The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-09-16
THE LICENSE ISSUE.-WH HAT
WILL BE RESUBMITTED?

what on the other mana we may
expect, should Mr.. HaineS and his
Legislative associates, receive ma
ioritv of votes at the election in
November.
Mr.. Crothers, the ostenslble and
generally recognized saloon candl
date, with an air of simulated sin
cerity which would be amusing were
it genuine, undertakes to court the
confidence of antilicense voters IN
his party, by asking them to believe
that he is in favor of the resubmisslon
of the license question and as a guar
antee of the faith that is in him, plants
himself ostentatiously upon the vote
catching and fimsy pledge OF party
convention of his own selection.
People of ordinary intelligence
know Just what reliance to place in
such cut and dried party declarations
and will not be misled by them.
They look very properly more to
the man, his record and his known
opinions, than to the platform on
which he parades himself.
OF course Mr.. Crothers is in favor
of resubmissionl
So is everybody else.
But the resubmission of zUhaf?
That's the important point nO70,
when we are about to elect men to
the Legislature. to whom will be
intrusted the important duty OF
framing such legislation as will in
1854, precede resubmission in the
fall of the latter year.
Now the present law, passed in
1890, of which Mr.. Crothers is one
of the political fathers, provides that
the question OF license vr no license
shall be submitted to the people OF
Cecil County every fourth year.
The exact language of the resub-
mission clause of the law Is as
follows:
SEC. 2. And be it enacted that the
question whether or not any person
or persons, house, company, associa-
ton or body corporate, as hereinafter
described may be licensed in Cecil
County Of this State, by whom or in
which spirituous or fermenttd liquors,
Intoxicating drinks or cider may be
sold, or whether or not, no license
to sell the same in said county shall
be issued, shall be submitted to the
registered qualified voters OF said
county, on the first Tuesday after
the first Monday in November in
every fourth year thereafter at the
election TO be held therein.
Now, there is not to day in Cecil
County, a single man who is IN
formed as to existing sentiment on
the license question, who does not
believe that if that question were
submitted no70 under the law we
have just quoted, it would be defeated
by at least thousand majority.
With this knowledge of existing
sentiment hostile to the saloons, Mr..
Crothers as the counsel and advocate
of their interest, has two alternatives
before him: either to risk the result
of resubmission in 1894, or to rely
upon his professional shrewdness
should ne get to Annapolis, in
framing such law, as will place the
saloon interest upon the vantage
ground in the contest of next year,
We know and everybody else
knows hO70 Cecil County was carried
for license in 1890.
1t was carried by absenteeism at
the polls. The poor and needy white
man, the debauched colored voter,
the man either white or black who
could be influenced by money, was
paid to stay away from the polls
1t cost large sum to effect this
result in 1890, and it will cost a
larger sum in 1894.
But the saloon interest knows that
it will be life and death struggle
for existence, and the money will be
forthcoming.
In the meantime, the moderate
and conservative temperance voters
of the Democratic party are to be
soothed and placated by the specious
arguments OF Mr.. Crothers. that il
they will cast their votes for him
n05g, the defects of the present law
will be remedied, by the resubmission
of the present law, loaded with cura-
tive amendments, while the Local
option features Of it will be modified
and emasculated to suit the warmest
advocates of the saloon.
But whatever shape the Protear
shrewdness of Mr.. Crothers may
| take, whatever form the resubmission
legislation of 1893 4 may wear, under
his moulding and masterful hand,
whatever be his professional capacity
towards the saloon interest of Cecil
County, whatever technical title may
distinguish him, whether counsel to
the Maryland Liquor Dealers Asso-
citation, or attorney for the Hotel
Keepers Society Of Cecil, whatever
his present or future relationship
professionally to the saloon interest,
the opponents of license may rest
assured, that he will fulfill to the
letter the full measure of his political