Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1907-11-22
Favors Local Option.

prohibition must and will ultimately
come to the District of Columbia" declared
Albert E. Shoemaker, chairman of the COM
mittee on legislation and attorney for the
Anti-Saloon League of the District, last
week. "But, unlike the view taken by the
prohibition crusaders, who, although feder-
ated with the league, seem to be working
for straight prohibition on their own respon'
sibilitY the league believes that the end In
view will be gained only through the estab-
lishment of a system Of local option in the
fixed districts in the city.
"The league has now in preparation
bill to be submitted to Congress which Will
make 1t possible to vote in the District for
local option, by locality, determined upon
basis of maximum and minimum popula'
ton.
"If the bill should pass and the city be
divided into districts, it would avoid the
necessity of voting machinery by house
to house canvass, which would accurately
determine the sentiment in the different sec
tions of the city. In the districts that reg
lister majority favoring local option this
mode of regulating the liquor traffic would
then prevail under the bill we shall propose.
"This plan is not compromise; 1t Is
simply an educational step toward ultimate
prohibition, and leaves the question square,
ly up to the public, who, we believe, Will
support it. 1t is the speediest method OF
gaining our end.
~ disagree with Commissioner McFar'
land and Representative Bsbcock in their
views that an adequate form Of local option
in q manner, a constructive local option
might be said to exist, it brings about no
practical result, as far as moving established
saloons Ia concerned. But once in the four
teen years that the Antl-Saloon League has
worked has an established saloon been NOV.
ed. This is largely due to the fact saloon.
keeper, his relatives, or friends own consid-
cradle property adjacent to his place of bu.
siness, and this fact, coupled with the neces-
sity of getting signers only once, makes 1t
almost impossible to remove them.
ave shall also ask for certain amend.
ments to the existing liquor laws, and, al
though local option may or may not be
obtained, we will endeavor to have an anti
screen law passed, making all bar rooms
open to public view. We will also ask to
have saloonkeepers required to obtain sign
ers annually on both sides Of the street, and,
where a saloon occupies a corner, we want
residents on both streets included In the
petitions
"That the increase in the liquor license
from $500 to $500 has in any way curtailed
the trade is a fallacious belief. This regu-
lation has in no way decreased the applica-
tons for licenses, and should the present
applicants obtain other signers, there will
be 100 more saloons In the city at the end
of the year.
"While l, personally, should work just
| as hard for the plan the prohibition crusad.
ers advocate, should the national leaders
30 agree, as l did in endeavoring to bring
the Weber bill to a vote, feel that the
conclusion arrived at in conference with
many societies, which, affiliated make up
the National League, is correct. At present
the primary step of local option in some or
all parts OF the city Is far better than the
existing condition or that which would ex-
let for some time should every effort OF those
| fighting the liquor trade be directed toward
the immediate end Of strict prohibition.
"When the Anti-Saloon League began ita
work q saloon existed in the city for every
21S inhabitants, counting men, women and
children, and LOO licenses had been issued
70 day there is only one saloon for every
500 residents. The excise board seems, too
to regard our work with more favor than
before, and we have no fear for the outcome. u