Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1908-09-11
COUNTY OPTION

COUNTY OPTION
Tie voters Of the state will next
November be called on to pass on
the question If county option which
has been submitted under the re-
ferendum clause Of the state con-
stitution at the instance Of the pro-
hibitinn leaders If the state. The
plain and admitted purpose of the
movement is to lay the foundation
for state wide prohibition later.
1t is figured that if the county op-
ton measure shall prevail about
two-thirds of the counties in the
state would be carried by the no-li-
cense people. This estimate is based
on the theory and probably on the
fact, that the no-license sentiment
is strong in the rural communities
and that the vote Of the towns and
cities will not be great enough to
overcome the strength of the pro-
hibition or no-license sentiment
among the farmers
County option means that the
people Of the whole county shall
determine whether or not any H.
cense shall be granted to any town
or city within the county. For
instance, the majority in every
town in Minnehaha county might
favor license; but if the minority
in the cities and towns, added to
the majority in the townships, was
large enough to control the towns,
and cities could not have license.
The objection to this plan is
that towns and cities would elect
their own mayors and control their
own police force. The new plan is
in reality violation Of the princi-
pie Of option, because it takes con-
troll out Of the hands Of the people
who are expected to enforce the
law. The result could easily re-
vert to the old conditions which
prevailed under prohibition days,
when for instance, in Sioux Falls,
in spite of nominal state prohibit
ton, we collected monthly fines
and permitted saloons to run OPEN
ly in plain violation of the law.
The new plan becomes an invasion
of the right of municipalities to
govern themselves, and as such is
no option at all so far as thoseI com
munities. are concerned.
The argument back Of the pro-
posed plan, so far as the prohibi-
tionists are concerned is that it
paves the way for state wide pro-
hibition. Those, therefore, who
favor prohibition will give enthus-
iastic support to the new plan;
those who oppose state prohibition
will no doubt vote against county
option, for it is as near state prohi-
bition as you can get it.
Thus the discussion will once
more raise the whole question
of state prohibition. Those who
recall the old prohibition days in
South Dakota and who are at all
familiar with what took place in
Iowa under prohibition, will be
slow to give their support to the
county option plan. Local option
would seem to be an ideal way for
the regulation of the liquor traffic.
But option which is extended to
the whole county and which takes
control out Of the hands of the var
ious municipalities is not option at
all, but prohibition, so far as it
goes.
No doubt there will be much
discussion of the question during
the two months which precede the
election, and there is no danger
that the question will be lost sight
of in spite of the many other con-
tests involved in the fight. The
prohibitionalists are much encour-
aged by recent successes in the south
and there is no doubt that they
will make hard fight for the en-
tering wedge for prohibition in
South Dakota. Sioux Falls Argus
Leader.