Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1905-01-27
Editorial Correspondence.

that MIR 9. is a Burleigh county man.
Editorial Correspondents.
Bismarck. Jan. q. 1905.
Since my last report considerable
work has been done by both houses OF
the legislature. The local.option
measure came up in the house last
Friday, and was defeated by a vote OF
67 10 %. The most that could be mus.
tered for the measure at any time in
The house was 33. But, owing 10 fact
that Representatives Stevens and
Spangberg, OF Burleigh, voted against
the meaSureand Representative SiMp.
son, of Morton, was among the Sab.
sent or Not Voting" the maximum
was cut down. Mr.. Stevens, with the
writer, is on the temperance commit
tee. Both signed the minority report
i'll favor Of resubmission. But, when
hat report came up on motion to
substitute it for the majority report,
Mir. Stevens voted against 1t.
AS instructed by the senatorial dis
trict convention so to do. MesslS Bel
den and Streeter voted for the minor
ity repDrt.
One of the encouraging signs Of the
vote. however, is shown by the follow
ing quotation from the Fargo Forum:
"rlle vote on the Streeter resubmis.
sion resolution 0ccasioned no surprise.
There were more votes for the meas
ure from Valley representatives than
amy one had thought" ..
1t is no secret here that a large ma
jority of the members of both houses
are in favor Of the license plan, in
preference 10 the present system.
But, even il, counties where it is be.
( lieyed a majority vote would be cast
fnrlcense, tile prohibition minority
is active and aggressive, while the re.
submissioiiSts are without organizl-
lion. Hence, the influence Of the mil.
liant prohibs is greater than theil
numbers justify.
In this connection I will give tile
Records readers few figures bearing
upon the prohibition law.
When constitutional prohibition
was adopted, in 1889, there were l8, So
votes for and 1888 against the meas
urea majority for it of 1859. The
total vote on the question was 35.945
AT the same election the total vote
for member uf congress was 80, ,l43. I,
will thus be seen that 2.198 of those
who voted overlooked the prohibition
paragraph of the constitution. Had
the measure required u maturity Of all
the votes cast at the electiOn--aS the
other provisions 0f the constitution
required-iL would have been defeated
by a majority Of l,039. 1t will thus be
tseem That prohibition in this state Is
l,lninoriLy measure.
During The election canvass Of 1885
il was claimed by prohibition leaders
and newspapers That tile measure, be.
lug radical departure from the old
aud accepted method Of handling the
liquor Traffic in the Northwest, should
be accepted only as an experiment,
and that, aflera a reasonable trial had
beel, given it, no one would object tu
another vote On the question.
Well, sixteen years have passed since
the sumptuary provision was placed
IN The org jamie law Of tile state AT
the election in 1889, as above shown,
the total vote was 80, l43; while In l90a
the vote vas 7O,l57. IL will thu!
bc sec, that, according 10 the figures
given, us u Tile number OF voters al
Tie Two periods. tile population Of tht
Estate has almost doubled since prollib
iliul Went il.lU,.ffecL. lnULller words
practically half of tile voters now res
1 lIdcnt in North Dakota have neve
had an opportunity OF expressing a
4 tile pnls lileir Judgment as TO th'
4 good or bad qualities Uf that law. Il
The bill presented by me Tile lexisla
lure was asked 10 take the initial ste
toward allowing newcomers as we'll a
5iod-l!mers 10 express themselves a
sllle polls regarding Lile question. NJ.
bill WAS II local-opLinn measure, pur
s and simple. Ii adopted, ii. would ilav
allowed The people uf tllose cOulltie
lof the state that prefer licetse u ilav
lit THAT way. IT would not hav
changed in the eilat-until the vUtel
wanted them changed the condiLiOr
& existing iii tile Red River Valley. Ul
4 Lii license should ll;Lye been ad0pte
by Tie valley people, there would hav
becn no interruption u the stead
SsLieamof thirsty pedestrians passin
land repassing between Grand Fork