Daily Republican., 1889-04-17
THIRD EDITION.


80 Our Dover Letter.
Special Correspondence OF the REPUBLICAN.
DOVER, April 16.-The Local Option
bill was called up this morning shortly
alter IL O'Clock. Mr.. Lodge took the
floor In opposition to the bill. He OPP
posed the bill on the ground that 1t had
been declared unconstitutional. He cited
case in fourth Harrington. There the
case had been argued by men Of ability
and decided by q court that stands as
high as any in the United States. Now
as to my Haunting the constitution.
will Haunt 1t In the lace OF the House as
long as any bill comes up here doubt
the constitutionality of.
Mr.. Clark said that whenever a bill OF
reform comes up some one declared II uu-
constitutional.
Mr. Lodge replied that such was not
the case with him. He believed the Con-
s,itutional Convention bill was constitu-
tional and had voted Tor it.
Downham spoke.
Mr.. Eckels asked II there was petit
ton recommending thu passage o the
bill, and who had signed 1t.
81, Mr.. W. E. Davis said; There is no |
petition presented; the gentleman |
knows, as we all know, that there are
great many people who want the right to
vote upon this question" Mr.. Davis
then explained at length aud interestingly
the provisions OF the bill. He did not see
how 1t could be unconstitutional. The
whole matter lie lett to the people. 1t Is
democratic.
Downham spoke again.
Mr.. Blggs then signallzed his reappear-
Ance In the House By an excellent speech
In opposition to the bill. He said in part;
81 do not wish to be understood as an
advocate of the liquor traffic. That 1t is
an evil no man will deny. 1t is creature
Of the devil, and he used 1t as an iustru-
ment to do wrong. II could command
o breath from the North pole would
freezs 1t into an iclcle that would never
melt. Local option is not the best means
to control the traffic. am opposed to 1t
for the reason that have lived alongside
OF county where it is in force
can take you TO Charlestown and
other places where 1t is In force, and
will show you boys twelve to sixteen
years OF age, drunk In the street. You
don't see that here. When you pass such
a law as this, you have clubs and othei
secret places where boys go to play card;
and make drunkards. The boats on the
Elk and Sassairas rivers running IRON
Baltimore formerly carried an occasiona
barrel of whiskey, now you ind thos'
boats carrying all quantities from pin
10 half gallons. Each trip pays from tlO'
to $3.50. There is more drunkenness u
the Elkton lair in one day than there
IN a week at Dover. The only way
control the traffic is TO throw around
the strong arm OF the law and enforce I'll
latter. There was never reform thu
was the growth OF day. IL has bee
The growth OF years. The time has ne
vet come for this. People cannot stan
up and say to me that the liquor trait
now is worse than It vas years ago.
1t is only seven IL lies from Middleton
to summit Bridge, nuA there were 10
merly ten places whore liquor was sol,
Now, between MddletOwn and Newar
distance of eighteen miles, there is on
one place. The people have to be educs
ed up to 1t. Moral suasion that God h
given us lie the great stay Of the Americi
people. We recognize in theyouth OF Il
country the mighty hope OF humanit
And these you must educate"
At the conclusion of Mr.. Biggs' spcsl
the vote was taken and the bill Yas pass
by strict party vote as lasnows:
.- Ayes AIastaa- VI. Z. Davis Hynsc
richardson, Clark, h, A. DAY
Maui, Wallace, Morgan, sackett, Lin
bownham, Short and Mr.. Speaker-li
Nays: Armstrong, Biggs, Gray, VIII
man, Eckles, Lodge-6.
Absent; Brockson.
., General s A1n''T SSss n On on YOU
saia' ana 'n IN soiEg SO L..
that 1t Is the prorns tne proper III
40 not think state prohibition has 81
sure IA In all the recent elections
las lost ground"
Mr.. Hynson did not think the meas
by any means the best that could be
fered.
What the action of the Senate will
on the bill is looked for with some int
ost.
The House passed tho bill this at
noon taxing telegraph and telephone ct
panies sixty cents per mile for the
wire they run, thirty cents for the sec
and twenty cents for each subsequ
mile.
The Addicks people have occurred a
rorable report on their bill from the CT
mittee, and 1t Ia not unlikely that 1t
pass the House by quite enough vote:
20 through. MAJ