits of the license system state of Nebras- ka. [Applause.] I turned over to the city of Dubuque, with 5,000 population, and 1 found under a signed by John O’Connell, city clerk, © are 130 saloons in that ci a startling fact that prohibi honest man like Governor Earcabee trying to enforce that prohibition law, that the city clerk of that city of his state sends us a ¢ tificate that there are 150 open, running pub- lic saloons. Furthermore, that same city city clerk certifies that in 7550 there were 448 persons arrested on the streets for drunken- ness, and that the whale numberof arrests were 815, Does that look very much as if crime was being diminisiied anywhere over in the state of Iowa? Over at Burlington another of their larg- est towns I found that in 1830 there were ar- rested 1,035 persons. Ifound over in the town of Council Bluffs, the third largest city in the state of Iowa, and where I supposed the governor's influence ought to have been felt, that there were arrested in 1339, 508 persons for street intoxication, aud _accord- ing to the report of the city marshal for 1590, which lies on my table, the number had in- creased to 863. Look at it; in that city of 22,000 population the nummber of arrests for drunkenness was one for eyery thirty-six of itsinhabitants; while in’ Omaha, under our license s were only arrested one to sixty-nine ht; in Grand Frank drunken- em, in Lincoln one 'to seven sland_you arrested one as to s four. the proof is that in Council Blu 1n prohibition Iowa, there were arrested for intoxication upou its streets 100 per cent more people than were arvested in any one of tlu'viu\]-; in the state of Nebraska. [Ap- plause, Whatis the conclusion? Why, it simply is that prohibition as a doctrine, as itis admin. istered, instead of decreasing crime and runkenness does. increase both of these lasses of evils, T in the city of Council Bluffs, by their iti have lost absolutely all control over the liquor interests, and under the present municipal administration they have undertaken to license saloons. They do it n thisway: They have an arrange- ment. that auy man whosells liquor in Coun- cil Blufts shall pay a fine to the city each month of $27.50, and if does that, he can run right along without having a license system such as we have in Nebraska, and without having any law which compeis ' him to close up at midnight,or to close on Sundays, hey run without any restraint whatsoever. But'a little while ago the mayor of the town of Council Bluffs concluded that he had learned something of morality from the city of Omaha and _issued an order to close the saloons on Sunday. The board of fire and wolice commissioners of the city of Omaha learniug of this fact, passed a resolution which ['want to read, because it is & most instructive lesson to pronibition lowa and the fricnds of prohibition everywhere. It reads this way : : Resolved. That the board of fire and poiice commissioners of the city of Omaha, Ne b, sends its congratulations and t Lonor, Muyor for th enfore ing on Sandays the fifty-founmore or less su- loons in_his ‘elty, thus stopping the rush of Omaha Sunday trains, Missourl river patron- age and the consequent returning tide of drunkenness Into our strets ad tuto. our Juse. That the s y b requested Lis hono: uiyorof Councit | L copy of these resolutions, (A pplaise zhter, y, I will tell you pgood people of Nebraska, the people over in lowa and down in Kansas can draw from our good conduct and government a good man bo profitable to them ver there, and the great lesson we want to | b them is, that when our election shall be over in November, that they over in_the state of Iowa can wipe out theéir prohibition law s0 that they can enact something in the nature of a regulating license system to con- trol the saloon interests and t law close your saloons at 13 o'clock at night and compel them to be closed on Sundays. Not very long siuce there was held in the the eity of Des Moines a_pablic convention, to which had been invited*wlarge numbor of the representative people ofthe state to con- sider the question whethex the prohibition law of the state of Iowa should mot be re- pealed as being destructive o the interests and welfare of that people. Among the num- ber of persons who addresséd that convention was one, Captain O'Keefe, from the town of Creston in the state