St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-05
TOCRUSH
Representative Maland Pre-
pares a New Bill On Local
Option.
He Restricts 1t to Towns Of
Less Than 5000
People.
The Attorney General Scans
1t With an Eagle
Eye.
Senators Give Divided 0pin-
ions Upon the Reappor-
tionment Question.
Mr. Clapp Will File an Opin-
ion Thepeupon This
Week.
Freeman Lane Scents an EP-
PoP in the Forbes Gam
bling Bill.

at is not my intention," said Repre-
sentative Maland yesterday to the
GLOBE, 'to annihilate high license. [
am a high license man, and my local
option bill was intended to be in line
with the present law. But after consul
tation with large ntTmber of temper
ance advocates and due consideration of
all the facts in the case, have decided
10 amend it,"
In accordance with this statement,
Mr.. Maland, who is recognized as the
head aud front of the temperance ele-
ment of the present house, has drafted
bill amendatory of the local option one
which he introduced last week. This
new bill will probably be introduced
to-day, it having passed under the keen
eye of the attorney general last night.
The bill in its scope is more liberal
than the first. 1t so amends the local
option act that it shall only apply TO
cities of less than 5000 inhabitants.
Why he 50 amends it Mr.. Maland eX-
plains as follows:
"Cities of over 5000 inhabitants have
police forces who stand as the law above
and in control of the saloon. There the
high license operates with its penalty
clauses to protect the people as. far as
possible without the total abolition of
the saloon. lii towns and county places
of less than 5000 inhabitants police pro-
lection is lacking. and the saloon may
flourish and depredate upon citizens
without power to check it. My new bill
proposes to give communities so unprO-
tected law with which they
70
in the localities where high license
does the most good it is left
to pursue its operations under no hamp-
pcring provisions. There was ques-
tion whether such a bill as this new
one was constitutional, but L have the
opion of several house lawyers that it
is"
If Mr.. Maland be the type of the
moderate and conservative temperance
refurmer, Mr.. EllingsOn, in contrast,
may represent the nervous, articulatcd
class. He bobbed into a house cloak
room yesterday morning, as if walking
on Goals, and placing his mouth in the
ear of Representative Sumner, asked i'll
a Macready whisper:
Are YOU satisfied with high license?"
Mr.. Sumner spoke right out in meet
ing. He said that he was perfectly
satisfied with high license, and wholly
opposed to any new temperance legisla-
ton at present. 1t was quite evil
dent that Mr.. Eliingson was taking
poll of the house in the interest of the
Sam Smith agitators. Two years ago
Mr. Smith assured the house that high
license would cure every evil from poll
evil to drink evil. This year he wants
more legislation. So does Mr.. Elling-
son. But the majority of the members,
by their daily expressed sentiments,
want no battle over temperance this
year. They are satisfied with high
license. MI Maland's new bill is con-
sidered to be quite fair in tone, but
hardly liable to pass in the face of the
opinion of the members who are OPP
posed TO professional agitation for the
sake of notoriety. As Mr.. Maland says,
he has no desire to inJure high license.
lie stands separate from the Ellingson-
Smith combine.
The attorney general gave his opinion
last evening that this new bill was con-
Stitutlonal.