BUSINESS MEN'S
UNIONS.
Discussing the Best Means of
Controlling rhe Liquor
Traffic.
THEY SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE
Well-knowu Nebraska Mmhunts lie
Mril.e Loral Coixli lions I'mlci
llo'h Dry ami Wet LYnm's,
A net ting Ketail Ituims
g. aud Tax IIale.
Many responsible business men
thioiighout Nebraska have expressed
their opinions on tlie question of the
Lett means of controlling the liq.ior
traffic. Some towns have voted the
fcaloou out of existence, while other:,
Lave voted for license. Quite a nuni
Ler of towns have reversed their pol
icy in the matter. In cases lil.e this,
residents of those towns aie in a po
t, It ion to form accurate judgment re
specting the result of this experience.
The Merchants' and Manilla turers
association recently sent out queries
to business men. The following replies
Lave been received:
IIOLSTEIN G. U Fischer, Kraiu,
lays: "It is true that the question ol
license prevailed in our town through
the active influence of business nun
and property owners, who feared the
loss of country trade, and the estab
lishment of dives and other clandes
tine means of dispensing liquor mci
tlent to a dry town. The business men
also believed that the dry policy
would make them pay more taxes."
STEKLIXG-C. V. Stuve, general
merchandise, says: "Our people favor
license as long as the liquor men ar
willing to run their places right. Dur
ing the campaign the merchants urged
that the dry policy would drie awa
the trade of farmers for miles around,
eince there are many Germans in this
locality. It was also argued that the
barring of the saloon caused mer
chants to pay highr taxes."
INDIANOLA Chester V. Dow, im
plements, writes: "About two-thirds
Of the business men of this town are
license men, and they advance the
theory that the license policy draws
trade to their stores."
FORT CALHOUN-Fred II. Frahni
says: "Every business man in town is
in favor of high license. They argue
that there is no doubt that taxes
would be much higher under the dry
policy. In regard to lose of trade,
that Is an open question."
UTICA A grain merchant writes:
"High license was carried here in the
last election by a large majority. Most
of the people of this vicinity favor
high license in preference to a dry
town, which would bring about boot
legging and other clandestine methods
of selling liquor. If we had no saloon
here, liquor would be shipped In any
way as long as it is made and our
merchants believe it is better to have
a saloon in order to know just where
the liquor is being sold."
C LARKS Campbell brothers write:
"This town is dry. Many of our busi
ness men believe the policy hurts
their business, since surrounding
towns have saloons, and' many of the
farmers are Swedish. Dutch, and Bo
hemian. The question of increased
taxes was not discussed here."
HEilMAN II. II- Herzog. lumber,
tays: "With one exception, every
business man in town suppoited the
wet ticket. The question of country
patronage was the principal argument
put up by the wets before election."
SF.WARD II. A. Graff, clothing, re
plies: "I believe the majority of the
business men and property owner
here favor the policy of license under
more strict obervance of the Slocumb
law. Our people are demanding bet
ter enforcement."
STELLA A prominent business
man writes: "There seems to have
been enough business men here to
carry the license ticket. 1 am sorry to
tay. through fear of a heavier tax in
case of the adoption of the dry policy.
During the campaign, the merchants
argued that the taxes would be much
heavier if the town should go dry."
KEARXEY Says a leading mer
chant : "The result of the election on
the question of license in this city,
we are inclined to think, was brought
Ebout under the idea that the liquor
traffic could be better controlled with
the open saloon than by supplying the
demand for liquor through drug stores
and bootleggers. Then again, many
Lu.-iness nun feared the loss of trade
from the foreign element in the coun
try; lurther than this, the revenue
coming to the town from licenses is
$10.0'V" annually, which i of materia!
help to tha ci?y. as weil as to the
tchool fund."
FAIRIU'RY D. B. Cropsey. editor,
r'pli-'s: "Our business m."n thought
the license system was th;1 be.-t way
fn which to it culato ti.e liquor bu-i-r.e.-s.
It is true that they Lared thev
would h:i
In ! 0
a rw !
tC'.Vii."
