The public weal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1906-1908, 1907-04-01

On the Oath ult. the corpse OF the
County Option bill, which had been
slain a couple of weeks before In the
Senate, was dragged to the floor OF
the House, a noisy wake was held
around the remains and the cadaver
was finally tagged "Requiescat IN
pace" The procedure was as follows:
Mr.. Rachie, formerly a party Fro
hibitionist, who had introduced the
measure. moved that it be recalled
from the Temperance committee. A
debate lasting an hour followed, IN
which little of interest was added 10
the previous discussions. Mr.. Hlg-
gins seemed to make substantial mead
way against the opposition by stating
that he believed that bill given to
a committee should be reported upon
and not be stuck into pigeon-hole;
that if the committee were against the
bill it was the business OF the com
mittee to report it out for death; that
if the committee were in favor of the
hill. if should recommend it's passage;
that if the subject matter OF the Dill
was too intricate or the committee TOO
obtuse to come to any decision on it
at all, it should report it back to the
House without recommendation. A
member with an extensive girth fol
lowed with a characteristic Grafton in
which he stated that he had been so
drunk that he had to hang on the grass
to keep from rolling off the earth, but
that he agreed with Mr. Higgins that
a committee ought to report, and that
If it would not report the proper
thing was to take the bill out OF its
hands: and that while he was against
the bill from beginning to end, ne
should vote AYE on the question OF
recalling it from the Committee. Roll
call was demanded on the question
and IS members voted to take the
bill out of the hands of the commit
tees and 60 members opposed it, which
rang down the curtain on the flnal
act of the assassination OF the meas
ure for which the people OF Mime
sofa had expressed more earnest
desire than for almost any other.
Would Win by Stealth.
Having defeated county option, the
Uuuorites have introduced a oil
which would enable them to win bacl
most of the villages and cities which
have gone dry. The gain in dry ter
ritory has seriously interefered WIFI
the liquor trade, and House File NO
142 and Senate File of the same mum
ber provide that in the future loca
option elections may be held W1thou
any public notice.
This is startling. The whole weigh
of the bill is to the great advantage
of the liquor element. Prohibition cal
never be won except by appealing tt
the reason, judgment and patriotism
of the people; hence public meetings
literature, facts and figures. Tn
whiskey people never hold meeting
or distribute literature, but do all thei
fighting under cover, and the create
secrecy the better for them. From
present indications the history OF th1
LEGISLATURE will be that it not only dc
feated the County Option bill, as it
predecessors for years have done, bu
in addition has emasculated the pres
ent local option law. The bill allude
to has passed the Senate. Every love
of fair play will see and resent thi
covert assault on square deal.
Clerical Offices Non-Partisan.
House File No. 494, introduced b
T. E. Noble of Freeborn county, Pro
hibitionist, provides that all clerical o.
fices such as auditor, treasurer, res