The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-04-17
Senator Clagett's Stand.

thusiasts in Prince Georges county is
Senator VIM. 3. Clagett, whs introduce
ed and fathered the bill upon which the
question of whether or not intoxicating
liquors shall be sold in the county after
September will be decided. Senator
Clagett has taken firm stand against
the saloon, and declares that he pro-
poses to make fght for the adoption
of his bill in the middle and lower dis
tricts Of the county.
The Senator was one Of the princip al
speakers at the mass-meeting held at
Hyattsville on Sunday evening of last
week. He declared that the saloon
must be eliminated in Prince Georges
county as = measure Of protection to the
morals and peace of the community.
eff we can win this fight" declared
the Senator, and we must, you will
see new era inaugurated in old Prince
Georges county. New houses will be
erected IN every section and an increas'
ed acreage of farm land will be under
cultivation. Tho present conditions of
labor in Southern Maryland is deplora-
BILE, and its result primarily from the
presence of the saloons where the col
ored man is attracted and where he re-
mains an idler the most of his time.
The paltry sum of sc, 900 paid into the
treasury of the county by the. saloon
keepers will be nothing compared with
the wealt that will come to US when
the saloon is closed. I stand here to-
night to tell you that never have 1 been
more in earnest than am in this fight
against the liquor traffic in my native
county. l would rather see this county
rid of whisky or the right to sell it than
to win any battle in which have ever
been engaged"
Continuing, Senator Clagett declared
that as the bill submitting the question
to the people bore his name, he wanted
to explain it's provisions. He declared
that the original proposition was to SUBJ
nit the question to all the people of the
county, and that in those districts where
prohibition now prevails the result of
the election would not affect the situa-
ton. In other words. the dry" dis
tricts were to vote, but they would not
be affected by the result. Senator Clag-
EFT declared that a majority of the dele
cation thought this unfair to all con-
cerned and besides eminent lawyers had
given it as their opinion that such law
was unconstitutional. The next prop
osition was to repeal all existing prohi-
bition laws in the county and to resub-
NIT the question to all the people. To
this arrangement the prohibition dis
tricts vehemently objected, and so it
was found necessary to pass the present
law, which allows only the districts
that are now "wet" to vote on the pro-
position.
Replying to q criticism by W. b.
Anderson, OF the Maryland Anti Saloon
League, relative to his attitude on tn
State local option bill, Senator Clagett
declared that when the bill was killed
in the House ne one thought for an in
slant that it had a chance to become =
law. When an order was introduced in
the Senate to compel the Temperance
Committee of that body, Of which he
was q member, to report the bill he
voted against it, as he knew that it
would be waste of time to bring it
before the Senate. Even if that body
passed the law it would be waste of
time to bring it before the Senate.
Even is that body passed the law it
would heve to go back to the House,
where it was doomed to me ct the same
fate as before.
Senator ella gett warned his hearers to
beware Of the negro vote, as he believed
the whisky people would make an at
tempt to buy them on election day.
Without the negro vote, he said, they
are hopelesslY beaten and they know it.
He declared that the sentiment in his
section Of the county was decid dly
favorable to local option.