Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1908 — DON’T BE FOOLED. [ARTICLE]

DON’T BE FOOLED.

Thomas R. Marshall, the democratic candidate for governor of Indiana, stated in his speech at Remington—and has so stated at many other places—that he stood unequlvically on the democratic platform; that he believed in the principles therein enunciated and if elected would use his best endeavors to carry out, so far as the governor’s office was concerned, those principles; that had he not believed In the platform’s declaration of principles he would not have accepted the nomination. Mr. Marshall has the unchallenged reputation of being an honest man, and when he says a thing his manner of saying it carries conviction that he means precisely what he says: Touching on the so-called temperance side of the questions at issue, he said that he believed in the declaration of the democrats for township and ward local option being a better and more effective plan of dealing with the liquor question than the county unit method advocated by the republican party and its ally, the anti-saloon league; that under the former plan the people of a local community—ward or township—could settle the question for themselves, either by the present remonstrance method of by an election —whichever they choose—while under the county unit “local option” the whole county would decide the matter, and If It voted “dry” It must be dry, and if it voted “wet” It would undoubtedly be wet, instead of not meaning anything at all, as the republicans would have one believe.

He said that he was not presuming to "fiaT what the decision of the supreme court would be if such a law was passed, but if the contention of the republicans on this question was upheld it would be the first time in this country where the minority vote ruled. “What was sauce for the goose ought to be sauce for the gander." And right here we wish to quote from the speech of Governor Harris of Ohio, delivered at Youngstown last Saturday. Ohio has a county unit local option law similar in all respects, we believe, to the law proposed here by the republicans and their anti-saloon allies. Here is what Gov. Harris says, in commending that law: “This law of itself does not close a single saloon. It is a referendum, pure and simple, of the saloon question to the electors of the counties, to be determined by a majority of the votes cast therein. If the majority is in favor of the saloon it will stay in that county; if the majority is against the saloon it will go." That is precisely what the democrats contend would be the result here, if a county votes “dry" it is dry. and if it votes “wet” it must be wet. thus forcing saloons on many localities that are now dry.

Mr. Marshall also said that neither the republicanjior the democratic platforms pledged the complete eradication of the liquor business, but simply to control it. and that the man who favored the complete eradication of the business should neither vote for him or for the republican candidates, but should vote the prohibition ticket, as that party was the only party pledged to wipe out the business entirely. This is an honest and a manly stand to take, and no one can say he is not absolutely right in this statement. And it is just like Tom Marshall to say it, too. The democratic position on the local option question is the correct one. if you seek to control the liquor traffic; the prohibition position the proper one if you believe it should be wiped out all over the state. The people of Remington and Carpenter township should be allowed to say whether a saloon shall be operated in that township of not. but under the county unit plan Rensselaer and the county north might—as an example—carry the county “wet” and then saloons could be operated in their midst though the vote in that town and township was unamimous against it. The republican governor of Ohio says so, common sense and your own reasoning tells you so, and it is so. , Don’t be fooled by the tricks of the republican politicians who will resort to anything to keep their stalls at the public crib. Make up your -mind to vote for real local oj>tion, where the people of a local community can have the deciding on whether or no a saloon shall be operated in their midst, and also bear in mind that the democratic platform among other excellent things, declares for the enactment of a law for the guarantee of deposits in state while the republicans are condemning such a measure,