of low®™ I believe that is the blue grass region to’ Which my friend, the governor, alluded today in one of his ad- dresses as being a city wnore it could not be charged that the saloous o the rum interests | was going without restralit; yet Captain O'Keefe living in that same town of Creston mn:}\' a speech to that contention in which he said : 3 “We have seen the workiags of prohibition in Towa for I have traveled 3 great deal over | the state and the more I seeof it, the more I become disgusted with the present state of affairs. T say to you that I'am the vepresen- tative of a little ¢ity which is the pride of Jowa. Sheis the capitol of the blue grass region, the city of Creston. Six years ago that little city paid the highest liceuse of any city in the country. We have lost 6,000 of revenue from that source, ana [ stand before you tonigut, gen- tlemen, with my hand up, knowing, as I do, the citizens and people of that place, I could teil you that after that great sacrifice of money and that long trial, it bas failed to convert one solitary individual. It was left for Fraucis Murphy, with his splendid idea of reform, to bring aboul. in our city the | greatest reform that has taken place within the last ten years, At that time we had | elght saloons paying $1,600 a year, and I must say & large portion of them were partly re- spectable, and today { has thirty-two. Peo- ple will “say, ‘Why don't you enforce the aw !’ We have tried it, gentlemen. We have sat up nights watching them, and I say 1o the logic of these peoble, we might as well ' 1890 1309 other., These we buy in lar clothes costing orlgmallny $4C think of it, a saving of leading taioring establishments throughout the cou ntry, MERCHANT TAILORS’ MISFITS and UNCALLED-FOR GARMENTS OUR PRICKE LIST AS A SUITS. 865 costom made sult for... ......$30,00 #55 custom made suit for. . $25.00 850 custom made suit for. - 822, $45 custom made suit for. £20.00 $40 custom made suit for. $18.00 35 custom made suit for. . .$16.50 $80 custom made suit for. FALL AND WINTER OVERCOATS, $60 custom made overcoat for.....£30,00 $55 custom made overcoat for. $50 custom made overcoat for. $45 custom made overcont for. $40 custom made overcoat for. $35 custom made overcont for. $30 custom made overcoat for.....$13,00 HAT ARE MISFITS?/1309 They are custom made clothing of merchant tailors, left on their hands for one reason or an- © or small quantities, for ready cash. we can, according to style and quality, sell for $18 or $20. O per cent, one-half of the original cost. A suitof Just Many of them are from the For example: GUIDI. PANTS. $16 cuslom made pants for. . $14 custom made pants for. . #12 custom made pants for. . #10 custom made pants for $ 9 custom made pants $ 8 custom made pants $ 7 custom made pants Latest styles and elegant garments insilk and satin lined Suits and Fall Overcoats, Also Full Dress Suits for sale or rent, at the ORIGINAL MISFIT CLOTHING PARLORS, 1309 Farnam Street, Omaha, Neb. Remember numberand place, 1309 Farnam Street, Omaha, Neb, Saturday un til 10 o'clock. try to stop Niagara Falls in its course, or the Silvation Army at a reunion as to stop these people from selling liquor under this prohi- biton law.” [Laughter and applause]. So much for the little city of the blue grass region, my friend, Governor Larrabee, I am afraid, as I do not know anything about the judges there, I am afraid that the judges may be something like yourself. It you walked down through the town of Cres- on, looking for a saloon, the people, knowing your prohibition proclivities, knowing your lemmuun teachings, knowing your prohi- on experience, knowing that it would not be very well to tell you it was liquor, it would be offensive, you would find the doors would be closed when you walked by as an honest man avd a temperance adyocate, as wo Kuow you tobe. Dio Lewis, walking through the city of Portland at mianight, said he did not find a saloon open, but walking into his hotel, picked up the state prison report aud saw the fact that 17,58 persons in the state of Maine were arrested in one year for drunkenness, and the appalling” truth came upon him; so, it _you had a friend to go with you li . Rose- water, he could find the place at night. [Great applause.] The appalling truth would come home to you that Captain 0'Keefe knows more about Creston, Ia., than you do. There is another v venerable g inthestateof Iowa who has a reputation that is not hemmed in by the Missouri river on the west, nor by the Mississippi river on the east of him. There lives in the state of Towa a gentleman whose reputation has ex- tended over the broad limits of the republic. There lives over there a citizen who hon- ored the oftice of governor of that state, who held office in the cabinet of this great repub- lic, whose name was a shining light among eminent politicians everywhere. 