The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-09-16

Oklahoma City that he will submit the
proposed amendments to the constitu-
tion for high license and local option
and for women's suffrage to a vote
of the people at the general election in
November has created no end of spec
ulation among politicians as to the eff
feet of this action upon the political
campaign and the probable result Of
the vote on .1ese two issues. The
democrats in their platform this year
have declared that prohibition is not a
political issue and made no declara-
tion either for or against it in their
platform. Their candidate for COVER
InoT, however, Lee Cruce of Ardmore,
in his primary campaign came out
fiat-footed for prohibition
The republican platform is silent on
the prohibition question, except it de-
clares for enforcement of the law
while it is on the statute books. How.
ever, Joseph w. McNeal, the republi-
can candidate for governor, was one
of the men indorsed by the anti-saloon
league as being friendly to prohibit
tion. With both democratic and re-
publican candidates for governor ar
rayed on the prohibition side of the
contest 1t is not patent at this time
how the prohibition question which
will be brought to the front in this
campaign in connection with the ad-
option or rejection of local option can
be made a political issue as between
republicans and democrats.
1t is this consideration, probably
among others, that led Governor Has
kell to decline to call a special cleo
tion for a vote on prohibition and to
allow it to be voted upon in the gen.
eral election. He probably figured
that 1t would not be likely to confuse
political issues as between the two
political parties, as their party plat
forms and candidates stand practi-
cally upon the same ground as to this
Question
1t was learned here today, however,
that the Anti-Saloon League urged
that the vote on the proposed high IL
cense and local option amendment be
had at the general election. The league
figures that it will be much more diff
cult for the anti-prohibitionist to
carry their amendment at the gen.
Ieral election than at a special election.
where only portion of the voters of
the state would participate.
In order to adopt a constitutional
amendment majority of all the votes
cast in the election are required. The
maximum vote will doubtless be cast
in the coming general election which
will make it more difficult for the antis
to secure enough votes to carry their
amendment.
In the first state election vote. the
heaviest yet cast in the state, the total
vote was 257,24O. The recent federal
census shows gain in population of
1853 per cent over the special 1907
lcensus.
If the voting population has increas-
ed proportionately total of approx
mately $4,000 votes should be cast in
the coming election. To secure a ma
jority of all the votes cast and to Sc.
cure the adoption of the high license
| and local option amendment to the
constitution it would be necessary
therefore for the ants to poll in ex-
cess of 14S,5DO votes in favor of the
amendment.
In the first state election, when pro-
hibition was adopted, there were only
I112,25S votes cast against prohibition
| in the state. Allowing the 1913 per
cent increase on this vote also the
ants could poll a little over 1900
votes at the coming election, providing
they are as strong now as they We're
three years ago. The anti-prohibition-
lists, on this basis of figuring, the only
one upon which the probable vote of
this fall can be estimated, would have
to poll 27,500 more votes than they did
three years ago to carry their amend
ment. This is the reason the pro-
lhibitionists want to have the high IL
cense and local option amendment
voted on in the general election. Dur
ling the first election when the vote
was taken upon constitutional pro-
vision for prohibition the large num-
Der of persons who did not vote at
all on the prohibition question really
counted against prohibition.
There were 1881 less votes cast for
and against prohibition in that cam
paign than for candidates for COVER
nor. With the increase vote in the
state this fall it is probably that some
thing aver 10000 votes will be cast
for the heads of the ticket that will