The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-15
TEMPERANCE FOLK ON HAND
THEY ARGUED STRENUOUSIY
AGAINST A QUARTEIvTE OF
BILLS NOW PENDING
Antf-PatrOl Limits Bill Was Killed
Local Option Bill Also Subject
ed to Vigorous Discussion In
Committee Last Night.

n
Committee Last Night
The house committee on temperance
gave public hearing last evening on the
jacobson county option bill and the Won
der Weyer anti-patrol limit bill.
There was an audience of about 100
persons present, and owing to the large
attendance the session was held in the
hall Of the house.
The Won der Weyer bill, allowing city
councils in cities of 100000 inhabitants to
fix the limits in which saloon licenses
should be granted, was recommended for
indefinite postponement. The Jacobson
bill after being discussed was laid over
to be decided upon by the committee at
a meeting to be held Thursday afternoon
at o'clock.
Mr.. Wallace (Rep.), of Hennepin, OPP
posed the Won der Weyer bill, saying the
patrol limits had for the past fifteen
years given satisfaction in Minneapolis,
and it would be an outrage to do away
with them. 1t had been argued that the
council could attend to the matter. The
people of Minneapolis had some expert
ence with councils and did not favor this
question being left to them.
Rev. David Morgan explained that ST.
Paul, and particularly the Midway dis
trfct, in which were six educational in
situations, would be affected by the pas
sage of the bill. The city had made a
contract with the residents in that dis
trict that there should be no saloons, and
this should not be broken by any legis-
lation such proposed.
Mr.. Fulton (Rep.), Of Ramsey, repre-
senting the Midway district, protested
against the bill. ST. Paul had plenty of
room for saloons without allowing them
where there were so many educational
institutions.
Mr.. Won der Weyer sent a communica-
ton to the committee in which he stated
that the patrol limits had been fixed
thirteen years ago, when the population
was $1,000 less than today. The alder
men represented the people and were
competent and qualified to act in the
matter. The present limits centralized
the saloon business, the same as depart
ment stores in other lines. He asked
that the bill be given careful considera-
ton.
Mr.. Ahlstrom Rep.), of Hennepin, call
ed attention to the fact that the saloons
in Minneapolis were confined by the pa
troll limits to one-eleventh of the city and
said they should be kept there. The resi-
dence property owners outside the patrol
limits were opposed to the bill.
Prof. Haynes, Of the state university,
held that the passage of the bill would
be blow to the homes, the schools and
the good morals and good government of
tliC CITY, dS wen DIS the T0SlQonC6 portions
Of the city.
Mr.. Umland attempted to shut off the
arguments by saying the committee had
heard enough to satisfy 1t the bill should
not pass.
E. L. Babcock, formerly of the Olivet
Baptist church, Of Minneapolis, opposed
the bill.
Rev. Homer Cicero Ashcraft, pastor of
the Grace M. E. church, of st. Paul, said
he represented the intelligent motherhood
of the eastern part of the city, who pro-
tested against the passage of the bill.
William c. Bailey, of Minneapolis,
wrote letter to the committee, in which
he said: 1.-THE bill, If enacted, would open
up a question long and well settled We
have distracting matters enough and to
spare without grasping again a problem
that will, once opened, have price for
every alderman's vote who can possibly
be induced, bribed or driven to vote for
the permanent or transient enlargement
of the patrol limits
On motion of Mr.. Yale the bill was
unanimously recommended for indefinite
poStponement.
The committee then took up the Jacob
son county option bill and r. H. Battey.
of the Anti-Saloon league, of Minneapolis,
made lengthy talk in favor of the bill
giving the following reasons why it
should pass:
1t would give voters of each county
that voted upon license the rightful
privilege to determine what they wanted
as to saloons.
1t would give country districts of these
counties a rightful voice in determining
as to saloons at their market towns
1t would make the saloon problem a
county issue and thus, by civic action
and agitation independent of party poll
tics, make the issue Of electing antf-sa-
loon officers.
1t would place upon county government
the proper responsibility Of enforcement
Of our liquor laws.
1t would decrease largely the consump-
ton of liquor for beverage purposes
among the people of these counties
1t would also largely increase the sale
building material, as sales of liquor de-
creased. 1t would decrease the vice.
poverty, personal and property misfor-
tunes and crime, as it would lessen the
sale and use of strong drink
1t would, by closing the open saloon,
make improved conditions for our boys
and young men. Saloons afford the very
strongest temptations to our youth to
drink the Intoxicating liquors kept for
sale.
1t would allow the thousands of liquor
victims to say, by the power of their free
ballot at the county election, whether
for purposes of financial gain liquor SELL
ers might continue to offer these LIQUOR
ruined persons strong drink from saloons
1t would give to the people of this state
privilege for which not once nor twice.
nor IN small numbers, they have asked
for several years.
Because the educators and school peo-