The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-03-22
VETS ALREADY ROUTED
INADJOININC COUNTIES
Indianapolis Now Is the Mecca For
a Lot of Outsiders Who Must Have
Their Drinks-This Is Said To Be
Due to the Unusually Large Docket
in the Police Courts.
TINES BUREAU
AT STATE CAPITOL.

AT STATE CAPITOL.
Indianapolis. Ind. March 22.-Now
that the Anti-saloon league has de-
cided to bring about a county local OPP
ton election in Marion county people
are wondering how it is all coming
out. And there is very decided air
OF uncertainty as to the result of such
an election in this county, for the peo-
pie OF Indianapolis have for years been
dictated to by the brewers in almost
everything from politics down-or up,
as you please and the brewery yoke
has become so unbearabIe that there
is question but that there are thous-
ands of men in this city who are of
liberal mind, but who will. just the
same vote the city dry in order to
break the back of the brewery interest
Fight May Commence I'm sixty Days.
T.. S. shumaker, state superintendent
of the Anti-Saloon league, says it will
be about sixty days before the fight
will be commenced in earnest in Marion
county, but he adds that the fight is
sure to come, because the people are
asking for it.
OF course. there is a large foreign
population in Indianapolis and there
are 1000 colored voters in this city
alone. and 1t is recognized that these
two elements are to be factors in the
local option fight. The liberals are
counting on the foreigners and the ne
groes to prevent the city from going
dry. but Shumaker says that there is
a large element among the foreigners
especially among the better class OF
Germans. that is ready for a dry city
if ii is necessary in order to do away
with the low dives that are supported
by the breweries. They say that II
the breweries had not helped to es-
tablish and maintain these low. disrep-
utable places and had confined their
business to the better class of saloons
there would not have been any trouble
but they have not done this.
Surrounding Territory Dry.
One of the principal reasons why i
is claimed Marion county should b,
dry, according to Shumaker. is tht
fact that the county is now surrounded
by dry counties. This is true on al
sides Every county touching Marion
county has been voted dry. This, it ii
pointed, makes Indianapolis the drinl
suits in bringing into Indianapoli
every day lot of people who mus
have their drinks
1t is said that this draws a very un
desirable class of people to this cit.
and that it is the cause of the unusual
ly large docket in the police cour
these days.
Shumaker says that ffty-four DIR
counties in the state out of the tota
OF ninety-two Twenty three othe
counties have either set the dates 70
elections or are getting ready to do 81
This number does not include ALE
county, in which the Anti-Saloo
league is still undecided as to whethe
to call an election there or not.
1t is shown that 4s7 saloons hav
been put out of business by the cour
ty option law. and the Anti Saloo
league figures that the elections to b
held this week throughout the stat
will clean out fully 200 more.
One of the strongest arguments ths
is being used against calling an eles
ton in Marion county is that if tt
county should vote dry it would be n,
cessary to increase the tax levy abol
20 per cent in order to make up Il
the revenues that will be lost by reasc
Of closing the saloons. There al
something more than ZOO saloons
this county. and the county gets abol
100000 a year and the city near
$500 900 a year from the licenses.
the county goes dry this amount wi
have to be made up from taxes n son
other form