DIVISION THRKK — BRAINS. 265 



"We're going to see to it that you shan't enforce it." Another said, 



"We'll show you up to be the d dest liar in all this country ! " Another 



said, "He helped to ruin Iowa, and now he's come here to ruin this 

 country ! " These were all prominent, well-known citizens at that time, 

 and members of the "Progressive I^eague," but it would not be proper to 

 give the names here. Yet these are only a few sample instances of what 

 that committee had to undergo. Nevertheless, it went right on with its 

 work of aiding the city officers in detecting and prosecuting liquor selling 

 outlaws. 



In September, 1888, a strong effort was made to commit the Board of 

 Trade as an organized body in opposition to the prohibitory ordinance ; but 

 this did not succeed ; and the next historic move was the organization of a 

 "Progressive League," so-called, to fight the ordinance and all its sup- 

 porters, on the basis of the high license saloon petition, an account of which 

 I have already given. On October 20, 1888, a mass meeting of this 

 "lycague " was held on an out-door public assembly ground then known as 

 Haymarket Square. Justus Brockway served as chairman ; W. P. Hyatt, 

 then democratic deputy district attorney, was secretary ; and there were 

 called to the platform a list of twenty-seven vice-presidents. A series of 

 resolutions was adopted, misrepresenting the action of the city council in 

 regard to the saloon petition, and denouncing it as "an arbitrary and tyran- 

 nical exercise of power and in derogation of the right of petition." 

 Numerous speeches were made in virulent denunciation of the city council 

 and the Enforcement Committee. But the whole situation was summed up 

 in a brief speech toward the last by B. A. O'Neil, one of the most active 

 and earnest workers of the League, who boldly and frankly said : 



" There is no need of long speeches. It's saloons we want, and saloons 

 we're going to have ; and we're g-oing to have good ones, too." 



Full reports of the meeting, with its array of vice-presidents, officers, 

 speakers, resolutions, committees, etc., were published in the daily papers 

 the next day ; and if the reader wishes to see further about it he can find it 

 in their files for that year. On October 27, a committee from the League, 

 consisting of B. A. O'Neil, W. U. Masters, and M. H. Weight, visited the 

 city council, with complaints and demands in regard to their petition for 

 licensed saloons. I was present, and heard the whole proceedings. Their 

 claims and grievances were heard respectfully, and on every point were 

 shown to be erroneous. The city council then consisted of Prof. M. M. 

 Parker, Hon. A. G. Throop, Kdson Turner, Stephen Townsend, and J. B. 

 Young, who severally showed that the petition had been referred to the 

 judiciary committee, and had in every respect taken the regular and lawful 

 course customary and proper in all such cases. There were legal questions 

 as to the validity of such an election ; and a new Great Register for the 

 county was being prepared ; and other points to investigate, which made 



