Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-18
BRYAN WANTS REFERENDUM
Says Fear of County Option Leads
Some to Oppose 1t.
HOPED TO DELAY THAT SUBJECT
Believes Option Instead of HasteninE
Prohibition WouId Delay it
Defeat Would
Hasten II.

w. J. Bryan. who spoke last evening at
Washington hail. which he rented himself,
told his hearers that he preferred to have
the question of county option delayed for
two years, but that he would insist on the
qeuston of the initiative and referendum
being taken up and considered at once
He declared the liquor interests had de-
feated the initiative and referendum before
the last Legislature. Mr. Bryan said in
part:
I'VE might as well prepare for the cen
flict and settle now the question whether
special pecuniary interest can control
the policies of the parties of the states
silence conventions on important isues and
then set up legislatures by secret manipu-
lation l for one am not willing that the
democratic party shall go into the present
campaign as the open and avowed repre-
sentative of the LIQUOR interests. l do not
know how many OF the democrats may
agree with me. There is no way of find
ing out where our party stands unless a
fight is made, and l am willing to be
counted as one who protests whether those
who agree with me are few or many. l
believe that they are many; in fact, |
believe that IL the matter can be fairly
presented to the democratic ovte-s large
IHdJOIlly Will record themselves as un-
alterably opposed to the domination of
cur party by the liquor interests. At least
L will not admit 1t until We are voted
down in the convention or at a primary
that majority fthe democrats are will
ing to take orders from the liquor dealers
who have a p9cunisry interest in opposing
all restrictions and who have in the op-
posed every important effort to limit the
evils fthe saloon.
THE liquor interests have no politics.
They are willing to act with any party they
can control and against any party ttey
| cannot control.
When county option is secured each
county will have the right to vote on
the subject Of saloons and there is probably
not county in the state in which the
saloon interests would be willing to sub
NIT proposition in line with the argument
they now make. They would be willing to
ask that victory against county option
be construed as a permission to establish
a saloon anywhere and everywhere regard
less of local sentiment. When We have
county option the liquor interests in each
county viii be very glad to have it under
stood that any town in the county can
adopt no-lcense policy in case the county
y.
The fallacq Of the argument to which I
have referred lies in the fact that the
opponents of county option talk of what is
| fair to the saloon. The word fairness"
ought not to be used by an advocate of
| the saloon,
There is another argument which have
| heard advanced. Men have told me that a
majority of the people of their county
favored saloons, and that the saloons there
/ fore ought not to be disturbed. My answer
is that under county option the people of
any county can have saloons II they want
! them. The man who opposes county option
ought to be asked to answer a question:
| Are you afraid that under county option
the saloons Of your county will be closed I?
option and Prohibition.
II submit that the people who want the
saloon ought to be satisfied to retain the
saloon in counties that want them, without
insisting that they shall exist in counties
that are opposed 10 them. If the liquor in
/ terests insist that liquor shall be sold in a
! county even when a majority of the people
OF the county are opposed to it, then can
| Continued on Second PageJ