The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-04-23
TALK OF TAX RIDER
The Real Issue Before the Legisla-
ture. However, is Whether the
People Shall Be Permitted 20 Vote
on the Liquor Question.

jefferson City. April 22 The first
senate hearing ON the house proh
bition amendment is scheduled for
tomorrow night The senate commit
tee on constitutional amendments
held numerous meetings ON the sem
ate resolution Of the same kind.
but Sc would i'm all probability have
been considering it tin the day of
adjournment If the house had not
sent the Killion amendment over
TO mako trouble u leaves matters
whore IL is wholly within the con
troll Of the democratic party to say
whether the people are TO have
chance TO vote on whether the state
shall be wet or dry. The fact is
making a situation that Is in a way
Complicating.
The liquor question has properly
no place in party politics. Neither
party wishes TO bee known as the
prohibition party I'm Missouri but
both parties are equally anxious not
to be known as the ct party. The
democrats I'm the hous, thought it
was fun TO put the house republi-
cans I'm place whore they had to
vote on the subject. but it doesn't
look so funny now. The liquor mon
in St. Louis have. according to
reports, rounded mp all the business
men i'm the city that can be reach.
ed in their behalf There has been
literally shower of letters from
St. Louis wholesale merchants and
bankers asking that the prohibition
amendment be not passed.
Today score or more of busi-
ness men from St. Louis came here.
a few to talk insurance but others
10 defend the brewing industry of
that city. They had not been here
long before they were all busy talk
ing prohibition TO the exclusion OF
practically everything else. Tomor-
row il is announced there will be
forty-onc bankers from St Louis 20
talk for the brewers. In addition 10
the bankers there Is to be swarm
of business men Of that city rep
resonting practically every industry
in ST. Louis. At least one member
of the committee is in favor of
reporting the prohibition amendment
out tomorrow night lie is Senator
Wilson of Platte county. While
Platte county is in every sense of
the word a wet county, there are
five other counties in Wilson's dis.
trict and four of them are dry coun-
ties
"TNc real question before the leg
islature," Wilson said, lis not pro
hibition itself but whether the leg
islature is willing TO give the pco.
pie a chance to vote on the subject
We are not asked to vote for or
against letting the peopel express
their opinions on the subject But
the liquor interests are making a
tremendous mistake from their own
standpoint by demanding tax rid
er for the amendment If IL goes
before the people with tax rider
that will make an issue that Won {
get into a straight prohibition prop
osition. The people will say the
liquor men think their business is a
public necessity and will be very
much tempted TO show them where
they are wrong, The liquor men
themselves, If the rider is on, viii
/ be parading the amount they pay
into the treasury before the people
and that will tend to exasperatC
reasonable men and make them un
friendly to the liquor traffic an
not prohibitionist, but II this mat
ter is TO be submitted. and / thinl
now II will be, it ought TO be sub
mitted as clean cut prohibition
question
The talk of a gilr Groviilng io
an increased rate OF taxation I,
meet prospective losses on accoun
of the saloon tax being cut OFF Il
: quite as general in the senate nov
= as ii was ten days ago in the house
but whether it will be attached no
body can say for sure until tn
matter is taken up for vote II
the senate. In the meantime prob
bition is a trouble breeder so ia
as this legislature is concerned, b,
cause everybody wants to talk abou
1t and is ready to give time to
that belongs TO other work Thi
legislature was already making
record for little work done and no,
near the end of the session It seem