Show THE LIQUOR QUESTION IN AMERICAN PORK FORK AMERICAN FORK june jahe 1887 editor deseret news ahrews in your issue of the dinst I 1 see a letter written by some one am from t this his elace place reflecting on my action in the lining ningon of four individuals for selling liquor which does not state th the e facts of the case and does me injustice the city council of this place a few weeks ago had bad the illicit sale of liquor and beer brought before them and according to report quite a number were engaged in the bus business inesse the officers of the city were instructed to find out the parties and bring them to j justice in the meantime one of the council was selected to obtain legal advice as also that of others who had had bad experience in dealing with men who would persist in the illegal practice tile the result was that a strict A watch was to be kept and whenever a person was found breaking the law he was to be aln fined ed not with an an ant t but with a nominal fine as t tie C experience of those in other cities of this county as well as this has proved that where heavy fines have been imposed appeals have been taken and though they have gained their cases in many instances it has cost the city more than they made by the fine and still the traffic went on and increased now the facts of the case are these there were five arrests made all of the parties plead guilty to selling beer one was fined twenty five three twenty and one afif fifteen tean dollars so you will see by the foregoing facts the party arty who wrote to you ou wrote about about things of which he be kad had but a very limited knowledge and I 1 must say in addition that he must have had bad an inclination to th throw row a false light upon my action as an officer and though such treatment may hurt tor for the time being it will invariably fall back to where it belongs now for a short statement of myself as an officer and the liquor q question 1 1 es in this city I 1 was elected ai alderman d er in 1876 1976 served five years a as 8 such and one as mayor and acted as city justice nearly Dearly all the time and went out of office in m 1883 by the ruling of the utah commission at the time aime I 1 went out of office there was one person selling liquor and beer and three or four selling cider and home borne made wine the officers who succeeded me wrestled hard to put the traffic do down WD they hired special detectives tec tives employed legal counsel from provo imposed heavy fines but this did not stop the traffic for when I 1 returned to the city council in 1885 there were five or six engaged in selling liquor and beer and now mr editor I 1 can say that the only object on the part of myself and the council is to put down it if possible the evil and dangerous practice and we want the aid of all good men ia the matter and our true motives shown to the corid I 1 can truly say that during daring L my career as a city officer I 1 hade done fill all I 1 could to keep down the expense of the city and do say that ten dollars will cover all that has been paid for legal services in that time I 1 am not above making terrors errors but I 1 can look back and say that in all my official acts act I 1 have to do the best I 1 could for the city trusting you will give this a place in your paper as asi I 1 desire to see things represented in their true light I 1 remain yours respectfully jonn JOHN |