Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-22
Byan Washington Hall Speech from the Stenographer Notes

they build their homes they want to set
away from the saloon.
Take your petitions around and ask them
to sign a petition to put a saloon in their
block and they would be the last ones to
want a saloon near them. but they will
put saloon in your block and ruin the
value OF your property, and more-they
will jeopardize your children and your as
sociates and the associates of your chill
dren.
Don't think the saloon is a popular thing.
II is not popular
Mir Bryan; l have heard people say they
were opposed to sumptuary legislation.
Have you ever heard that suggested?
4 man came to our committee about two
years ago in this city. We were preparing
our platform for our state convention, prior
TO the national convention. and he wanted
to put a plank in on sumptuary legisla-
ton. | said no. not in this platform. Well
now, he says, these liquor folks have raised
enormous sums think he said $500, OoO-
and they are going to put it into this fight
Well, l said, let them do it, but they will
not have that plank I'm this platform, and
il was not in our platform.
When a man talks to me about sump-
tuary legislation now. / want to define
what he means by II. They have been
using these general terms long enough.
Mr.. Bryan: But / warn the people Of
Douglas county that il they go before this
state on the theory or the argument that
the liquor interests have the right to force
liquor into county against the wishes of
the people of the county they must not BE
surprised If their logic is adopted by those
who oppose the saloon and who on that
very argument will say that IL you can
force liquor into county against the will
pf the people you can take 1t out of a
county even when the people want to keep
| the liquor "a Voice: Good) Now, this
! will work both ways GA Voice: Bet your
life,) And you cannot afford to build up
| your argument upon that foundation. And
| / want TO remind the people of this county
| that they should distinguish between the
| interest of the brewers and the interests of
| those who are merely DESTROYS that the
! saloon shall remain that they and their
| friends may use it, The brewers are inter-
! ested in defeating county option. Why?
Because they want to sell in counties
! whether the peop-e want them to sell or
! not But that is not true of the other peo-
| pie of Douglas county. You are not inter-
| eSteu III forcing llQuOf upon Lancaster or
upon Pawnee or upon any of the other
counties in this state. All you ask is that
| you shall have the right to control your
own affairs and decide that question for
yourselves. County option gives it to you.
But when you array yourselves against
county option, what ground can you stand
upon when you are opposed to state pro-
| hibition2 "A
If the liquor interests insist that this
whole state shall be a pasture for their
business, then they must not complain IL
the people who are opposed to the saloon
become convinced that they are violating
no rights when they attempt 10 take liquor
away even from Douglas county.
l ann not here to warn you. You did no
invite me here came on my own invita-
ton. But l feel interest enough in you to
tell you that you are going to have enough
to do to keep your own saloons, and you
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