Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 79, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1908 — LIQUOR ISSUE PUT FIRST [ARTICLE]

LIQUOR ISSUE PUT FIRST

Watson Comes Out Strongly For County Local Option. In a speech at Spencer, Ind., last Thursday, James E. Watson, the Republican nominee for governor discussed for the first time the temperance question. Although temperance was his principle theme he also spoke of the national issue. His speech might appropriately be called the first gun of the Republican state campaign. While he was careful to explain that it was not his official key-note utterance, which probably will be delivered at Lel>anon next week, it was his first political speech since he was nominated for Governor. Mr. Watson planted himself firmly on that plank of the Republican state platform which declares in favor of county local option He made it plain that he is willing to rest the fate of the campaign on that issue. He said tn part: "In my judgment the Democratic

party in Indiana this year adopted the best plafonn it has adopted for many years and In my judgment the Republican party has done the same thing. The vital difference between the two is on the quesion of local option and to that question I desire to address myself long enough to explain my position in reference to this subject. “The Democratic platform this year proposes local option by wards and "townships the same asTelibw' .in~ force that it is to be done by vote instead of remonstrance. The Republican platform on the other hand, proposes that the question as to whether or not the license shall be granted to any applicant for the sale of any intoxicating liquor In any county shall be granted to any applicant for the sale of intoxicating liquor in any county shall be left to the voters of that county to decide, an election to be held for that special purpose. “In my judgment the enactment of the provision of the Democratic platform into a law would be a backward step. Why a vote instead of a remonstrance? Manifestly because it would enable those who are opposed to legislation of this character to colonize a ward and by all the methods known to them to influence and control a ward notwithstanding public sentiment is to the contrary throughout the city or throughout the county. “For example, in Illinois, where they have a township and ward local option law elections have recently been held in eighty-four counties. The not majority against saloons in these eighty-four counties was nearly 65,000 and yet the final result showed cnly twenty-nine of these counties wholly excluded saloons, while fifty-five voted to retain them in some of their wards and townships.

“In practically every county that remained wet there was a large majority vote against the saloon, but by controlling one or more wards or townships in each county the manifest will of the majority of the people of that county was defeated by the opposing interests. This amounts to a practical defiance and setting at naught of the will of the majority whicl}, after all, is the very essence of a Republican form of government “Why should a township or ward be chosen as a unit, instead of the county? The county is a well-de-fined geographical and political division of territory. The state recognizes the county and deals with the county as such In their business relations. The laws of the state are, as a rule, applied by means of the machinery furnished by the several counties. The judge is elected by one or more counties. We select a county clerk and a county sheriff to aid in the administration of justice, and a county treasurer and county auditor properly to collect and disburse taxes, and other county officials to look after the business of the people within each county. The government that certainly as nearly concerns us as any other and that touches us at all points in the county government. “The Republican platform means local-self government applied in each county. If a majority of the people in any county vote to have saloons, let them have them. The Republi- 1 can platform says so. If a majority of those people vote not to have- saloons in that county let them be excluded. The Republican platform says so. This seems to me to be the very essence of local self-govern-ment and means the application of that doctrine within the borders of a well-defined political and geographical unit. “I believe in county local option. I believe in home rule. I believe in local self-government, and I believe that the time has come when the people of each county by a majority vote, should be permitted to determine precisely what they shall or shall not have with the reference to the presence of saloons. “If I am elected Governor on this platform,” added Mr. Watson with emphasis, "I shall use all honorable means to have this provision enacted into law, and if It is enacted I shall possesses to have it rigidly enforced.’*