The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-03-10
FARM ERS IRE
ER ESTED

y
In the License Question, Hold
Mass Meetings and Pass Res
plutions zFavoring No-License
Administration.
It is commencing to be recognized
by the farmers that saloons are a
menace to their happiness, prospect
ty and general welfare. Last We'd
nesday the farmers in the vicinity of
Albert Lea assembled in open meet.
ing to protest against the licensing of
the saloon in Albert Lea. IF saloons
are not benefit to that locality they
are not in this.
The following is taken from an ac-
count of the meeting as given in the
Times Of Albert Lea:
Farmers hold > mass meeting
Court house filled to OVERLOOKING with
a representative audience-Farmers
earnestly desire the continuance of
the no-license law in Albert Lea. r..
Every seat was full and standing
room was at premium when the
"(armers'm meeting" was called to order
at the court house yesterday after
noon and the immense audience Was
composed almost. exclusively of men
from the country. j. P. Lawson was
chosen chairman, and Prof. Hilleboe,
of the Wilmar Seminary, was intro
duced as the first speaker. After
briefly outlining the arguments Civ
en- by license men, the professor de-
voted his remarks to the no-license
side, illustrating his points by citing
the resul4s of his own personal obser-
vations at Wilmar and other places
where the no-license policy has been
adopted. He insists that the evils
and violations of the law of no-li-
cense administration are greatly ex.
aggerated, that after careful inves-
tlgation he was irml y convinced that
the amount of liquor sold under no.
license is far less than that sold I'M
der license, no matter how "wide
open" the s'blind pigs" may be oper
ated, and that with proper men in
power "open violation" of the law
will be made impossible,
Hon. H. G. Nelson, of Haywasd,
followed the professor with an earn
est appeal to the farmers to stand by
their resolutions of a year ago, and
urge the continuance of the no license
policy. Mr.. Nelson said he had been
told that there are Fl ''blind pigs" in
Albert Lea, "but, even if that were
true," he argued, Il am convinced
that there is not onefourth as much
liquor sold here as when the saloons
ran wide open. However," he added
II do not believe there are Fl blind
pigs in this city, but, if they are that
numerous, it is not the fault of the
no-licence policy. but is due to the
weakness of the present administra.
tion." In closing, the ex-senator
urged his fellow farmers to unite in
an earnest effort for the cause of no.
license.
The following resolutions were
adopted:
Resolved, That we heartily com.
mend the no-license policy of oul
county seat and earnestly favor its
enactment and thorough enforcement
in all the towns and villages of oul
county.
Resolved further, that feeling that
we share equally with the citizens OF
our towns and villages the burden OF
the liquor traffic, we favor the enact
ment of law giving us vote on
this important question. -,
Throughout the session there was
unmistakable evidence of the intense
interest with which the farmers re-
gard the license struggle in Albert
Lea, and the expressions of the
speakers and the talk of the farmers
gave evidence of the strong convic-
ton which has grown among them
that the farmers, on whose support
the sellers of liquor depend so large
ly and who are required to pay in
taxes much Of the cost Of prosecu-
tons and expense resulting from the
saloon, should by right and justice
be entitled to an equal voice in de-
Gliding whether or not liquor is to be
sold within the county.
Another meeting was held by the
citizens of Hayward and vicinity in
the school house at Hayward Feb.
rs, 1893. Mr.. Nelson stated the pur-
pose of the meeting, namely, to unite
IN working against the common evil,
the saloon. A large number of those
present expressed themselves in ia
vor of cooperation against the sa
loon, and a resolution to that effect
was drafted and unanimously adopt
ed. It is as follows.
Resolved, That the resident voters
OF Freeborn county, being greatly in
terested in the moral and material
welfare and progress of our county,
both city and country, and feeling
that although through the negligence
of the city and county officials the
law has not been enforced as it
should have been, that there has yet
been during the past two years of no.
license an immense gain to the best
and most important interests of our
{ whole community, do hereby express
our most earnest desire that the pres
est. no-license policy be continued in
our county seat. Believing also that
this is the most important question
at this time before our people, we
pledge our support, both political
and moral, to those men and officers