Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-03-21
against it, because Canada and Mex.
leo don't prohibit,
Shall We Capitulate. or Not!

leo don't prohibit.
Shall We Capitulate. or Not.
The question that stares the tenn.
perance voters of MontesanO in the
face is whether or not they will sur
render to the saloons. The CITY has
a valid prohlbltory law, and it is for
the people to say whether they will
enforce 1t or not. The liquor inter-
est ensraited itself upon the body
polite here by jus: such means as
we could expect SO nefarious aud
constituencies thing to use, and
that III the face of a we'll known OPP
posing majority. The law clearly
denies them existence inside of the
city limits, but the attitude of the
saloons is easily expressed thus:
We are here; we mean to stay.
What are you going to do about it 2"
When it is suggested that they are
here III defiance of law and can be
removed by law, the answer is char
acieris'ic "D-n the law" No
wonder the saloons are Indifferent to
any suggestions about" Law" when
SO far, they feel they have been able
to control everything and make
every move serve their own interest.
But the question is, will the peo-
pie of Montesano assert their rights
under the charter, or will they tame
ly submit to be ridden by the liquor
army like herd of unresisting cat
tie?
All the talk about fanaticism,"
and the stupidity of the City Coun-
Gil, and the ugly feeling real or sup
posed, that has been manifested by
some temperance people, has really
nothing to do with the question at
issue. The questions are, Do the
people want the saloons? And, if
not, will they insist on their rights
and enforce the law? The blunders
OF any one amount to nothing more
than excuses for the retirement of
the blunderer from the place occu-
pied, and the putting forward of
some one better able to meet the
needs Of the case. In reality there
is not any we'll founded reason to
criticize the city government on ac-
count of the prohibition ordinance,
or those occurrences that have de-
veloped in the fight against the So
looms. What the people are called
upon to decide is whether they will
sustain the prohibition ordinance, or
capitulate to the saloons.
There is no need to argue the
question as to whether the saloons
are an evil or not. Those who can.
not see the evil in the light of our
country's experience, could not oe
convinced by this writing. Those
who do see it, must decide whether
Montesano tamely submits to back
down in this matter or not. Be-
sides all that, to issue the license
with The full knowledge of the ex-
istence of the prohibitory ordinance
in the city, and with full knowl.
! edge of the fact that the county IL
cense was to be used as q means or
excuse for overriding the city ordi-
nance, and to force the city into the
repeal of it, showed an utter disro.
gard for the rights of the people of
the city. To claim that because un-
der the decisions of the courts, sa-
loon could not sell under city IL
cense without county license also,
it was obligatory on the County
Court to grant an application for q
! legally imperative license, is a piece
of nonsense we'll worthy Of a L" Mon.
tana mining justice" but when we
find the interests OF vast Ind pros
porous county committed to such
astute expositors of law. it is time
for some one to enter IL protest. 1t
is no defense for the Commissioners
to say it was none of their business
whether Waldron brothers paid
their money for nothing or kept it in
their till. hold that the Court had
no more right to receive money for q
practically bogus license, in the tuce
of the prohibitory ordinance of the
city of Montesano, than they would
have had to receive money from me
on lease of school lands, in the
face of the decision of the courts OF
the Territory that such a lease was
null and void.
To claim it was none of their bus.
mess whether the city was forced
into litigation, or compelled 10 stul-
tify its own laws, is such an indica.
ton of statesmanlike regard for the
people and their interests that it Ger.
tainIy ought to be preserved Of
rosemary for remembrance"
am glad that Chehalis county has
one Commissioner who had brains
enough to see the absurditY of the
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