The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-03-01
LAST WEEKS FIGHT WILL
Be ON TOMLINSON BILL
Senator Warnings Scheme toPromote It to Engrossment
Falls Flat-Kirkman Savesathe Day for County
Local Option Still Far From Repeal

than $3.50 and not more than 5000, |
which together with the state license
fee of 500 added, would make the
maximum license 81 900. But this SEN
ator pointed out that the breweries
would remain In local politics and seek
to control the city councils so as to
have the councilc FIX the license fee at
the lowest possible figure. This, he
said, would merely take the breweries
out of state state politics and set them
to work at controlling city elections.
and he is not in favor of this plan. He
insists that whatever figure the license
is fixed at. it should be made definite
so that there will be no opportunity
for breweries to get into city politics.
elect a city council and have the IL
cense manipulated.
Saloons According to Population.
Senator Gonnerman also says that
there should be a reasonable limit
placed on the number OF saloons that
are to be permitted under the law. He
does not say so openly, but it is be-
lieved that he favors saloons at the
ratio of one for each 1000 population
instead of one for each 500 as the bill
now provides. These two amendments
Senator Gonnerman will insist on be-
| fore he will vote to pass the Tom
/ linson bill He does not approve Of
/ blind tigers" But he is in favor OF a
| temperance law that will regulate the
| traffic along the right lines, he says.
/ Senator Gonnerman lives at Mount Yer
non, Posey county, and says that Ii
quor is brought into his county from
Evansville by ''booueggers' and that
blind tigers" flourish. He does not
like this condition
There are other senators who feel the
same way, and this means that the IL
/ quor people will either allow the bill
| to be amended or they win have the
county option law on their hands when
the session closes.
Brewers on Their Knees.
There is a growing feeling among
| persons connected with the general
assembly that it is only a question
of time until absolute prohibition Will
be forced on the brewers of the state.
They point to the progress of the liquor
agitation in Tennessee to prove this
and say that Indiana is going the same
way.
Two years ago when there was a
proposition to enact a thousand dollar
license bill into a law the brewers
fought it tooth and toe-nail and defeat
ed it. They did not propose to have
any interference with their business.
That bill had strong backing and was
popular throughout the state. The
brewers were told that unless they
were willing to accept that kind of a
remedy for the ills that were inficting
the saloon business in this state they
would bring on themselves more dras-
tic remedy. but they laughed at the
J idea.
Things are different this year. The
t brewers would be tickled to death to
} accept a thousand dollar license law
now if they could get it. But it has
gone beyond that point. 1t is not a
, question of what they are willing to
? accept now. 1t is a question of what
they can get, and they may not gel
f very much.
People in Anti-SaIOOn Mood.
4 This year they are lighting the coun-
= ty option law with as much or more
vigor than they fought the thousand
dollar license bill two years ago. This
leads observers to remark that the
vote of the various counties at loca
option elections shows that the people
are in the right humor to take a swift
poke at the saloon business and, espe
cially at the breweries, which own mos
of the saloons of the state, and the!
say that If this legislature bow dow
to the breweries by repeating tn
the county option law and enactinl
one that will at the next election, a
= shown by their votes at the count,
s option elections, change the personne
Of the legislature and send men to tn
general assembly who will do wha
the people want them to do. The
when they get that kind of a legisla
ture some members will propose a con
stitutional amendment to prohibit tn
8 manufacture or sale of intoxicating II
quors in the state of Indiana. When
ever that is done the state will do JUS
y as Tennessee did-it will vote itsel
- dry. He is a short-sighted brewer VIII
% cannot or will not see what is comm
= to him along this line.
= 1t is the general understanding tina
y the Tomlinson bill will be called u
- in the senate today or tomorrow an
- that every effort will be made to pas
- the bill in its present form. If thi
!, cannot be done amendments will be OF
= fered to make it satisfactory to tn
a few republican senators who are viii
= ing to vote for il if properly draw
" This promises to be the big fight of til
;" week.