Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-04-04

C6yalry of Oregon delivered sun
day night: ,-,-,.u-.
ho, odvanced with the growth of the
meonle's rights. In 1902 the lnitia-
iivn and Referendum measure was
,,n for adoption. 62,024 men voted
Cor n and only SECS were against it.
:, was claimed: The people will
nover use this method; it will be
nsaIess and un-American. But two
years later, November 4, 1904, on
The ouestiOn of adopting a local op'
lion bill, there were S3,5l4 voters
who expressed themselves through
This provision. And in 1906, the llq-
nor dealers undertook to destroy the
local option law; but this time the
measure called out S0,541 voters
who we're interested enough to regis
fer their convictions at the polls.
And two years ago, on the liquor
dealers second attempt to defeat the
will of the people, 91,7SS voters
smoke on the question. And yet the
people are not to be trusted to gov
ern themselves
our splendid local option law
was passed by the people in 1904 by
majority of Bis votes. Two
Years later the wholesale liquor deal
ers proposed a deceptive amendment
and mis-named 1t on the official bal
lot to deceive the people; but the
majority against them in 1906 was
9,747.
IN 1908 the liquor interests at
tempted to tamper with the state
constitution in setting cities against
the state by the Reddy bill, which
gave every rum hole of a municipal
ity absolute right to regulate the liq
uor traffiCe, without regard to the
county vote; but the majority against
this was 1904. This is four times
as many votes as passed the local
option law four years before. Mean
while q counties have voted dry and
numerous precincts in every other
county of the state.
1T will be observed that the liq
uOr dealers cast less votes each time
than at the original test, having
measured their strength on the tirst
round. During this time the temper
ance majOrities have increased by
more than 400 per cent. Thus the
people of Oregon have registered
their will that the liquor interests
shall no longer dominate this state
against our homes.
"No sooner had the people passed
this law in 1904 than the liquor in
terests planned to defeat it through
the legislature by the introduction
of the infamous Jaynes bill. But the
legislators of 1906 declined this in
yitation to reverse the peoples vote.
Two years later they offered a SINH
lar liquor amendment to the peo
pies law, with deceptive and mis-
leading titles but with an increas-
ing majority the people defeated
this Following this, they prepared
a bill for the next Legislature, the
leaders of which wisely said: This
legislature cannot be corrupted;
the local option law is the peoples
measure. Some good temperance
people came up with some stringent
measures to strengthen the present
law, but were told that the peoples
right TO legislate is a rule that works
both ways. We will not tamper
with the peoples laws
Thus through all these desper-
ate deals our splendid local option
law remains intact. 1t has been
tested before every session of the
legislature; its battles have been
fought over again at every state
election by the people; its provisions
nave been utilized in voting three
iourths of the state dry; its provis-.
IONS have each been tried out in the
courts and every clause has passed
the scrutiny and received the sane
uon OF the supreme court.
=. We have now come to the next
Ihe OF battle, the passage of an
amendment to our state constitution
prohibiting the manufacture and sale
Vi nquor, and an enactment by the
sovereign people to enforce this pro
VISION; two measures, one constitu.
uonal the other statutory, with this
ton
But why a state constitutional
amendment? And why additional
legislation? Because our local OPP
tloh law is aimed at saloons, but the
zap root of this evil is the Whole
saie Liquor Dealers and Brewers as
Soclallon, And these men have hired
SGsents IN dry territories to sell their
ihquors IN violation of the peoples
Avs These are the men who cir
SulaIe the report that you cannot en-
i've prohibition laws. These are
tn ne men who ship liquors into dry
roati'orles; and they say there is
r@oie ritn drunkenness there than in ter
moy rdCoFy that is wet. These are the
iata VINO through their agents, vio-
tie our license as well as prohibi-
oS on laWs' These are the corrupters
i1oS SS''c'lVe franchise by their organ
yoti. practice of instigating Illegal
wodas sending out floaters to Self
vofou 81 John and other places to
'rho. "h'skey on dry communities.
M ooy, are the men who hire agents
laHn. nquor in dry counties in vio-
nro,a ol the peoples laws, and then
pavina mem from punishment by
mnisl ,heir fines, giving them balls.
adyullns them attorneys. and then
m 5.se lhat they sell more liduor
n waSS, man in wet places. which, II
selves only true, would prove them
"TboNs De the supreme anarchists.
poBtinnSeSe are the men who do dirty
good . get out red tickets, defeat
re-eIoo.,en 1,en and faithful officials for
Noh' corrupt our legislators,