Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1909-03-05
LOCAL OPTION BILL

prehension as TO the meaning Of lucal
UpIien, aud the danger is SO irnmi'
nent OF tho liquor folks leading Ger
tain membtrs Of the Legislature luto
aB unIennblo position. by an utter
Qualification Of the Issue, that l an,
constrained 70 appeal e. the news
papers OF the State TO clear the at.
mosphPIe.
That local option is not prohibition
inuglt 10 be 80 clear to every one
that rO further explanation should
bc needtd. Yas the liquor people
havc Carried on such campaign
against prohibition, as supposed
reason against the enactment Uf =
local option law, that many Of the
members Of tho Legislature nre
against local option. brcauso they
are against prohibition and favor the
saloon.
The Legislature, however. is not
face 10 face with the saloon question.
II is not asaed to close single sal
oon. Tie Fair Bill" will not of it.
self close single saloon. 1t viii not
even cause au election to be held of
its own force and volition. It will
do nothing, in fact. except to permit
the people to do what they want to
do.
When a recent Legislature had the
question before it. whether tho peo.
pie should work ont their roud tax,
or pay cash, the Legislature very
wisely concluded it could mob settle
that question to the satisfaction of
every township. II, therefor, enac-
ted n general law, under which the
people might settle the question for
themselves, but in doing so, tho leg.
islators gave no concern to the q1es-
tion of their own attitude on the sub
jact, and their votes for or sgalnet
the law were not determined hy any
such consideration.
The Legislature very wisely can
NOS determine the exteat to which
the several municipalities may in
crease their debts for public Improve
ments, and 30 enacted general sta.
tute, under which cash municipality
may determine this question TO ite
own satisfaction. but no legislator in
casting his vote for or against the
law, gave any concern to what his
attitude might be if called upon to
vote on the issue In his own uunicip-
ality.
Yet on this particular local option
question, We have the spectacle Of a
number of members giving no bett r
reason for voting against the "Fl r
Bill" than that they would favor
saloons. II 40 election were held un-
der the law in their own community
Utf)rtunately for these legislator :
this people are coming to understa d
the question as they have not done
before, and next year, these membe .
are going to make a sorry defence
indeed. in being compelled to say to
the people. 1--WE voted against the
"Fair Bill" because we favor the sal
oons in our community, and in con
sequence we voted so that every
other community shall have them,
whether.they want them OF not"
A Legislator sad, Il would vote
to continue the saloons in q LOCI /
option election. but I will vote for
the bill for l believe the people can
settle this question in their several
communities. If they yz1-ap. - better
than the Legislature.
1t is time that the members wake
up TO the real issue involved. and
while favoring saloons themselves,
that they do not allow themselves to
get into the utterly indefensible posi
tion Of protecting the saloons of GER.
tain communities, where the people
may really want to gee rid Of them.
Arguments for or against prohibit
ton have no place in this present
local option discussion. That will
come when a community Is ready to
hold an election. aud who will dars
say that If as many as one. fourth
of the voters OF a township. boro or
city ward, want to take the sense OF
the people in that district on the IL.
cense question, they are not compet-
ent 10 do SO, after hearing ali the ar.
guments aud weighing all the stats
ments of fact from every conceivable
standpoint.
That is the only tssaS involved in
local option. Tbs legislation sought
is nerely the means by which each
community. that has enough interest
In it, may ssttie the liquor question
therein to it's own satisfaction, with.
out regard TO the action Of any other
community, and the Legislators and
the people must consider the question
} Of the method employed quite sep.
arate and apart from the Essnlts
, 1 vvhfch aifhar tha a.1oor adwaratas