The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-09-02

with eleven years experience in the
internal revenue department of the
government leads me to believe that
the present system of local option
the county commissioners acting as
the custodians of the county's inter-
est and the mayors and city councils
for incorporated towns and cities to
have entire control in these matters
lis the best and most practical way
to manage the traffic.
If elected to the legislature
would try and get law passed to
enable 4 government of town of
less thai 1000 population to ask for
bids for the privilege of selling in
toxicants and let the privilege to the
highest bidder. after giving a good
and substantial bond to comply with
the law. This would reduce the
H.aces of retailing in the rural dis
D It's from one-third to a half and
y. lly as much revenue would be
p. ed. ] do not want your read
er. q hink | am a whisky man."
| pr e : that ] am as near a total
absta. 'er as any man in the county.
but | recognize the fact that 81 per
try comes from countries where wines
and liquors are used in everyday life
and at least 20 per cent of our ma
tive born Americans are very liber-
al in that respect.
In new country, undeveloped like
ours. where every industry is in its
infancy. where we are inviting CAPT
tai and immigration, we cannot afford
to put our county on a fanatical or
puritankal basis.
As long as our senators and con-
gressmen keep manufacturing spirit
uous liquors and importing them into
the country and furnishing the pur-
chasers with license to sell the same
in any country or state in the union,
your members of the state legislature
can do but little to prevent its sale
and consumption locally-but can
control it TO some extent by wise
enactments.
Congress has provided 105 charges
upon which a soldier of the Y. S.
army may be tried and suffer death
for violation of the rules and articles
of war--such as desertion, sleeping
on duty. creating a false alarm in
camp, etc. This same congress has
provided los charges against the dis
tiller TO compel him to produce from
the grain he uses the greatest posi-
BILE amount of liquor and the penal
ties run from $50 to $500, together
with shorter and longer terms in the
penitentiary if he fails to make good.
The government furnishes him
with an officer to weigh out the
grain every morning, who takes
charge OF the product as it comes
from the still. He barrels it and puts
it in a fire proof warehouse and sets
an officer to watch it even then, until
the distillery can sell it anywhere in
the United States. and then sends
license to the purchaser to sell 1t
regardless of any local laws. The
poor state legislative candidate has
nothing TO do with it until it lands
in his district and at his door. Con-
eress has had charge of the entire
business and in nine cases out of ten
your local lawmakers feel that con
eressional and senatorial courtesy"
prevents them from offering any very
serious protest.
Now, l hope ] have made my posi-
ton on this local option matter suf-
ficiently plain and | wish our tenn
perance people (and we all are) shall
ask our senators and congressman
who authorize the manufacture and
importation of liquors in this country,
who is running the distilleries? Who
protects the same? Who furnishes
the lienor dealers, all over the Unit
"a Cto+ac u-itJ, Iinoncp IN call9 II iS
your honorable senators and con-
gressmen, and they smile to see their
constituency pulling each others wool
at home and demanding of the sheriff,
the mayors and the police TO enforce
the law and keep the lid on while
they are turning on the mighty food
that submerges the whole country.
| Now as to the direct primary law:
We are in favor of a return TO the
good old nominating conventional
select candidates for Office. As each
day passes ii becomes more evident
that the so-called primary election
law will prove a failure. 1t is about
as confusing as the old gentleman's
clock, which he said when the hour
hand is at Z and the minute hand at
1dlI past y IL WAS lHSu 10 ~ lHlliuhto
of IL o'clock" If you want to vote
for Lee Johnson for congress you
must vote for Rockwell in order to
have your vote counted for Johnson.
That the law will soon be declared
unconstitutional there is but little
doubt. on the ground tif no othe0
that its character is not stated in the
caption of the act. II should have
been labeled, IAN act to subyert the
constitution Of the United States by
authorizing the election of United
States senators AT time and in a
manner other than that provided by
the constitution of the United States.
Already the storm petrol of I'M
rest is lowering over the state, as
shown by the numerous opinions rem
dered by the attorney general and
his assistant as to how they translate
that untelliAible mass of anglo-saXon
verbiage known as the Direct Pri-
mary Law" The decision rendered
last week by the attorney generals
Office will Siisqualify 1000 young men
from voting at the approaching gem
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