The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-16
BIG FIGHT IS HAD
ON THE DEAN BILLS
Wet and Dry Forces Clash in the Senate Chamber-For
Three Hours Arguments on Both Sides were Present
by the Friends and Enemies of the Two Measures
Prepared by the Fremont Senator.


Columbus, o., Feb, 16. Temper
ance advocates clashed last night in
the senate chamber over the two Dean
bills.
One OF the bills seeks to amend the
Rose county local option law to give
municipalities in dry counties the
right to vote wet II they are so dis
posed The other seeks to elevate
the character of saloon and saloon
keepers by rigidly prescribing the
things saloonkeepers may be disquali-
fed for doing.
Half a dozen or more speakers APP
peared for either side, the time fol
discussion being divided so that each
side had an hour and half The lib-
erals had the floor an hour, then
gave way to the anu-saloon orators
for an hour and half. Then the
liberals had half an hour in which to
sum up their case.
General Michael ]. Ryan, of Gin
cinanti, counsel for the Personal
Liberty league, was spokesman for
the liberals. He explained that the
advocates of the bill were merely
seeking to prevent the destruction Of
a business which in the last 30 years
had done as much as any other to
make for the greatness and prosper
II yof the commonwealth. and TO place
the bushes upon a plane of respect
ability. The latter statement was
greeted with derisive laughter from
the opposition.
Fred Lang, representing the Cen
trail Labor council of Cleveland, gov
erning some 10000 workingmen. de-
manded the amendment of the bill.
which he described as having put
out of commission a business I'm which
thousands of worlingmen had made
an honest living for years, The
passage of the Rose bill, he said, had
caused more hardship among work.
ing men than the panic of 1907. In
Cleveland alone, he said. many thous-
ands OF men We're idle through it's
operation.
James Wood of Cincinnati, speak
ing for the Central Labor council, 2J.-
goo men, made plea along the same
line. He furnished an interesting
array of statistics. showing how the
abolishment OF the liquor business
from Ohio would affect workingmen
in the various manufacturing inter-
ests. Particular stress was laid upon
tchacco. AS a specific instance. he
cited the case Of 25OO glassblowers in
Newark, whose employment was now
gone, the demand for bottles for beer
and other liquors having fallen off
declsively.
In Alabama and Georgia he said,
not more than 40 cigarmakers were
employed now. where before those
states became dry, approximately
5000 were employed, In Portsmouth.
where prominent shoe manufactured
had taken an active part in the local
option campaign, this manufacturer
employees were now resisting an at
tempted wage reduction, urged the
speaker said, because the manu- rac-
turer held that since local option had
come, not so lmuch wages were
needed.
G. b. Mccoy, of Coshocton. made
an argument against the aboishment
OF the principle home rule by the Rose
Dill. There. he said, the people of the
city had voted to 2 to ] against loc-
al option, yet the country voters had
voted tIe county dry. AS conse-
quence business was suffering.
c. U. Shryrock, or GAINESVILLE. de.
clared the Rose bill was wrong for
the reason that il made criminal I'm
GAINESVILLE conduct which in Colum-
bus was no offense. There, too. the
city had voted wet, but the country
voters had declared for LEGAL optlon.
lie ridi'uled the idea that such lo,al
option was effective, declaring that
as much whisky was now being con-
sumed in Muskingum county as he
fore the election. He cited an in
stance OF man being sent TO the
workhouse for a year for giving a
friend drink, In support OF his argu-
ment.
l.. ID. Lilley opened for the temper
ance advocates. He said the real inn
port had been lost in the argument
OF the opposition. II meant simpiv
repeal of the Rose law, rather than
a mere amendment. His argumen.
was strongly in favor OF the county
being the unit in local option cleo
tions as in all other county elections.
All the county paid taxes, he said.
all the county should say what should
be the moral protection precautions.
The effort to repeal the bill
through an ostensible amendment. he
declared, was merely an attempt tc|
kill the bill from behind. ANY ar
gument that the law could not be en-
forced was but a confession that the
friends of liquor would not observe
any law. He displayed temper
ance map of the state ard drew much
applause by declaring that the men
who have the highest regard for NOR
allty made that map what Il is.
Saloons are a source of crime and
misery" he said, and you can't af-
ford to adopt IL as 4 means OF reve