, 1890-04-03
IOWA REPUBLICANS.
They Are Tired of the Pro-
hibition Farce.
4 STRONG ANTI-MOyEMENT
The Legislature Requested to
Amend the Law and Allow
Local Option.


six delegates were present, representing
several thousand republicans.
Chairman Collins, Of Kookuk, said
that he had bccn q lifelong prohihition-
ist, and had done all in his power to
enforce the law in his city, but had
failed.
other speeches were made In a similar
vein.
Ex-Governor Kirkwood sent letter
in which, among other things, lac said;
"personnlly, I favor local option and
high license, with stringent regulations,
but some OF my prohibition friends say
that II such o change is made the ro-
publican party can never carry
an election in Iowa again. That
looks 10 me very much like an attempt
at bulldozing, ana the republicans never
took kindly to that mode of argument.
This policy has been pursued for some
years by the extreme prohibitionists in
the republican states that have not
adopted prohibition. II has not won in
the past, and 1 think will not in the
future"
Hon. a. B. Cummings, OF Des Moines,
presented the report of the committee
ON resolutions, which received great en-
thusiasm. The resolutions declare un-
seyering allepiance to the principles OF
the republican party, as enumerated in
the Chicago platform and continue (:
I'VE recognize the liquor tratlic rs one
which requires regulation, but insist
that the object of such regulation should
be to minimize lntemperance and mti-
gate its evils. The experience In this, as
we'll as other states, has conclusiyely
shown that general prohibition, operat-
ing upon all communities without re-
speci to their habits, conditions, circum-
stances or desires, Is not adapted either
TO suppress intemperancc or promote
morals; and, therefore, the experiment
should be abandoned and the law so
modified that those communities which
desire q change shall have the right to
determine for themselves whether in
tOxicating liquors shall be sold rs a
beverage within their limits. We are
unalterably opposed TO any attempt to
Introduce iuto the constitution the doc.
trine of state prohibition. The original
law OF the state ought not To be incum-
bered with police regulations Of that
character.
"A political organization has no. just
right to bring into declaration the prin-
ciples OF u new doctrine unless ii be one
upon viii ia substantially all its menu
bers agree. "A large number Of the re-
publicans of Iowa are, and always have
been, opposed to general prohibition, and
u the republican party adheres to It's
present position upon TINS question, it's
manifest shat by such adherence, IL
tends to exclude from membership all
those who believe in q different policy.
lnasmuch as the members ot the party
arr not agreed upon the subject there
Is obviously but one course which the
party can honorably pur,ue. II is to
vigorously exclude from the party plat
lorm every reir rciiCe tn it. leaving each
republican member ot the legislature
lrec liberty to act with respect to il as
his Judgment mHy direct.
"Ihe experiment ot general prohibi.
tiOn has been faithfully tried, and in
many portions OF the state IL has lament
ably failed. The republican party can
not justify nlrtNpr support to so petty n
measure. Those members OF the party
holding our views can not, with favor 20
themselves, longer lend their aid to i'm
pose upon many communities all the
evils Of unlicensed, unrestricted and un-
regulated liquor selling.
Nor these reasons, and in the inter
ests of morality and business and social
order, we ask the general assembly now
in session 20 so amend the prohibitory
liquor law as to give to communities
lllNl - uc,llc ~ dIt tUe iiuNtT W Alil1uap
q minimum license, to be fixed 10y the
legislature, to regulate tho sale OF in
toXirating liquors through the medium
of high license. We insist ON such u
change OF the platform of The republican
party us will enable us TO stand honestly
upon IL, and to assist ia restoring the
party to complete supremacy"
TAKEN rr BY TIE LEGISLATURE.
The prohibition question was taken up
in the lower house oi the legislature this
afternoon.
The democratic caucus license bill vas
considered.
Bichman (democraD said that in spite
of the stringency OF the law 1t was plain
to be seen that in some of the local citie.
the prohibitury Law was openly violated
while In others IL was observed. The
democrats wanted ~ remedy thi,
condition OF affairs, and in the local
Ities whore prohibition was unpop
ular they wan ted the liquoi
traffic regulated. Accordingly, they hac
prepared u bill TO liz the whole case-s
| bill that would give the localities tia
wanted prohibition a chance to have 1t
| 1t provided for settling the matter o
| license, or no license. by n popular vote
the Licenses TO be granted only by th'
district court and then only 10 the pr0pe
persons. ANY one could make re
nOnstrance against the license, and l
such rgmOnstranCe was considered sui
tCient the license would be refused. III,
| license Zee was uAeu at a minimum O
$500, and that amount would go To tn
county in every case, whiu
the municipality could exact es mucl
| more as Ii saw iiI ANY ono obtaining
license must lie 5000 bond for tn
iull observance OF the law. Person
violating the law would he punished b,
fine and imprisonment, and any ON
convicted twice would iorieit all right u
TO OBTAIN license again.
Druggists could keep and properly us
liquors under permits. Any person no
holding license convicted OF sellin
liquor could bc punished by fine q
not less than 500.
Amer vigorous debate of four hour