1:1. r'i:
c ; . - ; " (
r. .
tl :
v.' :
!o jay too hoavv a rnn!ry
t.-i.le j ati nun if n!id in in
C ;:t
a ' :
: ' ' ' '. '.
if a
Yi..; ii'iiii: '. r. p;
!:,:. r . i.-j.::- "I ti.hi'i I ( ;
f'.;i.;.v .-ay thit our pvoybj fear.
ti truth-,
1 a !ois ;
of patronage from the farmers If th
town should go dry. Of eouse, there la
a division of opinion, but the prevail
ing sentiment seems to be that the
majority who supnort the business in
lerest of Silver Creek are in favor
of the wet policy, and they are, as a
rule, as fine a class of citizens as can
be found anywhere."
RED C1)UD-A leading citizen
ays. "There are many voters of this
place who favor hi?h license because
of the experience this town once had
under no-Iic use rule, when "blind
tigers' ran unhindered, and the town
was disgraced beyond anything experi
enced nuclei Ihe license systeTn "i .
not believe the matter of partouuge
from outside territory would enter in
to the question to any extent."
PLYMOUTH A dry goods mer
chant writes: "This town is onlv
from eight to ten miles from DeWitt
and S wanton, which are both wet:
therefore our business men felt that if
Plymouth should go dry. their busi
ness would be injured. This commun
it y does not want county option, ne ith
er does Saline county, to the north of
us. rue strict. enforcement of the
cumb law would be better for evoir
body, and our people are in favor or its
better enforcement."
VALENTINE D. M. Rice, editoi
Democrat, replies: "It is true that the
business men look an active intiest
In our recent ep.-ction upon the r.ues
lion of license. During the ceurs!
the merchants argued that a diy town
would produce a loss of patron. .Le an '
increased tax rates. They also pr.'
fennel a saloon strictly regulated to .
traffic in liquor through the drn
stores, bootleggers, and "blind tigers.'
which aie peculiar to some of the dry
towns."
FALLS CITY L. J. Harris. Editor
of The Journal, writes: "One rra.-on
for the result of the recent election in
this city was the fac t that a large por
tion of the population of tihs county
is German. The influence of the busi
ness men was for license because of
the probability of loss of patronage in
case the town should go dry."
KEARNEY p. 1,. Whedon. Editor
of The Democrat, replies: "In the re
cent election upon the question ot
license, business men here were gen
erally favorable to high license and
the enforcement of the law. There is
no doubt that business men took into
consideration the probability that they
might suffer loss of business in case
the town should go dry. and that taxes
would be increased. This sentiment,
of course, had its effect."
LINCOLN A. I. Israel. Editor of
The Country Merchant, says: "In the
recent election here I believe that the
majority voted for license because the
voters believe that the so-called pro
hibition theory will not successfully
prevent traffic in liquor; also because
the elimination or liquor licenses
would increase the tax burden and
more than probably decrease the vol
ume of outside patronage of the city's
merchants. I am also of the opinion
that many business men feared that
the elimination of legal liquor busi
ness would result in an Increase of
lawlessness and have a demoralizing
effect upon the community."
C LARKS William Douglas, mer
chant, writes: "This town went dry
in the recent election owing to agita
tion among those who pay little or no
tax. The majority of our business
men believe that taxes will be much
greater upon the withdrawal of license
money, and they know that trade will
v,e less, as a great many of our farm
ers have expressed themselves to that
effect. It was the expressed wish of
the best class of our taxpayers that
license should carry."
SUTTON F. M. Brown. Editor of
The Register, replies: "I regard it as
a fact that the license issue won be
cause our business men and taxpayer.
feared they would have to pay too
heavy a penalty in loss of outs.i.h
patronage tnd in increased taxes a:
results of a dry town."
SUTTON Henry Grosshans. farm
machinery, writes. "We had two ye:trs
of experience under the dry policy,
and I regard it as very unsatisfactory,
there being more drunkenness than v.v
have had under the wet policy. 1'n
der the dry regime we had about (if
teen places where bad liquor was sola,
and we could not control the traffic at
all; now we have but four saloons
which are controlled, and there is bet
ter order in town. I am for the wet
policy and a strict enforcement of tiu
Slocumb license law."
