The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-08-14
Is County Option

ton. 1t Is quite evident, however, that
'its friends" who fathered the article,
are very much in the dark as to what
county option really means.
1t is claimed that county option
is not an attack on the saloon or on
the barley trade or ON personal liberty
1t is primarily demand for popular
rights and square deal If the peo-
pie wants the saloon they ought to
have it and no one proposes to say
they shouldn't"
This is a very fair sounding state
ment, but unfortunately it does not
conform to the truth. 1t must be re-
membered that the Anti-Saloon league
us the father of the proposed county
option law and that it's distinctive
war-cry and slogan is: ''The saloon
must Co." How this slogan can be
reconciled with the statement that
"if the people want the saloon they
ought to have it and no one proposes
to say they shouldn't the article
cautiously fails to explain.
The article in question also contends
that county option is simply form of
local option or local self government
on the saloon question. This state
ment likewise does violence to the
truth. Local option has definite and
precise meaning. 1t refers to town
or city limits. Under the proposed
county option law, the county at large
votes upon the question of license or
no license. If the county at large !
votes mo license," then no license can
issue anywhere within the county.
All license territory must yield to the
county and become prohibition terri
tory. But if the county votes "for
license such vote is not binding upon
the county. mo license" territory can
still defy the county and maintain pro-
Neither is the countrywide
wet vote binding upon the cities, vii |
lagos and towns within the county. |
They still vote locally and independ-
emily of the county whether license
shall be granted or not. Thus, cities, |
villages and towns unfavorable to IL
cense have the right to home rule-to
govern themselves without interference |
from any other locality-while the
same right is denied to cities, villages |
and towns which. favor license. A dry |
fixes/a dry policy, but wet |
fixes no policy at ALL A |
dry majority controls; "a wet ma
lority does not. The law creates two |
political units which interfere both ter
and politically 1t shifts jur-
isdiction from city to county if the
majority is dry, and from county to
atty if the majority is wet. Option
means choice or selection, but there is |
no choice or selection here. Will it |
be contended that denial of choice is
an American principle? Should not
the law be called County coercion
law" instead of the County option
aw?"
Neither is county option the coum.
-erpart or an enlargement upon local
option, as many have been led to be-
live. 1t is exactly the reverse. It is
simply negative proposition. 1t is an
of the old trick "heads, l
win, tails, you lose" The only point
n the issue is this If "no license"
should carry in Blue Earth county, no
saloon licenses could be granted in any
,ity or town in the county, no matter
f every voter in these cities or towns
believed in the license system, but on
he other hand, if license should carry,
hose who believe in the license sys-
EN- would have gained nothing under /,
he proposed county option plan, be-
.ause the county wide license vote
WOULD, in no way, effect the present
ocal option system, and cities, villages
ind towns would still be required to
ubmt to the will of their own peo-
lie in the matter of license. There
ore, it is simply a negative issue .
md one-sided proposition, carrying
With it absolute prohibition of license
ISSUANCE if successful, and permitting
lothing whatever to, be settled in re-
,ard to the question if license should )
AIRY. To be fair and honest prop ,
sition, it must carry with it as much ,
orce upon one side as upon the other.
That is what makes issues and sys
ems fair and honest. 1t is system
# s'fim- fam," to propose plan
which settles a question upon one
ide, but fails to settle the same ques {
ion upon the other side. In other
words, it is unfair and dishonest to
erm;t all of the voters of Blue Earth 9
ounty to say that the city of Man /
alto shall not regulate the sale of l
liquor by the license system, unless ?
he voters of the whole county are
ermitted to- say that the city of t
Iankato may regulate the sale of ID
quor by the license system. In i
hort. The proposed law says to the II
ity of Mankato, "you cannot regu i
ate the sale of liquor by the license 10
ystem unless the majority in the In
oumty permit you to do so, notwith- b
landing every voter in Mankato mayfk
c in favor of the license system" a
lie county option law is simply a 1T
Ian which permits the voters of the r
5hofe county to vote upon settling a n
question, and settling it only La
pom one side; while the question on II
he other>side, if the vote is adverse to le
he plan! leaves it still wholly unset Ia