Omaha daily bee., 1910-07-17
NEwARK's TRAGEDY OF ERRORS
Long string of Mistakes IL TO Blame
for the Recent LynchiRG i'm
OHIO Town.

NEWARK, o., July 16.--(Speoial Cor
respondent 10 st. Joseph News-Press. -
The Newark lynehing was a tragedy of
errors.
This seems to be the consensus of UNI
biased opinion,
First, It seems, the people Of Ohio erred
In making county option law that took
home rule away from certain cities among
them Newark This was the fundamental
error, It's an error that might be made
in any state; It raises the question Of
whether town option is not better than
county option.
the Chain Of BrFOrs.
Then there were a number Of incidental
errors. People here identified with neither
faction involved in the wet and dry feud,
and who can weigh the facts soberly. agree;
That the vets have erred In fragrant
violation Of the law,
That the drys have erred In laundering
and untaotful efforts TO enforce the law,
That the depoaed mayor Of Newark has
erred in falling strictly to enforce the law,
That the police erred In failing to make
any determined effort TO protect the threat
ened man
That the resigned sheriff erred in mis-
Judging the temper OF the mob and In
real defense of the Jail when the attack
came.
That the Anti-saloon league erred in
hiring mereenaries Of low type to do its
spying
That the dry detectives erred in display
ing ally bravado in making their raids
All these incidental blunders however,
bark back 10 and have their basis on the
big blundsr that deprived Newark Of home
rule, that made the town subject to q So
called focal" option law through the votes
Of people who do not live in Newark,
Oeunty Option Law blamed,
The county option law deprives the wet
element Of real local option on the liquor
question. When county goes dry, that
settles the matter till another election can
be held, The wet element has no re-
course Hut II a county goes wet, the drys
can stlil invoke the old local option laws
and vote the county dry by pieoemeal
township by township and district by dis
trict in cities.
Thus the cities that are wet in popular
sentiment are deprived OF home rule in
the dry counties, while the drys in the wet
counties are given an advantage not given
to the vets In dry counties,
The anti-sallon people argue that the
liquor traffic is wrong, and that the end
tustifies the TNN1ns they use In fighting 1t.
The vets, feellAE that injustice Is worked
them by the fact Mat the drys can drive
the local option lsslI tandem while they
themselves cannot sls naturally indignant,
The injustice seems "a them TO afford good
ground for fragrant violation OF the law,
Thus they lose suetA respect as they may
have for the laws OF the state.
Brewing GOF Two Years.
The trouble In Newark has been brewing
for nearly two years. The county option
law has engendered bitter feud between
Licking county and its county seat
The city voted wet by majority OF
1900
The airy vote of the county. outside the
corporation OF Newark. was strong enough
to wipe out Newarks wet majority and
carry the county by majority OF 7B
Thus the city OF Newark went dry. nom
inally, q year ago last January.
Home rule had been taken away; the
/ city was made subject 70 a law that 1
majority OF its citizens didn't endorse.
Result; Anarchy. Newark was "wetter'
than ever before.
The wet element, urging that II Is ranklS
i unjust In the nature OF things. for one
community 70 impose Its viii upon another
In a matter OF personal liberty. refused
TO obey the mandate of the rural dlstriots
The city administration. being frankly wet
In sympathy, made only pertuhctory effort,
to enforce the law,
Open TOwn for Year and Half.
So for year and . half Newark hai
been an open town. tventy-fOur hours n
the dAy, seven days In the week,
The airy element, arguing that the PEG
pie OF q county have an equal right wit
the people OF the county seat IN determin
ing how their county seat shall be run
have made various efforts to enforce tn
law Ovss the head Of former Mayor Ath
erton.
These efforts have been ineffsctuaL The
have served only 70 engendsr greater bit
terness between the TIVE factions.
The last Of these efforts. 70 date. re
suited In the shooting Of William HOWart
''nsar-oeeT'' sal0Onkesper ana former Car
! tain OF Newark police. ana the hanging q
his slayer on the public square within
stones throw OF the IAeklng county eouI
Z house.
|. So much for county local option that ism
b local option
: II Newark had home rule there woul
; have been no lynching