ARLINGTON MAYOR SAYS CHASING HONEY BEES, RABBITS AND BOOZE IS TOO MUCH

Offers $25 for Evidence That Will Convict Bootlegger in His Town.

The miseries of a mayor have seldom been more picturesquely described than by J.W. Ruble, mayor of Arlington, Fayette county, Iowa, in an open letter published recently in the Arlington News in reply to a letter from the W.C.T.U. asking him to enforce the liquor laws.

A mayor's duties include not only hanging around the alleys looking for bootleggers, says Ruble, but also keeping men from beating their wives, seeing that the boys and girls don't fall off their sleds, and catching wild chickens, rabbits and honey bees.

Ruble further says that there is no bootlegger selling booze in Arlington "that I know and am sure of," and he offers $25 reward for evidence leading to the conviction of any liquor vendor.

Ask Pledge Fulfillment
The letter from the W.C.T.U. is as follows:

"Mr. J. W. Ruble, mayor of Arlington. Dear Sir: We, the members of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Arlington, respectfully request that you fulfill your pre-election pledge, that if elected you would clear this town of bootlegging and selling of intoxicating drink, and put an end to the disgraceful disturbances that accompany drinking habits and customs -- that you would certainly enforce the law touching these things.

"We are making this request as citizens who have the good name of our city at heart, and are deeply grieved that there should be any occasion for people to give Arlington a bad reputation, or for there to be any condition that would cast a hurtful influence on our young people."

No 'Leggers He Knows of.
To this letter, signed by 34 women, the mayor replied:
"In answer to the above petition I will have to say that there is not a bootlegger selling booze in this town that I know and am sure of. I also know that there has been less booze sold in this town in the past year than in any one year since the act of prohibition was passed, and what is drunk here comes from out of this town.

"I doubt if there has been consumed or drunk five gallons of booze here in the past year; and to show these good ladies of this noble society where and how I stand, I will pay out of my own pocket $25 for evidence that will convict any bootlegger selling in this town.

Mentions Sheriff.
"Your whole society supported and voted for a sheriff in this county. What has he done? Not one of you voted for or supported me when I was elected as mayor and now you come asking to be helped out from under this great booze curse that this whole government can't stop; you expect a poor little mayor of a small town that can't even support a town marshal to do the business.

"I will also say that Arlington is one of the most peaceful and quiet towns in this county. The greater part of the signers of this petition I personally know, they are as good old grandmothers as ever lived and nine-tenths of them have not been on the streets this winter. How many of the above signers have seen one intoxicated person in the past year? You would have to answer, none! but still you say this is a bad town. Now, I want to ask the good old ladies of the above petition if it is not a fact that you have one or two most meddlesome members who have nothing else to do only gad around and stir up trouble. Some people hate themselves and all around them, and it is too bad such people have to live.

His Duties Many.
"I want to state more fully what the citizens, or some of them, expect of a town mayor; I have been called on to stop men from misusing their wives, stop children from using profane language, see that they go to school, some want me to furnish clothes for them, see that chickens don't run at large, see that the weeds are cut, that water runs in a natural course, sidewalks cleaned off, see that kids go home from school, catch all honey bees flying at large; if a kid loses his sled I am called on to hunt it and expected to do it; one lady, a good old soul like most of the above signers, came to see me about catching a rabbit that was running around her place, said it might eat up her berry bushes. I have been called on to kill dogs. Some people think a town mayor should hang around some back alley all the time, and if he did that they would report that he was after some other man's wife.

But He'll Hang On.
"What I have mentioned is just a small portion of a mayor's work; of course he gets big pay and must do something, and I am going to stand it until the women get to expecting me to haul their kids to school on a hand sled. I have been asked by the most of the ladies that have boys if I wouldn't keep my eye on them when they were on the street riding bobsleds, hitching on automobiles and such like; of course I do. Now if I should say one cross word to one of these boys their mother would cuss me only as a woman can.

"Any time any citizen of this town wants to file any information for drunkenness, or any other just cause, get out and do your duty and get this $25 that I have offered. Don't expect your mayor to do all your dirty work."

Comment: Handwritten on the article, it looks like "Did Jim do all this". No source or date, but on the flip side is a Hills Bros. Coffee ad that is Copyright 1929.