The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-08-19
OPTION AND Tl.OPTICN

The Free Press has been frequently
asked the definition of county option
as under discussion in the state of
Minnesota today We passed the query
on TO Rev. W. y. Jameson, who Is
one of the leaders of the movement
in this section. His communication
appears elsewhere. 1t is quite lengthy
and he goes into the subject in some
detail The contention raised by the
reverend gentleman is not new. Others
have put forth the argument that'
under the present law, the farmers
are not given the right TO vote on
the question of license or no license.
This. phase of the question seems TO
be their one chief argument, that
the unit should extend to the limits
of the county instead of the village
or municipality.
Here is where the anti-county OPP
Zionist takes a different view of the
question. He contends that 1t would
be tampering with the principle OF
home rule were men who are not resi-
dents of MankatO to be permitted
TO vote on a proposition that affects
its internal workings; that ii they
were allowed to ballot on one qnes-
ton. it would be only matter OF
time when they could vote on others
which are of direct interest only to
the residents of this city. This would
eventually lead TO the dissolving OF
the local city government and make
the county machinery the ruling unit.
The theory of government is to limit
the unit rather than enlarge 1t.
There is another phase of this ques-
ton that deserves consideration. The
people residing in Pleasant Mound,
Sterling. Shelby, Mcpherson and other
towns some distance away could, under
a county option law, vote to place
Mankato in the "dry' class, but If
Nicollet county should vote wet, this
city would be at the mercy of North
Mankato, which is within a stones
throw. and over whose internal affairs
we have no jurisdiction. The Free
Press would object if the people of
Mankato should attempt go dictate
any other town in the county. Home
rule is one of the fundamental ideas
of this government, and should not
be encroached upon. Danger mrks in
any movement that tends to do away
with this principle of self government
that was laid down by our forefathers
and which has well withstood the
test of time.
The optionists exhibit Il great dca
of concern for the farmers, but where
are the farmers going to be at
should the people of county vote
wet The local option law will still
be in effect, and should any commune
ty choose to vote on the question OF
license or no license, the farmers oil
that county would be in the same
position they We're before the vote OF
county option was east. They could
not participate in the local election
They could not vote on the vital is
sue, and. therefore,. they natural.
would soon lose their interest ant
faith in county option enactment.
The city of Mankato pays somethin!
like two-thirds of the personal prop
erty tax OF the county. and larg
per cent of the real estate tax. Cit,
property is assessed at higher figur
than that in the rural districts; an,
great many of the fines for the vic
lation of the liquor laws is deposited
in the county treasury. This bein,
the case, it would seem no more thai
reasonable to permit Mankato to con
duet its local government as it see
fit, so long as it does not infringe up
on the rights of other communities
This looks to us like fair proposition
and it is no more than right an
proper to permit our neighbors to d
likewise, allowing them to settle tn
question of license or no license anon
themselves Conceding that Mankat
is the birthplace of majority of tn
few cases arising from the violatio
of laws due to the liquor traffic,
must be borne in mind that this cit
more than pays its burden of the eS
pense of their prosecution.
Far be it from the Free Press
enter into defense of the saloon an
the liquor traffic. This newspaper
attitude toward violations of the law
regulating the saloons is so well know
that any comment at this time is III
necessary. The laws governing saloon
cannot be made too strong to su
us, and once law i'm that directio
is placed on the statute book il
strict enforcement should be the dut
OF the authorities. But we cannC
bring ourselves to the belief that coui
ty option is the panaeea for the il
of which our optionist friends con
plain.
Rev. Jameson cites the case of ii
'blind pig" and its prosecution. II
speaks of the county" justice of I'll
4, goIa