The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-12-27
WANT coon SENATORS.
Temperance Contingent Will Ask
for Various Amendments to
the Four-Aafle Law.

to the people OF Tennesseein which
the Executive Committee cites th,
\ work III connection with the tenn
perance movement in the State
From this address it is apparen
that another fight is 10 be mad,
against the saloons, especially il
the rural districts. The league vii
ask certain sweeping amendments
to the present four mile law, anC
to carry their idea INTO effect ask
the people to be very careful il
the selection of legislative timber
and more especially their candi
dates for the Senate.
PLEA FOR TEMPERANCE.
Their address follows:
Fellow-citizens: Our Anti saloon
League modestly puts forth for
your consideration and action the
following clear propositions:
/. Temperance and local self
government are both right Prin-
ciples. This is so evident that we
believe it will be agreed to by all.
2. The temperance and self gov
eminent will be promoted by
amending our present four,mile
law SO that it can be extended to
any town where majority of the
voters want it. In proof of this
we point to the results Of the four
mile law after nearly quarter Of
a century of trial. Saloons have
been abolished in all our area not
in incorporated towns, and in all
such towns but sixty. Over half
of our ninety six counties have
not saloon in them. The whole
face of the country stands as a we'll
written page of statistics showing
TO all the world that temperance
and good order have wonderfully
increased in the town and country
territory covered by this law. 1t
is one Of the best temperance laws.
Tennessee originated it, and is still
sole owner.
LOCAL OPTION COUNTS LITTLE.
Ordinary local option applied to.
towns merely drives out saloons
and permits them TO set up outside
the corporate limits. As applied
to counties, it drives them just
across the line, and that is poor
protection to towns in the pro
tected county near the line. A
new vote is called upon the ques
tion at intervals and constant strife
is the result. When the four mile
law is once applied, it applies for
ever, and the people know this,
and act upon il with their eyes
open. 1t covers all the ground |
outside of Incorporated towns.
Generally but one such town is in
each county, and when this law is
made to cover its ground also,
wide stretches of protection ex-
tend in all directions. Whenever
the citizens Of any town think such
protection should be extended to
them, they should have the right
to hold an election and pass upon
the question. This would abolish
saloons, as demanded, by sufficient
public sentiment to enforce the
law against them. Temperance
would be promoted, crime and
would decrease, and the
people would feel that the right of
the ballot in settling their local aft
fairs had not been denied them.
SHOULD NOT LIMIT RIGHT.
Why limit the right to towns Of
1900 population and under. as we
are doing at 4sresenta Are not all
the towns just as competent to
their own affairss Should
not the sacred right Of settling
their own issues by the ballot
be guaranteed them alsos All 1
the State they are smart
ing under the indignity which they
rightly feel is upon them. 4
Should they never want to {
lbolish saloons, this freedom Of !
ballot is theirs Of right. and we !
iall upon the people Of our State d
D see that they have II. 10 REL t
use them is 10 strike L blow At the d
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