Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-04-02
COUNTY OPTION
MAIN ISSUE IN
NEXT ELECTION
SENATOR MARSH DECLARES LEGS
LATURE HAS PUT IT 5QUARELY
BEFORE PEOPLE.
DEFEAT A STEP EkCKWAH.
Neiilsyille Scion Scores Liquor Interests
for Lobby Maintained at
Madison.
IS RETICENT ON GovEREoRsHIP.

IS REIICEET On G0YERNORSHlF.
MADISON, Wis, April Ill Special
The issue now is squarey before the
people" said Senator Spencer NJ. Marsh
Of NeiIlsvillc today in speaking Of TIE
county option bill defeated yesterday in
the Senate by vote IL TO Il. While
Senator Marsh was reticcut about the
possibility Of his seeking the governor
ship in 1910, he was willing to speak of
Lis views of issues before The people at
that time.
Issue Two Years Hence.
In my judgment" he said, every can
didate for the Legislature next year will
be forced to take u stand squarely and
openly on the question before the p-i-
maries.
If the county option bill in itself
proposed to change conditions relative to
the saloon there would have been reasons
for getting expressions of ones constitu-
cnts before voting upon the question, but
inasmuch as no change would be made
under the law, until a majority of the
voters in a county voted for a change,
the good people of the state may be par
d0Hed il they express some Indignation
at being denied the privilege Of voting
on the question, especially when it is
known chat petitions and resolutions rep
resenting over 100000 people of the state
had been presented asking for the privi-
lege.
Defear Only Temporary.
The defeat of this bill is in my judg
mcnt contrary to the principle of repre-
sentative government. 1t is contrary
to the spirit of progress which has pre-
vailed in Wisconsin for the last few
years. 1t is not the first time in the
history OF the state, however, that pro
greSsive measures have been defeated
temporarily. Special ears have been
run out from Milwaukee loaded with
lobbyists representing the liquor inter
csts there, and the members of the Legis-
lature have been labored by these lob
5yists by day and far into the night.
The situation is not unlike that of the
session at which the railway rate bill
was defeated
The Legislature can defy the will Of
the people upon any question for time,
but not for eternity. There will be 9TH
or important state and national issues
on next year, which must not be lost
sight OF, but the predominating and
overshadowing issue of the next cam
paign viii, in my. judgment, be the
county option issue
How Bill Was Beaten.
The defeat of the Marsh county option
measure at 6:30 o'clock last evening fol
lowed a debate lasting more than five
speeches of the session were made.
Real Vote 10 to IA.
The vote on this bugbear of the SEES
sion was 10 to II in reality, but the
actual vote as recorded was II to T.
Senators HudnaII and Morris were
pared for and against the bill respec-
lively as were also Senators Pearson
and Bishop. The actual standing of the
Senate. therefore, was as follows:
For COanty OntOn-BuFkCT Bird Hlainp
Brazcau, Browne, Donald, Frdd Hazel
wood. Hudnali, lanes, Marsh Pearson
Faircbild, Bishop, Gaylord, Hasting,
Martin, Morris, Owen, Page, Randolph,
Sanborn, Thomas aud Wright
No Referendum Suggested.
Contrary to reports sent out from va
riOuS sources. no referendum amendment
was offered to the bill and it was voted
upon in its original form as presented
by the committee on state affairs. 1t
IS said that if the amendment had been
offered the vote might have been II to
16 in its favor. instead of 10 to IA
against it.
At the afternoon session Senator e. T..
Browne of Waupaca opened the debate.
He boosted of the fact that more butter
milk than beer was consumed in the
senatorial district which he represented.
He took exception to the argument of
Senator Gaylord made in the morning
to the effect that the saloon was q social
center for the working classes and could
not be abolished without providing some
other social center as a substitute He
wanted to know why Senator Gaylord
felt that it was necessary to the welfare
of the workingman that the social CEN
ter should be one where alcoholic liq-
uors were for sale.
Pearson Upsets Old Beliefs.
Senator G. l.. Pearson Democrat,
said that in days gone by it was said
that Democracy and whisky were close
friends but that he was glad that that
day had passed. He sad ae thought
that an investigation of the activity of
the saloons and the brewery interests
in the political campaigns in Wisconsin
would be beneficial to the moral and
political life of the state. He objected
to the brewery interests under the guise
of the German-Amercan alliance send
ing out the questions which had been
sent to men standing for public office
He said also that inaSmuch as the unit
of expense involved in prosecuting the
criminal cases arising out of drunken
ness, the county, he thought the
unit of permission for saloons to exist
also should be the county.
Senator Paul HuSung said he thought
there ought to be regulation of the sa.
loon He thought that the pernicious
practices should be cleaned up. and he
thought that the saloon interests and
the brewery interests should take the
initiative. He said that the contention
was made that local option was inef-
fective because of the Smallness of the
unit and that small districts were CON
terminated by saloons in neighboring dis.
tricts. but said if that argument was
good in favor of county option as
against local option, it would be good for