The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-10-08
A VOTE ORDERED.
In Benton Under Local Option Law

November Election.
Another local option battle il to
be fought in Benton county. The
smoke from the skirmish lines is
already to be seen on the horizon
The conflict this irne involves the
question of whe,hsr or not saloons
shall be allowed TO do business vita
iu the limits of Benton county. On
the one side of the scrimmage line,
will be arrayed those who want ev-
cry saloon in the county tut out OF
business. On the other will be
those who contend thar the present
conditions are n ore desi;ab than
county without sal on. There
is no doubt that the issue will al
most overshadow the issues in the
presidential campaign before cleo
ton day rolls round.
Provision has already been made
by the anti-saloon people to have
the question of saloon or no saloon
on the election ba lots. Petitions
were filed two or three days ago
with more than sufflciency Of
signatures. and in response to the
prayer of the petitioners the county
court Thursday Issued an order, di.
recting that the question be sub
mitted to a vote o the paople in
the November election. The pc
tition is as follows:
"We, the undersigned, legal
voters of Benton county, Oregon,
would respectfully petition that on
Tuesday, the 9th day of November,
| 1904, : an election be held to
| determine. whether the sale@of in
toxicating liquors shall be- pro-
hibited in Benton county as a
whole; that each by himself says, l
have personally signed this petition
and my residence, postoffice and
precinct are correctly written after
my name"
! Of signers in the original petit ON
there was 258. Of these num-
Der were not on the books as quail
fed electors. and the legal count Of
them was 229. Tie law provides
that 10 per cent of the votes cast
for supreme judge at the preced ng
election shall be sufficient for re-
quiring a submission of the ques-
tion to a vote of the people Al
the last election in Benton, the
vote Tor sup eme judge was 1850.
SO that only I85 signatures were
required. In addition to the 22e
lin the original petition, severa
other single sheets filled with sign
ers came into the clerks Office. NJ
count could be taken of these how
ever, for the re son that the Law
requires that all of the sheets at tht
time of the filing shall be attached
together. 1t made no difference il
the result however, for the origina
petition contained more thai
enough names to compel submis
sion, and that is what has beer
provided for in an order of the
court.
At the late election, 381 NOR
persons voted for the local option
law than voted against it 1t is ;
significant fact however, that abou
200 persons in the county did no
vote on the question. Probably
they did not have their mind'
made up, and preferred to 1eav
the declsio to their neighbors
If this 200 people in the comm.
contest should go unanimousl,
in favor of sal IONS, it would still
leave balance of 181 on the othe
side. 1t is claimed that some o
those who voted for local option il
June will. when it comes to tn
actual question of abolishing th
saloons in November, chang
front. 1t will take 81 of such per
sons to give the saloon side maj
ority of one. pr svided none VIII.
voted against the measure in Jun
now change to it. Thus the anti
optionists must hold ali their Jun
forces, must get all the votes of tn
200 people who did not vote the
and in addition, must get 81 vote
that went against them in June t
stand off the late majority.
The petition represents all part
of Benton county, though most c
, the signers reside in the four Cor
wallis precincts and the precinct 9
Philomath. They were presente
to the court by J. H. Wilson, an
l without comment.