The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1910-02-03
The Next Step

Issue. published by the State Anti
Saloon eague, will give an idea OF
the aims of those in charge of the
crusade against the liquor traffic:
INQUIRIES are continuously COM
ing in asking what is to he the next
step of the Anti-Saloon League
forces of the state. Saloon men, as
we'll as temperance people, are in
terested in the answer of this ques-
ton. The difficulty in giving the
right answer lies in the fact that
conditions vary greatly in the dit
ferent parts of the state, and mas
much as the movement is state
wide in its scope, all conditions
must be taken into consideration.
Since the first local option cleo
ton under the new law on August
l4th last, there have been held SO
elections. Five of these were coun-
ty rural units-the others have
been cities and towns ranging from
400 to more than 10000 popula-
ton. OF these elections all of the
rural county units have voted
against license, and of the So mu-
inequalities, IS have voted against
license. These results have been
very gratifying to those who hope
for the elimination of the saloon
from Washington within the next
few years. These results have been
50 unexpected in some quarters
that it has led Il few of the more
sanguine of our friends to believe
that the state of Washington could
be easily swung into the "dry" col
ump under a state wide prohi
law, or even that a legislature could
be elected in 1910, two-thirds of the
members of which would be favor
able to the submission of an amend
ment to our constitution covering
the manufacture and sale of intox-
icating liquors. On the other hand.
there are those who see in our de-
feats thus far an intimation that We
ought TO trim our sails and not at
tempt any new legislation. but seek
for the more careful organization OF
our forces, and the cultivation OF
public sentiment in the use of the
LAWS now upon our statute books.
The Anti-Saloon League forces OF
Washington made the fight for a
county unit Legislature in 1908.
After a vigorous fight they sue"
ceeded in having passed the county
unit law in the house of represen-
tatives by vote of Sc to 80, This
bill, it will he remembered. was
defeated in the senate by the vote
of % to 20, by the strength largely
OF the half of the senate elected in
the wear 1906. Later the present
law was passed as compromise
measure The principle of locaI
option has been written into oul
statute books and very widely en-.
dorsed by the people through the
application of the law. The results
of these city and county elections
show that if the county were made
the unit, including the mnnicipali-
ties with the county, instead Of
being independent of the unincor
posated portion of the county, every
county that has voted under this
law would have made clean SWEEP
against the saloons. Such a vote
would indicate to the county all.
thorities who are charged with the
enforcement of all state laws, the
wish Of the ajority of the voters
OF the county. The county is also
the natural tax unit and the en-.
largement from the municipal to
the county unit is, therefore, the
next logical step in the progress o.
the local option program for Wash
ington.