The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-03-04
Local Liquor Dealers Circulate
Petitions Against Passage
of Local Option Law
SEEK REFORMS OF COUNCIL
Dealers Will Ask That the Council En-
force the Laws in Regard to
Liquor Licenses When New
Permits Are Granted

The saloon men of Kenosha have
entered the fight against the local op-
ton bill now pending in the legislature
at Madison and in order to voice their
protest against the bill three petitions
addressed to State Senator Isaac t.
Bishop urging him to use his best in
fuences against the passage of the bill
are in circulation in the city. The
petitions have been placed in the hands
of some of the best known saloon men
of the city and they are making an
active canvass for signatures. The
petitions have Of course been gener
ously signed and it will probably not
be a. hard matter for the saloon men
to get four or five hundred signatures
to these petitions AS yet no petitions
addressed to Assemblyman Curtiss
have been placed in circulation, but
it is probable that these will be started
on their rounds later. The opponents
of the saloons have also petitions ready
for circulation in the county asking
the representatives Of the county in
the legislature to support the measure.
The measure provides for a, county op-
ton to be secured by the votes of the
people Of the entire county. The sa-
loon men in seeking signatures to the
petition declare that this law would
give the farmers" in the county a
chance to drive the saloons out Of the
cities in the counties. The saloon men
declare that in their opinion local OPP
ton could not carry in the city of
Kenosha, but that with the aid of the
rural districts the temperance people
might be able to vote the saloon out
of the entire county.
The bill in question was introduced
to the Legislature at the suggestion of
the Wisconsin Anti-saloon League.
The saloon men of Kenosha are going
to have a busy time in the next few
months as it is admitted that the men
banded together as the Kenosha or
ganization of the Wisconsin Retail Lii
quor Dealers Association will make an
effort to clean up the business little
in Kenosha and if necessary the mem
bers of the association will appear be-
fore the license committee of the new
Council and protest against licenses
being renewed for some of the men
now engaged in the business in Keno
sha. They will also make protest
against the opening of the Jacobs
Hotel at the corner Of Market Square
and Church street, they holding that
the City Council exceeded it's authori
ty when the license for this place was
granted many months ago. The saloon
men hold that at that time the city
had the full number of saloons for its
population under the Baker law and
that for this reason the last license
was illegally voted.
In granting this license the Council
acted on the advice Of the city attor
ney who claimed that the closing OF
one of the saloons on Rowland avenue
left one more license for the Council
to grant. The license was granted tc
Jacobsen Brothers. 1t is said that the
association will make a protest against
the maintaining of barrel houses il
Kenosha and the selling Of beer by the
single bottle from brewery wagons OF
the street. These demands of the
saloon men will bring up some very
interesting questions for the considera
tion Of the Common Council when the
time comes for the granting Of the new
set of licenses.