Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-06-27
RAISE ISSUE
OF DRY town
RAISE ISSUE ETAO SHRD
TEMPERANCE PEOPLE WILL CIR.
CULATE PETITIONS TO ASK
CITY COUNCIL TO PASS A PRO-
HIBITION ORDINANCE.

asked to express themselves on the
question of closing the saloons and|
making the town dry" definite ac-I
ton looking toward such cam
paign having been vnXen las, night
at the temperance meeting conduct
ed by e. D. Nichols Of Boise.
The plan now proposed Is to cir
culate petitions asking the council
to pass prohibition ordinance, and
ii the council fails to act in this
manner to petition for special
election under the terms of the new
city charter, which provide such
election shall be held upon the pre-
santation of petition containing
Is per cent of the registered voters.
The petitions asking for the spe-
cal election were produced last
night and received a large number
of signatures The circulation of
these petitions will be in the hands
Of local temperance league, which is
composed of committees from the To-
cal temperance organization and
tho several churches.
The campaign against the saloons
in Lewiston is but a part of the pol
icy Of the Liberty Bell league to Sc
cure the elimination of the saloons
/ from the cities of the Northwest.
The first effective work in Idaho was
witnessed in Moscow, where the
people. by special election. voted to
make the town dry" The cam
paign was made in Moscow upon
the grounds that Pullman, the home
of the Washington State college,
had voted dry" and the people of
the Idaho city must either stand for
+! the University of Idaho and give
the students the same protection as
Pullman or sacrifice the interests of
/ the big educational institution to
/ the saloons.
1t is stated today that a similar
campaign will be made in Lewiston,
and while Pullman had state educa-
tional institutions to protect. the
same condition exists here in the
Lewiston State Normal school.
Concerning the movement Mr..
Nichols said this morning:
1.-The prohibition wave has struck
Idaho. Important towns In the
state have passed prohibition ordi-
nances and others will in the near
future. The time has come when II
is necessary for town to paddock
the saloons in order to increase yer,
materially in population. Public
lopinion condemns the saloon as be
ing injurious to the morals of tn
PEOPLE and subservance Of good or
der. That it is against good moral
has been long established. Peopl
cming from the East. therefore
with their families. seek prohibt
ton communities in which to set
tie. The saloon is fast becoming
commercial question. The peopl
> are beginning to learn that it re
tards prosperity wherever it exists
+ II not only burdens the people wit
} taxation. but in the words OF tn
United States supreme court STher
IL more crime and misery attribute
BILE to the saloon than from an
other source
"You have FL saloons here an
r you get $19,95O revenue from then
Where does this come from in tn
first instance? The people. Is ths
all? No. Your saloon keepers TAX
from the people, l dare say, on
. quarter of million dollars ever
: year and pay back the paltry sum
! Sl9,95O. Is has been shown thu
: three-ffths of the money that
: spent for liquor comes from tho'
! who have to follow some vocation
!: the labor market for living.
! that $4,000 OF the annual drir
: bill of this city is spent by tn
class Of your citizens. Turn tn
: quarter of million dollars into II
Legitimate channels OF trade al
. your city would have boom
prosperity such as 1t never dream
of Business would increase on
| third. Homes owned by the labo
| ing classes would spring up II
magic. Merchants would cease
have bad debts. Taxable proper
would multiply and taxes decrea
at least one-third. Eastern famill
coming West would find their W
into the beautiful valley OF Lew
ton. Instead of spending money
police protection and inmates or
! poorfarm and the penitentlary, y
. would use it in the paving OF yo
streets, in up-to-date fire engii
and the education Of your childr'
not only in the common, but higf
branches of study. In saying IN
things am only giving you the
tory of towns that have had pro
hilton as policy in governm
1dy backed by friends of the law.
have beautiful state normal sen
boro and understand the eXlSte