The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-12
LIQUOR CAMP |GN
State to be Thoroughly
Organized
Secretary Roberts Talks of the Plans
of His Association and the LeglsIa-
ton Which it is Prepared to Fight
for Before the Legislature

AS stated Yesterday, Secretary II. H.
| Roberts. of the State Liquor Dealers
Association. is back from meeting at
| Greensboro at which resolutions were
adopted of n political nature Which
will doubtless become an issue OF I'M
rortance in the campaign. Mr.. Den
ton was expected to return on yeSlef-
day mornings train and to bring WIN
him a copy of the resolutions TO be
printed. He did not arrive, however,
either by the morning or the al
ternoon train.
When seen yesterday Secretary Rob-
erts stated that the resolutions passed
by the association did not commit the
memberSsnot to vote for any man who
does not pledge himself to fight the an
ti-SaIoon League, but not to vote for
any one who has pledged himself to
vote with the more extreme of the
temperance advocates. There is an
important difference, says Mr. Roberts,
between the two actions.
Asked as to the aims of the aSsocia-
ton and what legislation it proposed
to attempt to have effected by the next
General Assembly, Secretary Roberts
replied that the liquor dealers would
propose bill providing for general
scheme of high license. taking the
question of granting or refusing license
out of the hands of County CommlS-
sioners or municipal authorities. I'm
der the terms of the legislation for
which the association will work, says
he, all license is to be granted by the
state Treasurer, and it shall be man
datory on that officer to issue license
to anyone who has complied with the
provisions of law which may be re-
quisite for engaging in the liquor bus
mess. A phase of the fight will be par
ticularly to take away all discretionary
power from the authorities in the
matter of granting license.
The plan of legislation to be asked by
the association will provide that all in
come derived from licenses issued in
the cities shall be divided between the
municipality, the county and the State,
each receiving one-third of the total
revenue; when license is granted in the
rural districts the plan is that the rev.
enue shall be divided equally between
the county and the State.
1.-The purpose of the association, y
said Secretary Roberts, lis to get lib
eral Legislature and to encourage
legislation looking to a rigid high Ii
cense, making license mandatory and
taking away the discretion of the au-
thorities controlling the issuance of
the same when the candidate has COM
piled with the provisions OF the law.
l is a matter of little concern TO the
association, says the secretary, how
high the license prescribed may be-
or how rigid a law may be passed, so
that the liquor dealers can be put in a
position to know what they may eX-
pect after engaging in business.
Secretary Roberts has been engaged
for some time in travelling over the
State to almost every town and viii
lage, and the liquor men are making
the most strenuous efforts to effect
permanent and powerful organization.
They claim that the idea is not a polit
ical one strictly speaking, as they will
not attempt to form a liquor party or
to do anything other than to bring in
luence to bear on both parties to NOM
mate men who are not in sympathy
with the temperance movement, as at
present conducted by the AntiSaloon
League The association has plenty of
money and will be very active; and, al
though in the present state of the
moral movement its propaganda is
doomed to dismal failure at the same
time it is a matter which should not
escape the attention of every commun-
ity.
AS soon as President Denton returns
the resolutions will be printed for dis
trbution, as will other literature of the
association.