PLAINYIEW P. F. Boyens. furni
ture dealer, writes: "Your informa
tion is correct. Our business men and
taxpayers feared a loss of outside pat
ronage as a result of a dry poiicv be
cause our neighboring towns aie wet "
WAYNE W. S. Goldie. Editor of
The Democrat, replies: "The thiol
reason why Wayne voted wet ai the
last election was because of the e
perier.ee of twenty years apo. wh v
the town went dry. The man who ha
been marshal from that time to tii.s
and who is on" o.; th." best oi!k ;a?s
the state, said publicly that ! h
,.,.. e mo. .',. v.i'h .il.ii. e:.: .,; :.:,a t.:
'! .ir.ti
ell He
l: an
1 . :er i
v' '
1. a
1 a:u r
one e. i" in w':;
posed : 1 e dr
seeia! ears ;
tern. He S..i- :
The At.ii-Sal.-c,
t:v
S-eui-'V
lG.-t !:
town
I vt
hat
up a
'.':-! c--
Vt tes
I
i.e'ie .
ler h
1 th- .
re-- t. :!'
.::t emetic;
..t-out
111 e.r.r 1 ' e
league
! i;! tk y :u
r-CIiiVi
i h
(v
ii;
:.ui n
.1.
e. I
'lit i
: It".
I I!
a.; .ii it v
Of 1 '
ill
this cc-iii.ty.
u'.icy woulJ
iO doult
firlve Euch citizens away frcm a tor.n,
as they go where they can fet v.-ht
they want. While ! um net lartlcu-
larly a drinking man. when I speak of
j conditions in this local section. 1 would
not favor a dry pobcy."
, KELIGH J. N. Mills. 01 M:.ls &
liciry, dry goods, .-as. " Our e.pt:i
j ence teaches us that we l.ue L.:tei
government and less di.-.co:; ..nU-rthe
j licence system. When oai town !? ry
j and othei town.-. it, the my tow.i ;
I kit out. I lo not ti. ink stt .toiy pro
i hitiitioii is a teinpetiince 1. o . .neiit.
! The writer has been in bu.ir-.-s in
this town since 1880 aim ha? taken an
a live pait in the liquor qu.-.-t.ou I
si a. I alwajs vote tor the liten.-e pol
icy as long as the United Mates con
tinues to issue licenses."
G LEN VI LLEr-Ernest Fruch. larm
machinery, writes: "The business
men took an active part in the recent
election. Among them there is a sen
tlment that the adoption of a dry pol
icy would be detrimental to their busi
ness because of the German element
in this community. Most of the tax
payers are retired farmers ol the Ger
man nationality."
VALENTINE" M. C Carroll, real
estate, replies: "In the recent elec
tion most 'of our business men woi ked
hard for the old Board and for license,
for they were sure that if the town
went dry they would lose most of their
outside patronage. They also said
that in that event property would be
taxed to the full limit. We have two
weekly papers here The Democrat
and The Republican and they worked
haru for the old Board and for high
license. Most of the farmers in this
neighborhood are in favor of license."
LAWRENCE D. Livingston, editor
of The Locomotive, writes: "License
won here through the support ct busi
ness men who desired to please a laige
country trade, and who also desired to
benefit by the payment of liquor li
cense money which would relieve them
of that much tax. Our business men
believe that the high license system
is the bett way of eontiolhng the
traffic."
SCHUYLER S. Fuhrman. dry goods,
writes: "My experience with the dry
and wet policy in this state is that
when a town goes dry the surrounding
towns are generally wet, and the town
loses the revenue on license. The only
way to deal with the liquor tratlic is to
regulate the same by law, and enforce
the law to th'e letter."
SCHUYLER Henry Boltcn. mer
chant, writes: "In this particular lo
cality we are supposed to be governed
by the Slocumb liquor law. The law.
however, has not been enforced, and
my opinion is that if the Slocumb
law were enforced it would be better
for this locality than what is known
as the dry policy. As a law-abiding
citizen of the state of Nebraska. I be
lieve in enforcing all the laws that arc
on our statutes."
GLENV1LLE D. K. Caldwell, bank
er, says: "Our business men and
property owners wished the license
system to prevail. They are people
who favor personal liberty, regardless
of the question of taxes. This county
is rich. It is a German settlement of
well-to-do and industrious people who
have been prosperous from the begin
ning of the settlement of Clay
County."
