Omaha daily bee., 1892-03-04
NUMBER 259.
-lIBlTION IS UP AGAIN
Argu5 nts in the Iowa Legislature on the
g, Catch Bill
OPEN 3 LOOMS PREFERRED TO JOINTS
senators Declare tho Present Law Dead
Letter In Every Observation-Disclosures
tions of u Long Drawn Out
Fight the Subject.

DEs MoNEs, Ia, March 3.-Tho scAete
chamber was crowded this inorninv In antici.
patton of the Catch bill discussion. After
the presentation Of u number of petitions and
resolutions protesting against the repeal o
the prohibitory laws, Catch took tho floor
speak in favor of his substitute for the
Groneweg bill.
Before beginning the speech he presented
the democrat amendments to tho bill They
provide that ono-t fifth instead of two Il fths Of
the voters be required to petition for tho
submission OF the question, and alters the
liability Of the saloonkeeper for sales to
drinking mon.
Then he begun his speech: "As upon SUBJ
jects which it is legitimate to legislats
every constituency has the right to bS
and sooner or later will be, repro,
sented; and as it necessarily no.
suits from this that in every county
constitutiong by itself representative oa
senatorial district (of which there are over
ninety in the state), there must be local
option indirectly, If not directly, upon every
such question. In this way 1T has happened
that many counties which were republican
before prohibition became the dominant issue
In state politics, have become to be demo-
cratic now. When ali things are considered,
canuor must, l think, compel every fair
minded person to admit this change in party
belief Of electors In these counties is the re-
suit OF party attitude on the prohibition
weston.
Hooking only to tho interests OF the re-
publican party, from purely partisan stand
point, 1t Is anything but pleasing facts. Is
1T wise to continue to make this question the
paramount test to party feeling, while by
every act In dong SO we endanger the cause
of prohibition itselfl
"Broader than merely partisan view
should be taken of the question IN the inter-
est not only OF the repu bican party, but OF
the prohibition. / oppose granting the right
OF local option to any territory less than an
entire country and favor county option in
the interest especially Of prohibition, and
every intelligent and honest prohibitionist
should also be in favor of it,"
Then lie Produced the Figures.
Catch followed this with with large
array Of figures to show that unless county
option was soon adopted municipal option
would become fight fight between prohi-
pitionist and anti-prohibitionlst factions.
Continuing, he said "Only b. adopting
county option can the question be taken out
! Of politics. II the municipal option of the
democratic platforms of 1889 and 1891 should
| become law it will inevitably carry the
| legalizei, not 'outlaweo,' saloon into
every county in the state, while, if the state
| ments of leading prohibitonists be true,
| under county option, there would not be q
| licensed rumshop in four-ffths of the coun-
| tleS Ol JHe SuaJc IL tne attitude OF all DarLleR
| remains as at present, and the prohi btion
| law remains as at present, and the same ratio
of changes are made in the future as in the
past, the democratic party will soon
| have it in its power to repeal
the prohibitory law and enforce NUM-
cipal option. For the republican party to
allow this would be folly We cannot afford
| to sacrifice epnblicansm and prohibition by
| longer continuing the unequal contest. AS
| the cause of prohibition has in the past
looked mainly to the republican party for
support, SO it would in future, were the
| question taken out of politics depend for pos
sible success upon the individuals composing
| the republican party. The prohibition
third party could only defeat the re-
| publican party. and by doing SO
bring defeat and disaster to its own
cause Prohibition is more likely to succeed
in nonpartisan election, since it will COM
mand the votes of the nrohi oitlonlsts of all
| parties, tEan at a partisan election at which
| so many voters will subordinate that issue
to other strictly party issues. Then should
prohibition succeed in any county by a ma
| jority vote, is not the law made the moro
| effective by such popular cndorsementw
Catch then dwelt at length upon the evils
of the unlicensed dram shops, their number
| in Des Moines, desirabilty of regulating
| them in large cities and closed with an
earnest plea for the passage of the bill.