Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-03-22

The Independence Enterprise has prepared the
following very fair summary of the provisions of
the proposed local option law upon which voters
to pass at the June election Section I provides
that whenever ten per cent of the registered voters
OF any county, precinct, other legal subdivision
of county petition, the county court shall order
an election to be held at the time mentioned in such
petition, to determine whether the sale Of intoxica
ting.liquors shall be prohibited in such teratory. By
legal subdivision county is meant any precnct
town, city Or ward.
Section 10, which is the most important section
OF the bill, provides, eff majority of the votes here
on as whole, or in any subdivision in county as
la whole, or in any precinct in the county, for
prohibition, said court shall Immediately make
order declaring the result of said vote and absolute
ly prohibiting the sale of Intoxicating liquors with
IN the prescribed limits. The county court shall
issue order for prohibition, Notwithstanding the
county as whole voted against prohibition.
Section II provides that if majority voting at
any election hereunder vote against prohibition the
court shall make order declaring the result and
have the same entered records of said court all
OF which shall be subject to the provisions in
ton 10 of this act.
Reading the sections together i. appears that if
an election is called for county and prohibition
carries as whole, the precincts favoring license
are not given local option, but bound by the
majority vote OF the county If, the other hand,
prohibition is defeated in the county whole,
the precincts favoring prohibition given local
Ioptlon. This is a feature of the measure that
should be fairly understood.
Section IA reads: When prohibition has been
carried at election held for the entire county, no
election shall thereafter be held in any subdivision
or precinct thereof until after prohibition has been
defeated at subsequent election held for the en-
tire county; nor in any where prohibition has
carried in any subdivision of any county shall an
election be held thereafter in any precinct of such
subdivision until prohibition has been defeated at
subsequent election held for such entire subdivision
This gives the prohibitionist very decided ad-
vantage under the law those who favor license.
1he remaining sections relate to the enforcement of
the law, and exceedingly strict, prohibiting the
giving away of liquor and throwing the burden of
proof upon the person accused of violating the law
as: "lt shall not be necessary to state the kind of
liquor sold nor to describe the place where sold
nor to show the knowledge of the principal to con-
Wet tor the acts of an agent or servant"
Mr.. S. l. Pratt has abandoned his efforts to Sc
cure the republican nomination for school superin
tendent of this county, and has announced himself
an independent candidate. A petition in the ia
terests of Mr.. Pratts candidacy is being circulated
by Henry Amber, of the firm of Amber &
Waters.
Why should it excite surprise that the Hearst
boom finds friends among the Oregon democracy.
1t has been SO many, many years since a boom with
barrel behind it has within reach of their
longing, itching palms. that it looks like return
of the good old times "before the war; No
wonder the old war horses brighten up and feel
their oats.