Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-01-27
BIG LIQUOR FIGHT
. IN EMPIRE STATE
CHANGED CONDITIONS AT Al
5ANY MAY BRING UP Lo-
CAL OPTION.
LIQUOR DEALERS FAST LOSING
ALL POLITICAL
POWER.

Albany, Jan. 21,-Even though Gov
ernor Hughes failed to recommend
the extension of the privilege of To-
cal option as to the sale Of liquor,
now confined to the rural towns. to
cities of this state. the question will
be an issue of considerable promi-
nerce in the legislature this year. II
is impossible, however, to forecast
the result with any degree OF conf
dence. In many ways the conditions
this year are different from those
which have prevailed in any previous
year; the point to be noted especially
is that the attitude of the politicians
toward the liquor traffic has under
gone a very radical change in recent
years.
There vas lively though inbound
ed runor some weeks ago that the
governor would recommend not only
CITY local option but high license. the
LITTER embodied in an increase OF the
retailers liquor tax from 81 200 to ST.
600 in cities of the first class. But
as has already been said, 1t is a fact
that some at least of the politicians
would have welcomed this recon-
mendation, If only that they might
take it up as moral issue" and so
blanket the electoral reform SO much
more distasteful to them.
II is not 10 be taken for granted
that Governor Hughes may not, In
fact, later on. recommend one or both
of these phases OF the liquor ques-
ton He may have reserved such
recommendation for next year But
he has undertaken in the electoral re-
form measures all that he could rea-
sonably expect TO wrest from an I'M
willing legislature and further rec
concentrations of a radical character,
such as these would be. are hardly to.
be expected
Local Option Bill.
The Local Option bill win be pre-
sented by Senator Trough Of New
York on behalf Of the Anti-Saloon
league. which for several years has
made local option for cities It's slogan
The league has made long and. on
the whole, well-managed, fight for
this measure throughout the state.
II has. however wasted Year after
year in the legislature with ill-con-
sidered. halfdlgeste1 proposals which
were really little better han ridicu-
Iouslv imprac.icable Last year for
the first time il came right down to
the basic thing straight local option
for citles-an It came nearer to
actual passage than any Of the
leagues bills ever came before in this
state
The tight Will be formidable af-
fair If IL is managed carefully In the
assembly it will be for the first time
in the hands Of an excise committee
with a friendly chairman. Its oppo-
nents will find :. diticult 10 frame
a respectable argument against It,
Considerable ing nuity will be re-
ouired 10 explain why one community
and nor another should have the right
i. cav whether liquor shall or shall
not he sold within its limits Ana
when II comes up for passage me
members Of both houses, especially
the asse rnbly. viii 5till be apprecia-
tive Of the recent examples Of what
the people can and will do with men
who vote against the wishes Of their
constituents
Local option as Homo Rule.
r. practicable bill reasonably
drawn. IS passed by both houses and
sent TO the governor, II Is certain
that be will approve H. Governor
Fagnes rlgsrds local option not
chiefly as a temperance or prohibition
measure. but as phase Of the home
rule in which be sincerely believes
Those who know bis mind say that be