PENDER Nick Fritz, farm machin
ery, writes: "In our recent village
election, it was the concensus of opin
ion that if the town should go dry we
would lose a good deal ol trade on ac
count of neighboring towns having
license, as we have a good many sub
stantial German farmers in the neigh
borhood." GRAFTON William G. Hainey, gen
eral merchant, writes: "I am perfect
ly satisfied with the Slocumb law if
enforced properly, because it does
away with bootlegging' in dry towns
and places the responsibility where it
belongs. In dry towns 1 have noticed
this nefarious clandestine traffic car
ried on without a chance of an officer
catching the sellers, and 1 found it to
be true that there was little chance of
enforcing the law."
VALENTINE E. Clyde Davenport
of Davenport & Co.. general mer
chants, writes: "The result of the
election was probably due to the fact
that the majority of the business men
are of the opinion that well-regulated
saloons do no harm to a community,
and the revenue derived from them is
very necessary toward the support of
the school and village. I think the
business men were not so much afraid
of the loss of outside business as they
were of the increase in taxes."
M'COOK Jchn E. Keliey. real es
tate, writes: "1 resided in Kansas in
1SS0 when the prohibition amendment
carried, coming to Nebraska five years
later. I have lived the last twenty
three years in McCook. All of that
time the city has favored licensing
and regulating the traffic the annual
license fee being $1,200. I was in
Iowa both bcfoie and since the prohi
bition law was abolished, and am free
to say that 1 favor the Slocumb law
when pioperly enforced oxer any
means of regulation that I have ob
served. In both Iowa and Kansas it
has always been as easy to get liquor
as in Nebraska, and much more so
than it is in any Nebraska town that
Coes not favor license.''
M'COOK P. Walsh, president Mc
Cook National bank, replies: "I am
unalterably opi osed to prohibition so
called, because the policy has proven
to le
Hit CM -
be
ets wherever it hns be.
n tried
this ti;;
r tlio :
beve that
l' t ter law
1 '
ll
u t :
.r 1
I" I
t ! ,
: 1: il
:o v
v.:::
:i .
prohibition only takes ewcj ti.e reve
nue and does net stop the sale.
ARAPAHOE R. I. bin: i., mer
enact, w Ufs. "The cou:r.:y uii.u'ary
to Arapahoe has a lare l'n;:: popu
lation and the town ha.- r.lwa; s ha:
salcoiia unt:i the last y.-ar. At : he.
e!e.:'cn this -pring all hinged or. t!.
q-.c-.-: ion ot lie -nse tr no He n . v itj 1 a
majority oF the bu.-uu-ss men s-c'.iii-.i
to fear a loss of bu.-inesj it tae town
continued dry; also that the '.axes
would be heavily ine leased if no li
cense money was had."
OKLAHOMA TOOK IT BACK
After Adopting Prohibition at the
Polls the People Reverted the Policy.
Last fall the paid agents, of the Anti
Saloon league went into Oklahoma and
induced the constitutional convention
to adopt an article prohibiting the man
ufacture and sale of intoxicating bev
erages. The proposition wae submit
ted to the people last fall and carried,
the law going Into effect at once. It
was a great victory for the league.
Id spite of earnest efforts to enforce
the new provision. It proved a dismal
failure, and the business men of the
new state demanded a change. This
they had a right to do under another
article of the constitution, which e-m
powered the legislature to establish
state dispensaries tor the sale of liquor
if it proved to be impossible to enforce
prohibition. The state was overrun by
bootleggers and the clandestine sale
of liquor was tarried on in utter de
fiance and contempt of law.
Responding to the call of the busi
ness men the legislature provided for
state dispensaiies by a law which was
approved by the governor late in
March. Dispensaries are established
hi counties and towns foi the sale ol
liquor by the state at a profit. An
Omaha distiller has just sold a ear
load of clcohol to the state of Okla
homa to be retailed through the dis
pensaries. This is a complete reversal of the
state's policy in respect to control of
the liquor traffic. Judge Strang of
Guthrie decided a case May 4. writ
ing an opinion in which he held: "The
dispensary law is an act regulating the
sale of liquor, not one to prohibit."
Oklahoma is the last state to repu
diate the policy of state-wide prohi
bition
LICENSE SYSTEM PREVAILS.
