The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-16
COUNTY LOCAL OPTION
IS NOT A NEW IDEA

A contest for county local option is
now in the air and in full blast and
to hear and read the claims made by
some, one would be led to believe
that this idea is new and the product
of these later days. which historical
ly, is not correct.
The facts are these: In 1886 the re-
publican party, in its state platform,
declared in favor of local option,
pledging itself if put in control of the
legislature it would enact such a sta
tute. 1t was at the election of that
year the writer was elected a men,
Der of the general assembly and when
that body met in 1887, he introduced
a carefully prepared local option bill,
embodying the county unit feature,
including the township and ward idea.
The bill was referred to the commit
tee on temperance, of which he was
chairman and after due consideration,
the committee endorsed he said bill
and recommended its passage. 1t was
so reported and passed the house by
a majority of five, if the writer is not
mistaken as to the number. Five
democrats voting for the same. 1t
failed in the senate, as that body was
democratic and un~friendly to such leg
islation. The bill provided hat on
the petition of 20 per cent of the
voters of any county, the board of
county commissioners should fix a
time when the qualified voters of said
county should vote upon the question
of the sale or no sale of intoxicants
in the county so voting. That if a
majority voted no sale then no sale
should be had for two a therein,
and if for sale, then to be sold under
the restraints and restrictions provid-
ed. The bill provided that the time
of taking said vote was to be ninety
days removed from any general, coun-
ty, township or municipal election so
as to strip it of any and all political
bias.
1t has been the view of the writer
for many years that the temperance
question is not properly, or legitimate
ly a party question and hat where a
vote is to be taken thereon it should
bel Independent of any partyism. If
the special session OF the coming reg
ular session of the legislature should
enact a county local option law this
point should be safeguarded in this
way.
The bill also provided that in case
the county voted for sale. then a
township NJ word pf O citv in croh
county should have the right of a like
vote under the same conditions of a
county vote. This same bill was be-
fore the legislature of 1890, of which
the writer was again a member, but as
the house was largely democratic it
was never acted OF by the committee
to whom 1t was referred.
In 1897 the writer again being a
member of the general assembly, the
county local option feature was offer
ed as a amendment to the Nicholson
law. but at the time received little
favor, Mr.. Nicholson, as the writer re-
members, voting against it himself.
These observations are made SIM
ply to correct the mistaken notion
that the county or township or ward
local option idea is of a recent date.
the product of the enthusiastic sup
porters of today. But that it has had
at least the sanction Of twenty years
behind 1t and had the support of such
well known workers as John B. Con-
nor, Governor Cumback, Timothy
Nicholson. DR.. ]. C. Wood. DIR. Hous-
er, T. A Goodwin and many other
earnest and conscientious men. The