The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-12-07
To Drink
Continued iFon Page one.)

candidacy formally and stratghtway
simultaneously put forward Ahis- plat
form. which declared Tor a strict is
cal opticn law and the Submission of e
prohibition Amendment to the voters Il
they wanted it Although swisher nev.
er got TO make. the race for Governor
even after his nomination, "nis" pla..-
form became the Republican party's
platform. prohibition amendment, Iocal
option and air The Democratic party
later on in Convention followed suit in
somewhat vague and ambiguous terms
to be sure, which won the liquor anil
brewery interests over to their cand..
dates almost to man and didn't win
anything very much in the way Of
Democratic or Independent votes for
the Republicans as an analysis Of the
vote SO clearly shows.
1t win be up to the State Senate
next month to say whether an amends
meut to the State constitution, pro-
nibftfng the manufacture, sale and
storage of intoxicating liquors shall
| be submitted to the voters OF the State.
The liquor interests would like some
! sort OF fair local option law, they
say new. but they don't particularly
banker after county local option Law.
/ They think such a law would 1eay,.
Ohio county. which is Wheeling, about
the only safe and reliable license conn.
ty, and all the other license counties
would either swear on or be dangerous
debatabfe ground for their business,
They would like local option law
founded on, say municipality OF 5000
population. They figure that thts
would leave them most Of the towns
they row have. such towns at Wheel,
ing, Petersburg, Huntington. Sisters
vile, GrafHn. BFuefeaa. Charleston
and maybe one or two more, Including
Fairmont, which is now dry but which
the liquor interests nope to get t,
break over next year.
Prohibition Versus Local Option.
But the prohibition amendment prs.
tagonists, the Anti-saloon League.
don't see 1t that way. 1t is prohibi.
ton amendment or nothing with thsm
now, so they say, There was time
when they would gladly have accepted
! a local option law with the county as a
unit, but that time is now passed.
: There is some talk OF local option
law" said Theodore Aivord, at present
active head of the Anti.Saloon League
in West Virginia, who led the fight at
Charleston last January. but wnoss
/ resignation IS now in and whose SUE.
! cesser will be appointed at meet,
ing of the advisory board of that Or.
ganization, to be held at sistersyille
the first of next week. "There is some
talk of Zeal option law" says Alvorl.
but that IS not what we are after
and we will make a stronger fight
than ever for the prohibition amend.
ment." Alvord speaks by the card.
/ The fight between the W: is and drys
mas already started. Petitions ara
being prepared by the prohibition
amendment advocates in every local.
ity in the State, and when th=y are all
/ in readiness to be sent in they will
be frea at the head OF the grave and
reverend seignors Of tle State Sen.
ate. That's the bulls eye the amend.
me1t adherents want to hit. There
are 30 Senator's. 1t takes twotnirls
10 pass resolution submitting to IL,
voters a proposed amendment to thu
constitution The resolution of last
January was lost by one vote. OF the
Senators who voted against the reso.
lutian then there are eight followers
and one who was reelected. Tha
holdovers are Hazlett, GartIan, Bailey,
sossin, H. S. White, Baker, Miller AMI
Silver. Johnson. of Fayette, was re.
elected. In addition to those named
should they vote as before, which /.
by no means an absolute certainty,
nor is there any definite assurance
that they will nat, the opponents Of
statewide prohibition have gained at
least two who frankly stated their 20.
sltion during the campaign, anil very
likely three, If not four, other new
Senators who are suspected of eute>,
tanning similar views.
Great Popular Agitation.
If there was no public agitation and
the Republican party was not pledged
to, first, some kind Of a local option
law to so into immediate effect, AMI
second the submission of prohibI.
tton amendment there wouldn't
be ghost of show for any temper.
ance legislation at the Forthcoming
session next month, But there is pub.
lie agitation, which will be bowling
clamor Immediately after the holidays,
and the Republican Administrations
NJ 90 II