Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-13
BRYAN FOR COUNTY OPTION
Comes Out for This Issue and Eight
O'clock Closing Law.
DOUGLAS SENATORS CONDEMNED
Declares in Editorial to BE Used in
COmmOner that Liquor Interests
Controlled Them and
Forced Their Acts.
From a staff correspondent)


LINCOLN, Feb. 12.-(SpeciaL) )-Wiriam
]. Bryan has announced in favor of county
option and in favor of the O'Clock closing
law wherever there are open saloons in the
state.
The editorial in which he commits him
self to county option will appear in next
weeks issue of the Commoner and in the
same editorial Mr.. Bryan takes hot shot
at the Douglas county senators by saying
that the only blot on the late democratic
legislature was put there by the liquor
interests which controlled enough Of the
senators to defeat the passage Of the
initiative and referendum bill.
1he publication of the editorial is
prompted at this time said Charles w,
Bryan, because of the unusual activity of
the liquor interests.
The editorial is one of the series Mr.
Bryan wrote before he went TO South
America. 1t is quite lengthy and contains
am ong other thir gs, the following:
The right of the government to regulate
the sale OF liquor cannot be questioned
and the right to regulate includes the right
to prohibit the open saloon. Conditions
differ in different states. In Nebraska we
have a high license law--one of the best
Of its kind in the union-but there is a
growing sentiment in favor of enlarging
The unit of legislation. Under the existing
law each city or village has the right to
license or prohibit the sale of liquor, the
minimum license and the maximum hours
being fixed by statute. 1t Is quito evident
that a majority of the voters of our state
favor a larger unit and county option,
such as Ohio. Missouri Texas, Indiana,
Kentucky and a number of other states
now have, has been suggested. What OBJ
lection can be made to It?
"It is sometimes objected that prohlbl-
tion by the act of the county suspends the
right of the precinct or city to decide
the question for itself But this is not a
valid objection.
1T is also objected that county option
is only a step toward state prohibition.
This would not be a valid objection, even
If the fact we're admitted. If the people
OF state have a right to prohibit the
sale Of liquor over the entire state they
have a right to authorize the counties to
prohibit within their borders II the coun-
ties can justly claim the right to regulate
the Hquor traffic, in the absence Of state
prohibition, 1t Is not just to deny them
this right merely out Of fear that the ex-
ercise Of the right may lead to the adop-
ton OF state prohibition.
The present law requiring the saloons,
wherever saloons are licensed, to close at
o'clock has worked we'll In practice and
should be continued. A later hour might
be more convenient for some, but many
are injured by late closing compared with
the few who are inconvenience by early
closing. so that the evils OF late closing
outweigh the advantages.
Penalty on saloon Man.
I'VE have law against treating in Ne
braska, but it is universally ignored We
should have statute placing the penalty
on the saloonkeeper and providing that It
shall be cause for forfeiture Of license If