Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-02-25
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Advocates OF Good Government in
Ladysnti4h Favor license for
Ultimate Good

City Superintendent c. J. Mccormick
and Attorney J. W. Carow delivered
good addresses on the life of Lincoln at
the Congregational church Sunday
evening, to large audience. Follow
inc the addresses Rev Thomas Barker
made local application of one of Mr..
CaroW's points. regarding Lincoln's
deliberation of two years before issu-
ing the emancipation proclamation,
after having been elected on an anti
slavery platform. Mr. Barker said
that greater than the question of
abolishing the saloons, bawdy houses
and gambling in Ladysmith is the ques-
ton of good government. These re-
forms are only incidental to the main
issue. In his remarks Mr.. Barker en-
dorsed the position of the editor of the
News-Budget in this matter. He did
not state what that position is, and as
we have not heretofore had occasion to
publish it, we will do so now.
The detectives which did some work
here last summer under the auspices
of the Good Government League, re-
ported that they had worked in many
places which were worse morally than
Ladysmith but never in place where
the municipal administration was so
thoroughly rotten. They were only
here few days, but in that short time,
as strangers, they discovered enough
to warrant such a statement
If this condition exists, we cannot
hope to better it by a continuance of
the present administration in office.
1t is now only five weeks until spring
election, when we will have opportunity
to make a change which may never
occur again certainly not for two
years. We will elect a mayor and four
aldermen-one each in the First and
Second wards and two in the Third.
There has been considerable talk
about voting out the saloons and,
strange to say, much of it comes from
sources you would least expect. 1t is
the expectation and desire of the
present admins tration that the ques-
ton of license will be made the issue
in the coming city campaign. They
wish the anti-license people to put up
men as radical as possible on this ques-
ton, in order that they may be the
more easily defeated.
On the supposition that it were pos
sible to elect an anti-license ticket, the
temporary success would only be
marked by failure year hence, when
the question would certainly be up
again. Saloons would spring up out
side the city limits in the towns OF
Flambeau and Grant and the cry would
be raised that there was more drunken
ness in the city than when we had
license. Besides this, the financial con-
.dition of the city at the present time is
such that the $4,000 license money
which amounts to nearly one-fourth of
our revenues-will be almost absolute
ly necessary to pay current expenses
under the most economical administra-
tion. Handicapped by the loss of this
revenue, an anti-icense council could
not accomplish what would be expect
ed of them by the people and the result
would be the return of the present ad.
ministration next year, more strongly
entrenched than ever.
With ten saloons i'll place the size
of Ladysmith each paying $500 license,
it is next to impossible for some OF
them to do business on the profits OF
the legitimate sale of liquor alone. II
the number of saloons were cut dowr
one-half and the license doubled, the
city would derive the same revenue anC
the saloon keeper would have less ex-
cuse for violating the law. Wher
Wisconsin gets a county option law,
either from the present legislature OF
next, there is no question but what
Rusk county will be voted dry"
Good government is not alone the
regulation Of the saloons ard enforce.