Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-04-07


istied with anything less"
Gives Reasons For Opposing Bill.
Senator Page who, with Senator
Burke dissented from the majority
report of the committee on state
affairs, advanced five reasons why he
was opposed to the bill. In sub
stance they are:
Because il is a prohibition measure.
Because it interferes directly with
the liberty of the people
Because it removes from localities
the right 10 say whether or not they
! shall have license.
Because it is impossible to emf zee
such law.
/ Because it would result in the CON
/ fscation of millions of dollars worth
OF property and deprive thousands OF
men of a livelihood.
In JUSTIFICATION of his first reason
for being opposed to the bill Senator
Page argued that the object is to OBJ
tain state wide prohibition He said
men who have craving for liquor
win always find it, even though they
have TO violate the law.
Relative to the second reason that
the bill would deprive the people of
their personal liberty he set forth
that some people regard tobacco.
card playing, dancing. gaudy displays
of hosiery and wearing OF corsets
vices. These things, he said, are
subjects for just as good arguments
as the liquor question. He said he
knows Of instances where men have
sunk to the lowest depths by playing
cards and where the dance halls
have ruined girls.
Senator Page said that the re-
moval of the right of localities to
say whether or not they have licenses
would result in the operation of
blind pigs. He held that it is better
to have proper regulation of saloons
and compel them 10 do that which is
right. He contended that the argu-
ment that a who.e county should not
have the right 10 vote on the IL
cense question is a malicious one.
Why should they not have thu
vote or every proposition in Viii
they are interested" he asked.
He declared that towns are perfect
ly satisfied with present conditions
Twenty years ago the Ard-Saloon
league started a campaign for dis
trict option. Senator Page declared
that the legislature gave them the
district law but it was never taken
advantage of. Now they ask for
county option, saying that they must
have a larger unit Senator Page
said it was unfair to take advantage
of local or district laws when the
county fails to go dry. He feared
that at the next session of the legs
lature the Anti-Saloon league would
make the argument that the county
is not large enough and ask for state
wide prohibition.
Senator Page said it would be I'M
possible to enforce a law of this kind.
He argued that if a man wants to
get liquor he will succeed even if
the county does go dry.
If the bill becomes a law and Mil
waukee county should happen to go
dry there would be $500 vacant busl-
ness places in the city, he said. The
law would result in reduction OF
rentals and values OF real estate
throw about 5000 persons saloon
keepers and bartenders) out of work,
reduce the working forces OF the
breweries and allied interests to one
half and confiscate millions of dol
lars worth of properly in the state.
He defied any one to show that Sen
ator Barker made a single argument
in favor Of the bill.
He asked the senators to either
vote for the regulation of saloons and
for personal liberty or for county
option end dives (meaning blind
pigs.)
GAYLORD a Teetotaler.
Senator Gaylord also spoke in OPP
position to the bill He said ne
found himself in a peculiar position
in that he was at one time secretary
of the Anti-Saloon league at Eigin,
Ill. He has been teetotaler all
his life and has no use for liquor now
but he was opposed to county option
People of all classes are received as
members by his party, (social demo-
cratic1 and only two classes of peo-
pie who apply for membership are
investigated, lawyers and saloon
keepers, declared the senator.
Il am informed that the welfare of
the republican party is again at
stake" he said. Il wish to give you
some advc &c. For Gods sake Kill
this bill IL the senate for the as
sembly does not want to pass it,"
The senator argued from the
standpoint that the nature of per
son can not be changed by law. He
spoke at length and quoted freely
from periodicals and newspaper clip
pings. He had received a large
number of kilograms urging him TO
vote against the dill but he said they
had no weight with him as be had
long ago made up his mind as to how