Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-04-15

st tuesday evenings session OF the
assembly the majority OF the committee
On state affairs maze report for the
passage Of the bIll 70 repeal the local
option liquor law.
This bill, says the majority, seeks
I 10 repeal chapter OIL, laws OF 1854
Law which provides that upon petition
OF ten per cent. of the voters Of any
municipality, an election must be called,
and held upon the question whether Ii
Ceusc shall be granted or not, in such
municipality, for the sale Of liquor, and
! in case Il majority Of the voters at such
I election vote for no license, then no Ii
Gense shall be granted.
7 I'VE consider this law unnecessary,
performing no good office, obnoxious to
Il Large proportion of our citizens and
therefore should be repealed. We CON
slider the law unnecessary because the
general excise law leaves il optional
with the local government of every
community TO grant license under the
Law, to such persons, in such places as
they deem proper or refuse to grant
such license if so inclined Believing a.
w wv AlAslt NAlt lAbillt III AAAkAol uIluNl
proper conditions ana rctrctious is le
climate business under our laws and
supplies for the wants Of man, and thar
the public interests, are best SubscrvCd
morally, socially and financially, by reg
ulution, by restriction and by license,
we believe that the general law, which
mixes the local authorities responsible
for the proper regulation of the traffic,
in accordance with tbs sentiment Of The
people they are chosen TO serve, in
many respects the better provision. Re
cause, under the local option law, in
case community votes for license, tbs
authorities are in % position to shirb
much of the responsibility of regulation
and grant license TO every applicant
whether or not ha be a proper person
TO be entrusted with such license. And
on the other hand- may disregard She
voice Of tho people and refuse licn0se,
Notwithstanding ahe vote of the ma
joity.
IN case however. majority vote
for 40 license then the law becomes
operative and prohibition goes into eff
feet 1t performs no good office be
cause it makes the traffic less restrictive
where license is voted, and wheB no Ii
Cense is voted it enacts prohibition,
condition of human society which has
proven a complete failure in every in
stance wilqTe it's endorsements hats been
attempted. for the reason that rs a rule
it does not lessen drunkenness hut leads
to groater vices
1T is not our intention. to laud the
drinking habit, on the contrary we de-
plore the unfortunate condition of hui
man nature by reason Of which the
TASTES and habits of men are liable to boz
CARRIED to excess, to the detriment of.
themselves and the community. This
being true, the fact still remains thah
these are only exceptional cases and
true Of such a small minority, that The
rights and liberties of the people should
not be infringed upon by prohibition
That a state of prohibition in our oos-
mopolitan condition of society, as he
average community in this state repre-
Scnts, adds Bnthing TO the moral, fra
ternal or social qualities of communities,
is amply demonstrated by the expert
ence under the law under consideration
On the contrary, it engeuders a spirit of
fanaticiSm and revenge, a system of
espionage and mcanness it cultivates
disrespect for law and maintai8rs a con
slant state Of agitation, and a fleeing Of
Suhjugation by the defeated party,
which is intmical to the spErit of our
institutions and destructive To the feel
inss of pride in American citizenship
As between the prohibiionist on the
one hand and the believer in unrc-
str5vte1 traffic on the other, there can
oe no compromise. Ii then remains for
the intelligent, conservative citizens,
class which 10 doubt constitute the
great majority, to adopt that system
which experience has demonstrated to
be most just and beneficial 4 system
of license, of high license if YOU please,
Of restriction and regulation 50 that the
rights Of all may be subserved Your
committee win acknowledge the great
force Of the claims for the majority rule,
hut believing that the rights of the ma
iority are amply preserved under the
general excise law, upon a principal less
obnoxious TO the great mass of our
people and upon lines Of greatca social
and domestic equality, less destructive
conclusion that the repeal OF this law u
a step in the direction of a government
more in accordance with the American
idea"
The report is signed by John Rmgle.
Jos. Deuster, A. Q. Wilson, c. Grimm
and A. Van der Heiden, all democrats
Mcsss Schwefel, dem and LANDER
son, Putnam and McConocme. reps, dis
scntjng
The minority report, signed by Messrs. i
Lamberson Putnam and AtCEonochie,
but not by ar Schwefel is rs follows:
THE question of regulating the traffic
in intoxicating liquors is not n new one.
1t has been a source Of annoyance and
almost constant attempts at regulation
by the state since we have had a state
legislature, a very strict measure would
be passed raising the license. or other
wise restraining the traffic This would ,