Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-09
ANOTHER SALOON
BATTLE IN MILAN
Local Option Question to Be Re-
submitted at the Spring
Election.
HOT FIGHT IN PROSPECT
Claimed that Financial Consideration
VIII Change Complexion of Vote
Sentiment in Village.

Milan, Feb. 9.-CSpecial Correspond
ence) this village is to re-
main in the dry column is a question
that is to be fought out at the polls
again at the township election in April.
Two years ago the voters of the town
ship, by majority of 70, decided
against the federation of the saloon.
While the local optionists maintain
they have lost no supporters of their
cause in the first experience in enforce
ment as stoutly claims that the trial
ment as stoutly claim that the trial
has proved a boomerang, and that the
village will return to the old order
of things in the spring b va larger ma
jority than was given TO local option
two years ago.
Shortage of Finances.
Financial considerations will play a
! large part in the coming election. il
ones deductions are to be guided by
/ expressions of the representative men
of the village. For years Milan
supported three saloons, charging each
an annual license of $500, thus bring
! ing into the treasury $1,000 per year
with which to help to maintain the
| village. The sudden cutting off of this
revenue has left the village in a bad
condition financially. The one source
/ from which revenues might be raised
is the waterworks system The plant
was built by the people and it belongs
to them. Each household taking the
water is assessed 81 per year for the
maintenance of the plant. This brings
in about $500 annually The village
officers proposed that the charge be
increased to 50 per year. but this ar
rangement does not appear to have
met with the favor that it was Supposed
it would. and action on an ordinance
providing for the increase. submitted
at the meeting of the village board
last Monday evening, was deferred.
OptIOnistS Satisfied.
One of the leading local optionists
here said: 1T is not to be denied
that we have suffered a lack of funds
as result of the termination of the
saloon traffic here, but We will have
TO do as other places have done in
Kidding themselves of the saloon, be
patient and permit conditions to adjust
themselves We who believe in the
enforcement of the laws and cleanii-
ness in cities where we live are salts
fed with results thus far. We have
driven the saloon and its vicious inf1d-
ence from our little village, and we be
lieve il is gone to stay away. We
are prepared to make a good fight in
the spring. and are satisfied that local
option has lost none of its friends in
the experience that we have gone
through in the past two years in get
ting along without the liquor traffic at
home
Claims IL Is Impractical.
A business man said: Personally,
l do not approve the saloon as it is
conducted in Rock Island county.
There is no doubling that 1t has degen-
Grated. due to the immoral surround
ings that have developed in the cOmpe-
tition among the manufacturers of beer
to dispose of their product. But COM
ing back to my home village here the
situation is exactly this: In the first
instance. in ending the existence of
the saloon, the local option law does
not provide for the void in the eX-
CheOuer that ensues. Our fiscal budget
was based necessarily on the amount
of our anticipated revenues. Our big
gest single source of revenue was the
saloon license. In theory, | have no
criticism of the local option law, but
every reasoning man must admit that
it is impractical in its present form.
Furthermore. if Milan were remotely
located from other centers where the
saloon is countenanced, possibly local
option might be effective. But it has
proved sadly deficient in this regard
so far as Milan is concerned. 1t has
not stopped drinking here You have
only to watch the late cars from Rock
Island to satisfy yourself on this point.
It's only a few minutes ride to Rock
Island from Milan. Our men and boys
organize into crowds and go to Rock
Island and stay there, many of them,
and get intoxicated, and fall into sur
roundings that they would not be en-
dangered by at home"
To BE Hot Fight.
The outlook is for the hottest cleo !
ton fight in the history of the village !
in the spring. Many of the voters who |
would prefer that the saloon be per /
manently removed are lining up
against the continuance of local option /
on the grounds that the village cannot ,
go ahead under prevailing conditions. I
They are taking the position that if .
the men who drink can get it so near I.
at home as Rock Island, and are get /
in s,,1 hnn
did when they had home saloons, their