Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-10-23
ALrrrLE CONFUSION AND MUCH MIsREPsE.
SENTATI0N.

up over case Wnlch mas been keDb IRON
the outside world The Viroqua club i.
an association of business men of the
city. Last spring the city went dry,
voting no license. but the club msmbers
did not suffer thereby. This was gen,
orally known, and when the grand lodge
of OdG Fellows met at Vl-oqua the
mayor, it Is stated. told members of the
the club that Il would be all right to
entertain the visitors. No objection
appeared until after the visitors had
gone home. when four complaints We're
filed ag ainst club members for violation
of the liquor laws
The above is the kernel of recent
news dispatch sent from Madison to the
Milwaukee papers. which found its way
into the Hillsboro Sentry, La Fargo Eu-
| terprise and other papers. For general
transformation of Yiroqus, its business
men and constituted authorities, no
statement could well be more sweeping
and unjust. To start with, Viroqua il
not All torn up Second, the so-called
'Viroqua Club is not an association of
businessmen, neither do they giveisssnc-
tion. and we doubt if halt-dozen such
are numbered in its membership. Third,
the statement of advantage taken in
connection with entertainment of Odd
Fellows Grand Lodge, is without foun.
dation or fact 1t is well known that
evidence and complaints were in process
before that honorable body OF men met
here Neither the mayor or any person
in authority encouraged disobedience OF
law. snd it is reflection on the Odd
Fellows order 20 accuse the members of
being law breakers. The unjust state
ments Were undoubtedly given ont by
an attorney of the 'club" who went TO
Madison TO secure a restraining order
from the courts.
Several complaints we're made before
Justice Pollard Upon these complaints
witnesses were examined and the saiG-
to be secretary Of the club was subpoena
ed with the records showing the minutes
of the meetings. He refused to produce
the papers and the court adjudged that
he had disobeyed the process and asked
him to show cause why he should not
bs punished for contempt He obtained
three or four continuances of the con-
tempt proceeding TO enable his attorneys
to look up the law and finally procured
an alternative writ of prohibition from
the supreme court prohibiting the jus
tice temporarily from Furnishing him.
The attorneys for Justice Pollard will
undoubtedly ask to have the alternative
writ Of prohibition quashed, and in the
meantime several cases will be tried.
Tae plain facts in the matter are that
the so-called ysrpqua drinking club
managers claim they are conducting
their affairs within she law, while the
local authorities believe that they have
no legal or moral right TO carry or
their traffic as they have been doirg.
The present efforts are directed toward
determination OF the question. Our
citizens generally believe majority rule
Is essential to good government. They
believe they are capable and have the
right to control their local affairs. Tbs
La Crosse breweries, through their
agents and s1iorneys are unquostion-
ably at the back of the effort 10 defy
local authority. Every good citizen is
community and rights of the individual.
hence there can be no surrender until
they are judicially determined. If an
open drinking place shall be permitted
despite the sweeping majority against
it. rendered at the late municipal cleo
ton, the people want to know il, no
matter what of their personal views on
the license question. If the community
has no power to regulate its internal
affairs, then we have little right to
claim immunity from the spirit OF an
archy. Disobedience OF law and defiance
of constituted authority is d fundamen-
tai principle in til. anarchistic creed.
The CENSOR believes in Lis ios:.y rule,
in local self-government and obedience
to constituted authority. When ma
jority declare for the licensing of saloons
the command should be obeyed. No
right thinking man can deny that the
reverse should be the rule.
One case before Squire Toney this
morning for violation of excise law be-
fore the Viroqua Club was organized,
resulted in verdict for the city De-
fenden. was fred $40 and costs amount
ing te ga 80. An appeal was taken to
circuit court