Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-07-16

laughter.) In way feel sorry for
! DR.. Wilson. (Laughter.) Strictly
speaking he is not free moral
agent. (Laughter) He hasn't got
any choice in this matter. He has
got to preach prohibition and he has
got to practice total abstinence or
his salary would stop in a minute.
/ daughter and applause.)
/ Now l say that with all respect
and Difference to the honorable doc
tor, because l am not here to throw
mud or to throw bricks, and l hope
to convince you that l am a
bouquet thrower from away back.
/ (Laughter.)
j Now, in this whole discussion /
would like to have you bear in mind
that the question is, Shall we adopt
state wide constitutional prohibition
| by adopting an amendment to the
constitution or shall we retain the
ironclad, rock-ribbed local option law
drawn by these same people who now
want us to change our mind and
adopt new State policy to suit
their notions? That is the PROPOSE
tion, ladies and gentlemen, and I am
not going to let you get away from
that proposition.
Now, l am opposed tothis constitu-
tional amendment I don't believe
in littering up the constitution of
Oregon with all such propositions as
might emanate from all these diff
ferent sources and these different
organizations. l don't think it is
wise. l don't think it is right, and
l don't think it is necessary, and 1
hope to present a few arguments
along that line before l get through.
Now, of course, as you all under
stand, the local option law represents
what might be called the home rule
principle; that is, the doctrine OF
local self-government is bound up in
the local option law, and when that
law was presented and was advocated
about one half of the people of this
State believed that it meant local
option for the country precincts and
the right to carry on what is known
as high license in the cities. 1t was
not pretended at that time that there
would be anything but the right for
each community fact l have
circular that was published by the
Anti-Saloon League in which they
said that every precinct, every
locality, every city under this system
could absolutely decide this question
for themselves and have the local
self-government control upon that
matter, and that cities could license
and regulate and cities could con-
troll, and country precincts and resi-
dence wards of cities could vote out
the saloons and the whole thing was
to be on that adjustable self-oper-
ating basis, and it was especially not
to violate the principle of local self
government. That is what we have
now, and / want you to bear that in
mind, that If you adopt this prohibi-
tion amendment to the constitution
you will absolutely wipe out and
nullify and destroy the local option
law, the principle of home rule and |
the principle of local self-gover-
nment, and cities like Salem and |
other cities in this State would be |
absolutely prohibited from regulat- |
ing or licensing or doing anything in |
this matter of dealing with the |
problems growing out of the liquor
traffic, and the city of Portland |
would lose all its revenues which It
is now receiving, somewhere be-
tween four and five hundred thous-
and dollars year, and would have
to levy two and a half mills addi-
tional taxes upon all the property Of
the city and would absolutely lose
all control of the right to regulate |
and manage anything In connection |
with the liquor traffic, and your
great magnificent city here would be
turned loose into a kind of prohibi- |
tion pandemonium. That Is what
you would have here in Portland |
(Applause and various remarks,
someone saying Let her go.")
Mr.. Hofer: You say let her go;
you are probably a transient resident !
here. (Laughter)
Now, my next objection to the
adoption of this so-called prohibition
to the constitution Is
along the line that / first indicated,
that everything is not fit to go into
the constitution. For instance, there
are such things as dead letter In
the constitution. We have them in
the constitution now. We have
clause in there that prohibits free
negroes and mulattoes from coming
into the State or owning property
here. OF course, that amendment,
or that feat re of the constitution Is
as dead as a door nail You will all
NbANN WIN AiN Ludl II WDulQ De lfu-
proper to propose an amendment TO
The constitution that no Mormon
should ever come into the State OF
Oregon, and that no Mormon, that no
person should practice or believe In
The Mormon religion. and yet that
kind Of an amendment would be pro-
posed by some people, and yet II Is
plain that II such a thing
was put into the constitution It
would be openly violated, II could
not be enforced, the Mormons would
'eel that they we're prosecuted and
hey would multiply and spread and
.hriYe in Oregon as under no other
So II would be II
20 tried TO amend the constitution
% compel everybody 10 go 10 church
1n Sunday. II you put a Sunday
amendment into the constitution TO
compel everybody TO cease from
abor, which Is already the law and
IS violated every day, to compel
everybody TO observe the Sabbath
md to 90 10 church, and that every
)Ody would have 10 observe the Sab
path day on Sunday. OF course, that
would be persecution OF the Seventh
Day Adyentists, and that kind Of an