The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-02-11

people. DelleNlnS IL VIII work only tC
the interest of the large brewing COM
panieS. Mr.. Adams statement is in
part as follows:
"The defeat of county option is not
going TO prevent large number of re-
publican members from trying to pas
some temperance legislation, which is
in line with the growth of temper
ance sentiment in Minnesota. I be-
lieve that the temperance sentiment il
the house, and | know it is mucl
stronger than the county option SEN
timent, will try to use its power tC
pass laws on three or four phases O.
the liquor question. The conditions
which they will seek to better exist
outside of the three large cities, anC
their situation will not be involved o
changed by the measures which viii.
be proposed. An effort will be mad
to change the law so that count
boards can no longer issue licenses.
There is a decided sentiment thai
licenses should not be granted, except
i'm villages or cities where there is at
least police control.
Another change which we shall trj
to make is to enable the people OF
every township in which village j.
located, where liquor is or not, t.
have vote on the question of whether
it shall he sold or not, and unless a
majority of the voters in both the
township and village are in favor OF
license, they shall not be granted. TIL
greatest irritation in many countie>
occurs when small village is inco]-
porated in a township, which is OI-
posed to the sale of liquor, and the
wishes of the township disgredarded.
"Thc Incorporation of these village
and the establishment of the saloon
in defiance of the local sentiment j.
one of the worst abuses existing under
the liquor system in this state, and i
one which should be- improved. This
will not interfere with the continuance
of saloons in settlements which are
largely German because in those casts
both the townships and villages will
favor having them, but it will give re-
lief to the Scandinavian communities
which do not want them.
"Those who have opposed county
option have maintained that Mime
sofa has the best local option law OF
any state in the union, but the faetre-
mains that we have local option only
in the villages of this state and very
few OF the smaller cities. The right to.
vote no license is denied to all the small
cities except those which happen to
have that right in their local charters.
There is also demand that the mini
mum license fee should be increased.
The hw at present provides that it
shall be $500 in cities of the fourth
class and in villages. There are GER
tain cities which have been kept in the
fourth class because the license would
be raised from $500 to $1,000 if
they passed out of the class, when it
is reasonably well known they have
over 10000 people.
"The bill which has been recon-
mended for passage pretending TO limit
the number of saloons in each COM
munity to one for each 500 voters, is
unsatisfactory. Many people suppose
that this provides that the number.
shall be limited to that ratio, but
such is not the case. The number not
existing is to continue until such
time as the several communities vote
them out, and when license is voted
in again, then the number is 20 be
held down to this ratio. Theye are
villages in this state where there are
saloons for every hundred people, but
this bill does not do away witha sing
le one of them: The real effect of
this bill is to allow the big brsHing
companies which have now so thor
oughly and widely entrepched them
selves, to hold a monopoly of the busi-
ness, because it prevents other brew
ing companies and other individuals
from starting in the business. y
uorald AIc ora D,,csraec CaA4c.s,