1 referto none other than the Hon. ex-Governor Kirk- d; and yet I find in a letter written or Kirkwood on this subject of pro- hibition in which hestates: “It appears to me that those who framed our present pro- hibitory law and who have thus far sustained it have made a grave mistake.” So, as to you, Governor Larrabee, Iput the opinion of ex-Governor Kirkwood that, in his judgment, prohibition in the state of Towa has been a grave mistake. Further down I find that ex-Governor Kirkwood said: ~ “Personally I am in favorof local option and high license, vith stringent regulations.” Why, bless you, that is just what we have in Nebraske, and that is what we want to keep. [Ap- plause,] I favor this policy because I be- Hevaiiwiil petise promote the public wel- fare than the present law does.” I say to the people of the state of Ne- braska that I wonld give more for theopinion of that eminent statesman of the state of Iowa, speaking of public welfare and pros- ity, that the high license system will do or the public welfare and public pros- perity of the state than the opinion of all your judges who think the prohibition law oughtnot to be repealed. [Applause.] The presiding officer .tells me that 1 have already talked nearly forty minutes, and like General Bradford who, when he was here, stated thathe couldgo aloug in the same strain for three hours and suddenly fled— (laughter], I think, perhaps that I could go. on for three hours; but I would liketo have about half an hour to warm uY that little state of Kausas whose interests he seems to have forsaken. [Cries of Go on,] Take the state of Kansns. General Brad- ford told you that crime had diminished in the state of Kansas and that the number of convicts in their state penitentiary was being diminished. Let me tell you a few facts. On June 30, 15, they had in'the penitentiary in Kansas 929 people; in 1857 they had 97S; in 1886 they had ¢ Now look “at the state- ment. Docs that show any diminution! It shows an increase from S6J in 1856 to 929 in 1588, I read in a prohibition document enti- tled “‘Facts about the state of Kansas and not Opinions,” and which I have here, that there are inthe State of Kansas at the pres- ent time S7) state prisoners. 1 found by look- ing atthe table from the state of Nebraska that we had 345, and I take both facts from their prouibition documents. Now look at the result. Eight hundred and seventy-thres persons in the penitentiary in thestate of Kansas was one to 1,830 of their entire popu- lation; in Nebraska 315 penitentiary convicts was as one to 3,330 The factis that in the state of Kansas there ave now in the peniten- tiary, two persons, compared to their popula- tion to where there is one up in the state of Nebraska. I found in anothor pamphlet which I have here ‘entitled “Truth about Kansas" which gathered down at the last prohibition couvention, the statement, mark you, made by the presi- dent of @ temperance organization in the state of Kansas, **Under the present con- struction of the laws there is hardly a rail- road train moving in or out of the state that does not convey whole barrels and cases full of theseed of this contagion. Every wind that blows over the Kansas prairies is laden with the same infection.”” Why, people in Nebraska, has it come to this that when the winds blow over the prairies of the state of Kansas it is infected with whisky and with beer so that it becomes a coutagion, and that under prohibition; and then let a Kansasrep- resentaiive man come here and ask you to infect the atmosphere of your state so that when the winds sweep over the great Platte Valley it shall become infected with the con- tagion of rum and of ueer! I am oneof those who were led to believe that in the atmos- phere of the state of Nebraska there is some- | thing-of health and of purity idstead of this | dreadful contagion. In the town of Fort Scott, Ka there were arreste sons | total arrests , In 1857, for drunkenness 115 pei 7. Look at the compar son. ' About onethird of the people arresten the town of Iort Scott were arrested for being drunk; and so much for that prohibi- tion which General Bradford seemed to think did away entirely with the evils of intemper- ance. Down in Leevenworth in 1881 they sent 108 | of their population to the penitentiury, aud in 1857 out of the same city they sent 116 per- | sons to the penitentiary: so that if we find by another comparison that during six years of prohibition that one town sent eight more pefsons tothe penitentiary than were sent there under seven years of previous license system. So that the fact was what prohi- bition in six years produced more of criminals than free \\'hiikf’ id under a license systein for seven years In the town of Leavenworth. In that same town of Leavenworth for 1559 there were arcested for drunkenness 352 per- sons, Now mark this statement. When they tell us that prohibition prohibits in the state of Kansas, when in that same city of Leaven worth there were 312 persons arrested for ranning saloon Mark the comparison: In Omaha with 240 saloons the little town of Leavenworth with pot one-fourth our popu- lation, had 812; mark you I do not know how many saloons you have got in Grand Island, but Leavenworth is not more than three times as large s Grand Island, and compute your saloons if you please and answer me to- mortow moruing whether prohibition in Kansas has not more open running saloons acconding to the population thau the beauti- 1309 Open evenings until 9 o'cloek, All garments altered free of charge to insure a perfect fit AGNIICENT EPOSITION NOW OPEN! EVERY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. COLISKUM BUILDING GRAND CONOCERTY BY THE MUSICAL UNION BAND. MONS. MUNSULLR, Ariel Gymnast Afternoon and Evening, Every one should see him, The greatest living high wire walker, and trick trapeze performer in the world, BEAUTIFUL FLORAL AND ART DISPLAYS. Magnificent Commercial and Mechanical Exhibition. The Automatic City, Costing Over $20,000 Many New and Novel Attractions! ADMISSION, ful city of Grand Island, where I am address- ing these people, T'o show utterly the character of some of these people who talk about probibition I chanced o have the report of the police com- missioners of the city of Atchison. I rea one sentence of thatreporta paragraph w told me that there was not a single rum shop in the town of Atchison. I thoughtthatwas astartling fact. I turned over another page to investigate, when I found the police dourt record, and I found touching the subjcct of arrest that for drunkenness and disturbance of the peace there were arrested 278 persons for drunkenness, notwithstanding the fact that the police officer made a report that thero was not a grog shop in the town of Atchison, Having heard that statement I immediately wired the mayor of A tchison for his statement on the subject,and I beg the privilege of reading that letter to this audi- ence, bearing date September 15, 18%, “*Hon John L. Webster, Omaha, Neb.— Dear Sin: I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of the 13th, relative to the oper- ation and effect of the prohibitory law of the state of Kansas, Inauswer to your inquiry, would state that my observation justifies me in saying thatit is a failure and has been greatly dotrimental to the best interests of the state of Kausas, During the last two years I have been mayor of the city of Atchison, a city with a population of about eighteen thousand people, and my opportunities for observing the opera tion and effect of tuis law have been very good. ‘When the constitutional amendment was pending before the people of this state, al- though a lifelong democrat, I was iu favor of it, and advocated its adoption to the exteut of my ability. 