Many States Have Discarded Prohi
bition and Adopted License System.
Agents of the Anfi-Saloon league
are traversing Nebraska telling the
people that there is a wave of prohi
bition sentiment sweeping the coun
try and that now is the time to set
into their county option water wagon
They do not care to admit that the
area of dry territory has been extend
ed almost wholly in states having
local option laws like that of Nebras
ka. To do so would be to commend
the provisions of the Slocumb high
license, local option law a thing
agents of the Anti-Saloon league could
not do without admitting there was no
need of their presence in Nebraska.
It is true that there is a growth of
sentiment in favor of a more temper
ate use of beverages, but that senti
ment has been made in high license
states and not in prohibition states.
In an article in the Review of Reviews
for April occurs this statement: "Up
to a year ago, of the eighteen states
that had tried the experiment of pro
hibition, only three Maine, Kansas
and North Dakota remained in the
ranks." Incidentally it should be said
that last fall Oklahoma adopted state
wide prohibition, only to discard it
last March, because it had failed. It
is necessary to say also that Georgia
became a prohibition stata in January,
190S."
Thus it is seen that there aie but
four prohibition states in tha union.
The advocates of prohibition are claim
ing large rains, but they do net tell
then hearers that nearly every state
has enacted local option license laws
for the control of the liquor traffic
Here is a list of local option license
states, as published in the New York
World Almanac for 1908:
Alabama Local option, fee $175
$350. Arizona Local option, quarteily fee,
United States license $25 annually.
County and territorial $300 annually.
Arkansas Local option, fee $800.
California Local option, fee by au
thorities. Colorado Local option, fee $500 up.
Connecticut Local option, lee $150
$450. Delaware License by courts, fee
$200-$300.
District of Columbia License by ex
cise board on the written consent cl
the majority of the owners cf real es
tate, fee $S00.
Florida Local option, fee $1,250.
Idaho Annual license by author
ities, fee $750.
Illinois Local option license by city
council or village or county beard, fee
not less than 55"0.
Indiana License by county commis
sion, fee $100-$250.
Iowa- License by petition cf voters,
fee $Gu'b
Kentucky License by majority of
voteis. fee $1hi-$15.
Louisiana State and local license.
?10u up.
Maryland Local or ion. foe J1S
$150.
Massachusetts Loeal epici, fee not
loss than $1 number
to l.eu'i inhabitants, in Be
5 .0.
Mi.'hU-av. I.o, a! o;.';. :
-" 1.
limited pi:-
-?)!
cr.r to
Ti:
ir.r.y 1 y r.;a
c a ! ( ;-tl-n law
ti-?, ti.e county
3-'! It;
r.nd
not
a!
courts may grant a iicens ana tlx
lax of not less than JiO'J. nor more
than $400 per year for state and not
less than 10( nor n.oie than Ji 0 lor
county put poses.
Moniaiiu Local option, semi annual.
fee SloM-JUuo.
Nel.ia.-ka Ical option, lee $000
11.000. Nevada State license fZO per an
num. wholesale. $100 per annum; re
tail drug store, $12 ner annum
New Hampshire License by ma
jority of oteis, fees ba.-ed on popula
tion, maximum $1,200.
New Jersey Local option, fee $100
$300.
New .Ver.ico License by count;
commissionc 1 s. Ice $1 0-$400.
New York local option in towns,
fee $lii0-$l,200, according to popula
tion North Carolina Ixcal option, semi
annual fee of $50 $400.
Ohio Local option, fee $1,000.
Oklahoma State dispensary.
Oregon Ixcal option, fee $400.
Pennsylvania Licence under control
of courts, fee $75 $ 1.000.
Rhode Island Local option, fee $200
$1,000. South Carolina State regulation.
South Dakota License by local au
thorities, fee $400-$t0'b
Tennessee License issued by local
authorities, fee $150-$200.
Texas License issued by county
clerk, fee $300.
Utah License granted by local au
thorities, fee $400-$1.200.
Vermont License local option act
took effect March 3. 19o3.
Virginia Control of loeal courts,
fee $175-$3C0, local option provided
for.
