The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-03-13
Action Of Indiana Supreme
Court in Sustaining the
Granting Of a Liquor Ii
cense to Be Appealed.
ANXIOUS TO WAIT ON
THE FINAL DECISION
Local Option Fight Now Being
Waged in vincennes Is the
Hottest Battle as Yet Un-
dertaken.
Special Correspondent.

Special Correspondent.
Indianapolis, Ind, March 13.-The
question whether saloon is naturally
and inherently nuisance that cannot
be licensed by law is to be taken to
the supreme court of the United States
in case decided by the supreme court
Of Indiana yesterday.
The supreme court affirmed a judg-
ment of the lower court, granting a sa-
loon license to Park B. Rhoades, OF
South Bend, notwithstanding remon-
STRANGE alleging that the business of
retailing Intoxicating liqours is ''inlhe-
rently wrong. unlawful, dangerous to
public and private morals The
court says that remonstrance by a
taxpayer against granting saloon Ii
cense, to be effectual, must be ON ac-
count of immortality or other unfit
ness" as prescribed by the statute
Purpose Of the Case.
The constitutional question: as to the
right of the state to license liquor sa-
looms sought to be presented in this
case, was decided against the remon-
strators in the Sopher case last year,
but the appeal was not such as could
be transferred to the Supreme court of
the United States. and it is said that
this appeal was taken with the purpose
of carrying it to that court in case of
such a decision as the one announced
yesterday.
The question raised in this appeal is
the identical question that was decided
by Judge Artman, at Lebanon, two
years ago-the decision which made
Altman famous. He held that sa-
loon was public nuisance and that
for that reason 1t could not be licensed
by the state under any circumstances
whatever. Later on, similar case
was appealed to the supreme court
This was the Sopher case. and the SUI
preme court held Tint 1t was legal for
the state to issue licenses to saloons
and that saloon is not a public nui-
sance, inherently wrong. It is an i'm
foundation Of the saloon business, and
its decision by the supreme court of
the United States will settle it forever
In this country.
First Real Test.
The Anti-Saloon league forces Of the
state feel that they have entered into
the first real test Of the county option
law in the preparation for the fight for
an election in Knox county. State SUI
perintendent, E. S. Shumaker, who has
just returned from Vincennes. where
he was looking after these arrange
ments, said:
THE fight involves the existence OF
seventy-two saloons and while we have
ousted the saloons in various counties
where breweries have existed, we have
not before attempted fight where the
brewery opposition is so pronounced
as 1t is in Vincennes. The rest OF the
county is dry under a remonstrance,
and the fight will center in Vincennes.
am told that brewery agents have
give up the fight. but none have done
SO yet.
Good Organization.
I'VE have the best organization in
NuoA NOuAAy tA0N We NAVY ASAo IAAu0
far in any county, but we will need
every ounce of strength we can COM
mand No election thus far has af-
fected SO many saloons. and nowhere
have we encountered such determined
opposition on the part of the brewers
as we are encountering in Knox coun-
ty. I believe. however, that we will
be able to vote Knox county dry. One
hundred and twenty-five delegates. rep
resenting every voting precinct in the
county. attended our meeting at Vim
cennes yesterday, and they subscribed
81 .12J towards the expense of circnlat.
ing the petitions and bearing the gen.
eral expenses of waging the campaign
This is an unprecedented sum in the
annals OF the Anti-Saloon league"
Will Enforce the Laws.
The saloonkeepers Of Muncie and the
brewers represented there, have taken
the matter Of law enforcement in their
own hands and have demanded that
every saloon keeper in the city obey
the strict letter OF the law. One up
town saloon keeper has already been
made to feel the heavy hand Of his fell
low liquor dealers Because. as al
legged. this man refused to keep his
place CLOSED after hours the brewing
companaes Of Muncie and all surround
ing cities, within radius Of 100 miles
have refused, and those to whom appli-
cation has not yet been made. will re
fuse to furnish him with beer. The
liquor men at a series Of meetings. re-
solved that the public sentiment in IA
vor of enforcing the law strictly. was
right, especially as to certain notorious
law violating saloons and that in order
not to bring the business into worse
disrepute, just on the eve ct a county
option election. that all saloon keepers
should be made to obey the law.
Go Out in August.
Down At Sheibyville all the saloons
Will be out Of business by next August