1 then believed, and do now be- lieve, that if we canhave prohibition it would oe a good thing for our people; but under the present law we haveall the evils of intemper- ance without the power of regulating them. In nearly city of the state of Kansas there are many “*joints” and pla et in- toxicating liquors are sold in wviolation of law; yet the people have become tired of the ceaseless agitation that prevailed throughout the state during the first five years of prohi- bition. An examination of the recent census re- turns will show that the population of the cities of Kansas have not increased in pro- Rortiun to the population of other cities not aving a prohibitory law, On mauy of the })rim‘ipnl streets stores are vacant, tenement houses for rent without number, and the only reasonable solution of this state of affairs is the fact that we have upon our statute book this prolibitory law The peo- ple of Nebraska will regret the day that th everadopt it; and as a practical temperance man in favor of prohibition when we can have prohibition, T would unhesitatingly say to the temperance people of Nebraska, let prohibition alone. Prior tothe adoption of the prohibitory law the liguor was in ameasure under the eontrol of municipal government, and it could bereg ulated aud the evils of intemperance pre vented to a very great extent, but now we hayo uo power of regulation. The business is car- ried on in the cellars and in the attics, princi- pally by adisreputab! lawless set of men who know they ave violating a law, but who are willing to take the chances of prosecution in order to engage in the nefarious traMc, The people of this stato are today in revolt against the law and hundreds and thousands of those who voted for the amendment have openly declared themsetyes in favor of its re- peal, ¥ Within the last ten days a county fair was held in one of the prosperous counties of the state of Kuusas and §700 was paid by one per- son for the privilege of selling beer on the ground, and Ihave been informed that the re- ceipts at the bar for one day amounted 1o up- wards of $00. No attempt was made to prosecute the parties engaged in the businoss and it was notonly kuown but_tolerated by those who had been active prohibitionists, In the city of Atchison, almost daily, can be seen large beer wagous going to and tro over the streets delivering beer to the vari ous joints that infest the city, The law throughout the State has relaxed intoa state of innocuous desuetude. Yours truly. B, P. WaGGoxE, Mayor,” 1want to say 1o this people that Hon Bailey Waggoner is one of the brightest stars of the state of Kausas, familiar with its political history and with its progressive rosperity, equally well posted as to the ef- lect of prohibition in the state of Kansas, aud he sends that strong appeal to this peo- | l AMUSEMENTS. Boyd’s Opera ]:{;:1;; PLANELS R ECITALS. Musical and Dramati Mons. L. Planel. of Parl O Violin Concert Master to tho Quoen ot 4 ADAM er d' Instruction Publi- PLAN Ith the comody, * mpete,(ASkullUnger s Tenpest, played Tekley Pianel, one 0f hier greatest suc- Opera Touso. Seats to be so- box oftice nt usual pricy moruing The Grand, onenicnT on: SUNDAY, SEP7, 28 Speelal Engagement and Grand Production of the Latest Comie Opera Sensation, SAID PASHUA Elegant Staging. Rich Costumes. Complete Chorus ) 500 Popular prices. Beserved soats 2. Box sheet open sutur Box seats e and 31, day momihg. The Grand oxe ncwr oniv. Monday, Septamber 20Lh, HAMLIN'S FARCE COMEDY COMPANY, Presenting Paul M. Potter and Harry L. Hamida's Succeasful Laugh Producer, The FAKIR This Season: Bigder! Better! Brighter The PLAYERS: Alico Harrison, Helen It Sutherland, Moilio S rlos D, John @I+ 1y, Chrls Berger, John Lyons, STRbNGEW COMPANY EVER ORGANIZED Popuar prices: resarved seat cand $1. Box sheet open Saturday mors Dime Eden Musee, WILL LAWLER, MANAGER. CORNER 11TH AND _FARNAM STS, OMAHA WEEK O and expansloni. who sets the law of nature at d modern hercales. The arlists. Goorge Kdwaids and Bobb) lcirish and Ger Two stage shows the co tgures. pleto let prohibition alone; and 1 believe that thousands of posple in Lhis state knowing Bailey Waggener s I know hiw, will listn to that appeal and will take that &s suieient evidence that you should castyour ballot against the prohibition amendment. [Ap- plause. ] My time has expired and therefore, I must close this discussion, Istarted into it with the earuest belief that to vote for prohibition would be a sin and to adopt the prohibition amendment, a state crime, and the more I have studied the proposition, the more I am confirmed of t! proof of the assertiou, and [ appeal to the people of the state of Nebruska simply to preserve themselves from the ues farious results of adopliug this prolibition ancndment,