The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-06
THE DAY AFTER.

The will OF the majority asserted it
self yesterday in no unmistakeablt
way. The majority of the citizens OF
Wayne county are not in favor of driv
Ing out the saloons. The returns in
hicated that many men believed thai
regulated saloons are better than the
prospect of uncontrolled liquor sell
Ing. What that future would have
been there is no need to speculate on
There is only one fact worth consider
Ing in the face of the returns and thai
Is that the majority of men in this
county are in favor of the saloons.
Why?
The simple fact of the matter is
that the saloons in this community
have been obeying the law for some
years past. 1t is mainly for this rea
son that the saloons were not voted
put.
Much praise is due to Prosecutor
Jessup and the police commissions
of the last few years that the saloons
have obeyed the law. But just as
much praise if not more is due the
liquor dealers for the observance of
law. If the SELDOM conditions had
been rotten in this town the people
would not hay stood behind them.
In this connection we can only reit-
crate what we said yesterday in the
contingency of the county going wet:
"if the county goes wet let the clos
ing laws and the law prohibiting the
sale Of liquor to minors be properly
enforced.
We urge this to the liquor element
as much for their own sake as for the
good of the county and it's citizens. If
it goes wet" the Palladium believes
that all recriminations and insinua-
tons should at once be stopped. The
temperance people can not better
their cause by saying that the election
was bought, that any set Of citizens
were criminals. or that the county is
going to rack and ruin
We believe that the saloon condi-
tons will be better than they have
ever been before. The liquor dealers
are not foolish enough to throw away
a victory which was won by their
good behavior by relapsing. 1t has
been said on good authority that 1.-The
lid is on Just as much after the cleo
ton as it was before and there is no
reason to doubt the word of the liquor
dealers.
The election and the campaign we
have just gone through reflects credit
on the citizens of Richmond. 1t wa.
a clean campaign. Think, il you will,
OF the enormous feeling on both sides,
think of an election in which every
man, woman and child held strong
views on one side or the other Think.
that almost every vote in the whole
county was polled. Then you will see
that Ii was remarkable that there
were no charges of serious order on
either side which were valid. Indivi-
duals may have over stepped the mark
but as side against side there was no
real infraction of fair play. This is
a thing which the county of Wayne
has to be proud of.
For this reason it is to be hoped
that the days after will be free from
harsh talk on both sides. Surely there
is room for all of us to live in peace
and quiet and show that we respect
the wishes OF the majority. There is
no excuse for hard words.
The thing for everybody to be con-
cerned in as we said yesterday is for
everyone to take a determined stand
on law enforcement 1t is far more
important that all shall unite on this
proposition than to spend the time in
calling the other side names.
The agitation of the tempe rance
forces will not have been in vain il
the town is kept in the paths of law
and order.
And We conclude as We did yester-
day:
Law evasion is much more serious
danger to this republic than any other
problem with which we are concerned.
The Palladium stands for the will Of
the people and for law enforcement.
An exposition of butchers and meat
packing interests will soon be held in
Berlin.