Washington License issued by lo
cal authorities, fee $300 $ 1.0 0
West Virginia License by courts
and local authorities, fee retail, $C,'0;
wholesale, $750.
Wisccnsin Local option, fee $lu0
$200. with power in voteis to increase
from $2(io-$i.00.
Wyoming License issued by local
authorities, fee $100-$300.
Thus it will be seen that the pre
ponderance of popular opinion is over
whelmingly for local option, high li
cense REPUDIATED COUNTY OPTION
How Many Counties in Canada Stamp
ed Out an Unwise Law.
When the business men of Nebraska
get a full understanding of so-calied
county option they will consign it to
oblivion. It is used bv agents of the
Anti-Saloon league as a means to an
end it is simply a me trod by which
they expect to attain prohibition. This
fact they assert everywhere their ul-
timato aim is state prohibition. They
are net content to let each town man
age its own affairs, but send paid
agents into Nebraska towns to array
the non-tax-paying voters against local
property owners in efforts to deprive
the latter of the right to control the
policy of the town whose expenses
they are taxed to pay. These paid in
terlopers are getting voters to sign pe
titions to the legislature to pass a law
which would give all the voters of a
county a right to dictate to any town
In the county as to what it must do in
respect to a matter which Involves
thousands of dollars in loss or gain of
business or of license fees.
The idea of county option was taken
from Canada and transplanted into
some of the southern states. Agents
of the Anti-Saloon league found it to
be an attractive method in localities
where it had not been tried. They are
careful not to say that in many Cana
dian counties it was long ago repudi
ated and stamped out. Here is what
Prof. Goldwin Smith of the Toronto
University wrote about it in one of his
well-known essays, some years ago:
"In 1878 the Canadian Parliament
passed the Canadian Temperance Act,
more commonly called the Scott Act.
The purport of this Act may be do
scribed as county option. It enables
any county adopting it by a simple ma
jority of the electors to prohibit the
sale cf any liquor within the county
for local consumption under penalty of
a fine of fifty dollars for the first of
fense, a hundred for the second, and
two months imprisonment for the
third.
In the province of Ontario there are
forty-two counties Twenty-eight coun
ties adopted the Act. most of them In
1884 and 1885. In 1888 ten counties,
nine of them at once, repealed it; and
in the following jear the remaining
Scott Act counties also returned to
license law. The majorities for repeal
were overwhelming. In Ontario the
Scott Act is generally regarded as im
possible of resuscitation, and the ad
vocates of prohibition legislation are
turning their minds to other measures.
This is a genuine verdict of the peo
ple. The liquor trade had exhausted
its power of opposition in the eaily
part of the contest; in fact it hardly
appeared in the field without do;r.;:
mischief to its own cause."
Townspeople repudiated the law be
cause it ei.abled outsiders to c'al.'le
into local matters in which they hai!
no moral rieht to interfere. It is a
thing of the p?st.
BUSINESS rE.N ARE O RG A . 121 NO
To Protect the f1 3 1 e r i 3 1 Intcr-s'.s
Taxpayers Aga'nst Unwise
Legidat'cn.
Hundreds of the L-.-t l.u.-i:! :-s ho
es o Omaha have jc-in-d an -j;-r..
tion stile t the Met chants' .V.
" t !:!
a s-.-e mil- :i.
hi ' i 1 " -tii
. : ; i.- to ;
!..-:.- ( i" t :. x ;
: . ! : t 1 n t 1
"V1
to
i! f
!. 'v.' t .
:t:cn t ) ;!.
Al.
'ii' en le-a:
tott statutory 1 to!-:!..! ' VP1 u
people through mo;c: ..ik
they call 'county .jl.o:i. l vthr
states where they !i.w- per :!.-d they
openly .let hired that "i'k; !,;. .? ol the
league ij statutory prul.ib!;;. i ; that
"county option is a iiaie.ru! i-p l I"'
hibltion."
The Merchants and Mani.fac turers
association stands for a strict eiiioi ce
ment of the Slocumb high license law.
under which any village or town may,
by popular vote, dee ide to license the
sale of liquor or not. I'mler this law
over 450 Nebraska towns have gono
ury. It affords the greateft possible
degree of home rule, noi Interfering
with the right of a community to man
age Its own affairs, l ucie i its provis
ions, outsiders cannot dictate to the
people of a town or village vrUM they
must do in the matter of ir.-.hitliitf
the liquor traffic. Every sUto in tho
Union, 6aTe four, long ago adopted the
license syptem, and nearly two -dozen
states have abandoned statutory prohi
bition In order to adopt the litcuso
system. Experience has proved that
the local license system Is the only
practical means of regulating and con
trolling the sale of liquor.
