Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1908 — COUNTY OPTION MEASURE [ARTICLE]

COUNTY OPTION MEASURE

Went Through the House Saturday By a Majority of Ten. By a vote of 55 for to 45 against the county unit local option measure was passed in the lower house of the legislature Saturday, four republicans bolted their party platform and voted against the bill, while six democrats did likewise and voted for it. ( J for it. Never in the history of ,the legislature has so much abuse, intimidation and even offers of bribe, it is charged, been made to pass a measure as in this. Democrats who refused to repudiate their party platform were subjected to all kinds of slander and abuse by those lobbying for the bill, many of whom were garbed in the frock of. the clergy. “Breweryites,” “saloon bums,” “members of the brewery combine,” etc., etc., were some of the endearing terms hurled at the democrats who conscientiously stood by their party platform in this matter. - —‘ —-——- —-v---Not only this, but democrats all over the state have been subjected to like abuse because their party platform declared for township and ward local option instead of county option. So fieroe has been this abuse from many pulpits, republican newspapers and the ward-pol-iticians of that party, that we fail to see how any self-respected democrat can further identity himself with thiß anti-saloon-republican cause, as at present conducted, or vote for it when a county election is held.

If the seal of these narrow-mind-ed bigots who have been so unstinted in their slander of democrats has not given the temperance cause a set-back in Indiana we havq missed our guess. The Indianapolis News, always an ardent advocate of temperance measures, well says: “There is room for honest difference of opinion as the best means by which to accomplish the result which all good men desire. A democratic/ vote against the bill is therefore no proof in itself of. the subservience of the man who casts it to the liquor interests. And no man fit to hqld public position will have any fears lest his motives be miscontrued. As we have said the issue as it is now presented can not be made anything else than a partisan issue. This is to be regretted, but it is nevertheless true. The Democrats stand for one policy and the Republicans for another, and the question is whether each party shall be true to its platform declaration. To say that a man who honestly supports the position of his party is for that reason opposed to sound morality and temperance is to say what is hot true." The measure will become a law as soon as the acts of this special session are published, which will likely be in a few d&ys, and then it shall see whether it will be the effective weapon that the overzealous ones have declared that it would be. And it is safe to say that' it will not be repealed by the democratic legislature which will be elected this fall. The pbople will be given an opportunity to see how it works to their heart’s content before its repeal will be taken up.

It was to be expected the% bill would be passed. Gov. Hanly put his party In the hole by calling the special session for this very purpose, but democrats who 1 voted for the measure should now, if candidates for' re-election, which some of them are, get off the ticket. They have no moral right to remain on the ticket of a party whose platform they allowed themselves to be cajoled, bribed, intimidated or brow-beaten into repudiating. Such spineless specimen of .humanity are unworthy of sitting in the councils of MEN, They are not fit to legislate for anybody, and should get off the ticket and make room for those who can withstand'' such onslaughts as were qpade in the interests of this measure by all the allies of a party made desperate by defeat staring it in the face.