Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-04-24
A Prohibition Protest.

| Editor Times-Republican: I have
read with much interest the appeal to
voters put forth by Mr.. G. H. Van Law
in announcing his candidacy for state
senator. note his desire to place
| himself on record, as he says, regard
1 ing certain current issues which today
arr receiving the attention Of the pub
Ill., He selects two for discussion, and
We may reasonably conclude that he
considers these the most important.
One Of these is the question as to
how he will vote on the election Of
United States senator. The other. CIV
en- the fuller discussion, is the propo-
sition to submit to the people an
amendment to the constitution pro-
hibiting the manufacture and sale Of
spirituous liquors for beverage pur-
poses. 1t is a peculiar and at the same
time most promising indication of the
advance of public thought that this
question should be acknowledged Of
so great Importance and publicly dis
cussed by republican legislative can
didate. We desire to thank Mr.. Van
Law for focusing public attention up
on this question at this time. The
friends of prohibition ask nothing bet
ter than that the voters be forced to
think seriously on this question.
At the same time, as ingeniously as
Mr.. Van Law states his position, he
has entirely failed to convince us Of
his ignorance Of political methods or
Of his lack of adroitness. He is too
good lawyer not to know that the
amendment in question, If passed, far
from adding to the yumbersomeness of
the present liquor laws, would in fact
rid our statute books Of one of the
most peculiar, bunglesome and un-
understandable laws that ever was
forced into the code: law that pro-
hibits and yet licenses an acknowl-
edged nuisance; a combination of pro-
hibftion, high license, local option, ex
tortion, special privilege and graft;
and a law that has done more to rem
der law enforcement innocuous and
law obedience matter Of personal
choice, than all the rest of the GRIM
inal code. Mr.. Van Law can not even
claim that today in his own city the
law is enforced in its entirety.
And his promise to vote for the sub
with an ''if' that leaves It little short
of ridiculous. If substantially ma
jority Of the voters Of the state shall
ask him so to vote, so he will vote, but
against his WILL OF course he would
man who would do otherwise would
be a fool or political suicide If a
majority Of the voters should so petit
ton, the submission would be but a
matter Of form. Mr.. Van Law knows
that in no case where in the statutes
a referendum is compulsory, in NUM-
cfpal or county matters, does the law
require more than twenty-five per
cent OF the voters to petition, and yet
in state affairs he asks for a majority
petition.
In effect then his platform Is: If a
majority Of the voters of the state ask
him to vote for w. B. Allison for SEN
ator he will do so; If a majority Of
the voters Of the state ask him to vote
for resubmission, he will do so; and
that he is republican.
No, no, Mr.. Van Law, much as we
admire you as a citizen, if your claim
to the nomination rests only on your
position on the liquor question, am
afraid that you stand between his
Satanic majesty and the briny. Pro-
hibitionists certainly can not stand on
such platform; and your opponent
has lead pipe cinch on the votes of
the other fellows:
F. A. MOORE.