The new association of business
men holds to the conviction that the
Slocumb high license law has been of
great benefit to Nebraska sinc e its en
actment in 1887, and therfore the law
must be defended from attack. Tlu y
are convinced that business pro.-perity
is possible under the Ii ense system,
whereas it is e-asy to see that statu
tory prohibition injures business by
causing outside capital to shun a state
having that policy. They are 011
vinced that county option nr. a us pro
hibition in the end. and for that reason
Is a menace to the business interests
of the state. Their appeal is made to
the merchants and taxpayers of the
whole state, knowing that if the latter
can be shown the true-! inwardness of
the movement for county option, they
will soon be able to effect an organiza
tion in every county strong enough to
destroy the work of the imported, sal
aried agents of the Anti-Saloon league.
Hundreds of business men have
joined the association under the fol
lowing conditions:
"As business men and taxpayers we
favor the movement to form an Asso
ciation 01 Merchants and Manufactur
ers for the purpose; of adopting meas
ures to bring about a better enforce
ment of the Slocumb liquor license
law throughout the state a law mak
ing it optiopal with the people of a
town or city to say whether or not
liquor shall be .sold. We believe- the
said law has been of great benefit to
the state and that thM can be no
better means for regulating the sale? of
intoxicants. We stand for its strict
enforcement. We join this association
with the unelorstaneling that no dis
tiller, brewer, liquor dealer or saloon
keeper is eligible to membership. Our
object is to protect property interests
from the ill effects of unwise legisla
tion." WOULD DESTROY HOME RULE
County Option is Radically Different
from Nebraska Local Option.
There is a great difference between
local option as defined by the Nebras
ka law, and county option as eleflned
by the Anti-Saloon league. Local op
tion guarantees home rule anel pre
vents outsiders from dictating to
townsmen as to what policy they shall
pursue. On the contrary, county op
tion wculd give to voters in country
precincts and in villages the right to
say what another town must dei in re
spect tcj re'gulating or abolishing the
liquor traffic. County option would
e'eslioy the principle of homo rule,
whereas local option sustains that
principle. The one is antagonistic to
the other.
For instance, say that the taxpayers
of a town had voted for license while
other towns in a county had voted
themselves dry, the policy of county
option, if adopted by t!ie legislature,
would enable the voters of the dry
towns and country precincts te com
bine and force the wet town dry. In
other words, outsiders could ifn a
town regardless of the will of the resi
dent taxpayers. The state would of
course retain the power to tax the
property of townsmen while at the
same time depriving them of the right
to control the policy of the town gov
ernment which they are taxeel to main
tain. Voters outsiele the limits of the
town, whether they bo taxpayers or
not, would, under county option, have
the right to vote upon a question con
cerning only the pc-ople of tho town,
which would be rael'cally unjust, i.e
struetive of the priuc iple of home- rule
and wholly unamerienn.
There is no argument thai can be
offered in support of eounlv ptrm
which cannot be met and overcome by
those in cb-fense of the light ,l a com
munity to m?.:iui:e its w:i a flairs.
One I' Uson why prohibition Jailed in
Okiah'.i .a was because the bootleg
gers swarmed into the niv st::t", en
abling the negro to ge-t all the booze
he coubl 1I1 ink. The prime object of
the disj . -.1 . y law is to prci-.-i.-nt th-
nciio 1 ; :ii gt-ttin.4 whisky.
of th
Anil- ': a !' !1 ie?
a :-i
t'llii)'-: en th" pnd.i'.dTion wave- : aid i t
sw. eping the country, but th -y fn:A
t.) say t! at the e-xi :;-:o'i 01 dry terri
tory in ti.e l-.Mtli hr- be-i-n wholly c.n
eb r .-tare lav.-- prem.Ung for the hi;rli
!; i:-- l-.cal c;.'.i'n sy.-te.-m.
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