The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1904-01-26
LOCAL OPTION
BILL WILL PASS
At Least That Is the Opinion of
Anti-Sdloon League Officers.

into the hoppers OF the House and
Senate. Two of the bills. the Rick
etts salary bill in the Senate and the
local option biiiiii IN the House, are of
vital interest to the people of Ohio.
Both bills will be hard fought, espec-
tally the temperance measure, which
the Anti-Saloon League officials
claim will surely pass, no matter
what the opposition from politicians
is.
The ward local option bill was in
trC duced in the House by Represen-
tative Charles Brannock, of Clermont
county. The bill provides that it
shall be unlawful to sell Intoxicating
liquor as beverage in any ward OF
any city or village when a majority
of the qualified electors sign a petit
tion to prohibit the selling of intoxi-
icating liquor in that ward. and the
petition passed upon by the mayor or
the common peas judge finding that
it does contain a majority OF the
voters of the ward. The bill outlines
what shall be sufficient form of pc
tition, and also defines the term ma
jority of the qualified elt ctors in the
ward to mean the majority of regis.
tered voters in wards having regis
tration. The usual exception with
reference to druggists selling liquor
Is in the law, the same as in the Bea
law.
The other provisions similar to the
Beal law are as follows: The deflui
tion of the term Intoxicating ii
quor- the time for re-submitting the
question in two years: refunding o
the Dow tax to liquor dealers forcet
out of business under the law; ant
the form of AFFIDAVIT or indictmen
TO be used in prosecuting the case.
The bill is very similar TO the Bea
law, except that it provides for tn
submission of the question by peti
tion instead of by election, and aI
plies to wards instead of the Who'll
of the municipality. The bill is er
tirely separate from the Beal Law
and viii not effect it in any way, no
the villages NOR cities that have O
will take advantage of its prov
sions.
THE bill presented by Mr.. BraI
mock is the other half of the Clar
local option bill which passed tt
House four years ago by good IN:
jority and after a prolonged strug
gle was defeated in the Senate b
one vote. II is the other half of th
Beal local option bill which passe
the last General Assembly, the wal
feature being eliminated at the r
, quest of a goodly number of II
friends of the measure, who a
gued that straight municipal loc;
option should be passed first, and fo
lowed the nc 1t time by the ward fe;
/, lures.
The Beal local option law hi
given great satisfaction to all bi
the saloon interests in the towns al
cities of the State that have tried
/ d
has enforced il. But while the sma
y er towns and cities throughout Il
State have been at the mercy of Il
brewers, who have, in defiance
public sentiment, been pushing 5
lloons out into territory where tn,
never ought to exist Since the pa
sage of the Beal law saloons in Il
larger cities of the State havei
creased a little more than 200, al
much of this increase comes fro
the establishment of saloons in Il
resident districts where not only Il
morals of the community have be,
greatly injured, but property valu
, have wonderfully decreased.
"The demand for the passage
: the ward local option law is mut
more insistent and determined thu
was the demand for the passage
the Beal law. Thousands of men
the larger cities who are not oppos,
mess districss are very pronounced
opposed to them in residence di
tricts- The people in these hon
districts of our cities have been vel
patient in this matter, but their p
thence is well-nigh exhausted. Th'
cannot understand why the thick
a populated wards that have mo
u people than many of the villag
! and cities of the State that ha-
taken advantage of the Beal Ia
. should be protected, and they left
= the mercy of the liquor traffic vii
o no means of protection"