The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-27
BUSINESS MEN TO
FIGHT PROHIBITION
Active Campaign Is to BE
Waged Throughout the
State of Utah.

pus;ross men in Salt Lake and
other cites of the state arc qnietly
preparing to wage an eHectlEe JILL
against prohibition at the coming local
o1tion election, which. under the new
law, is set for June 81. There is con q
siderable doubt as 10 the Vai,ultS ol
tha new linuor law, but pending the
ruI;ng of the courts on the law the busi'
ness men are planning their campaign,
in the event that that portion OF the
laU, cnlling the election is declared con-
stltutlonal
The prohibitionists will make al ac~
tive campaign in the endcavor to make
as strong a showing rs possible III
Salt Lake. They are already claim
ing Ogden and every other clty In the
state outside of Salt Lake. with Inc
execution of few mining towns.
Within the next two weeks both sides
will begin an active campaign. The
prohibitionlsts are planning TO hold Il
large meeting, at which several pro
hibition orators will speak, and at
which committees will be named to
conduct the campaign for prohibition,
To offset this it Is probable that a
meeting of business men VIII be called
to discuss the coming election, and a
committee of prominent business men
will be named to conduct the campaign
against prohibition for Salt Lake. Both
sides to the prohibition question have
planned several meetings, and rather a
liyelr- campaion is anticipated.
The fight in Ogden. it is expected
will be close. The prohibitiouists have
already organized, and have held sew
eral meetings. The "wets' are ex.
pected tt begin an organized campaign
in that city within the next two weeks.
The Betterment league of Weber
-,
while, as IN Salt Lake, the campaign
against prohibition will probably be
conducted by majority of the
prominent business men of Ogden who
fear the evil effects of prohibition.
The outcouiN in other cities of the
state is in doubt In many of these
cities prohibition is now in force, but
in some of them it has not worked as
well as was expected. Opponents of
prohibition, and some who claim to be
disinterested in the outcome. say that
the vote in these cities will show a
reversal of public opinion. and that
cities now Edry' will be f'wet'' fol
lowing the election.
Several prominent law firms have
been retained to investigate the
validity Of the new law They have
found several flaws in it. and are al
most certain that parts of it are in.
valld. Whether OF not the act OF the
courts in declaring portions of the bill
unconstitutional invalidates the entire
bill is a disputed point. and one that
should such a circumstance arise, the
courts will be asked TO determine
The date on which the law will be
come effective is not quite clear. City
Attorney H. J. Dininny holds that the
law becomes effective on May 10. In
that event, In order to test the law. it
is probable that retail liquor dealer
will apply for liquor license on that
date, or soon after, and that some one
as a citizen, will ask for an Injunction
preventing the district court from issu.
ing the license on the ground that
the law conferring this power upon the
courts is unconstitutional Many
lawyers are confident that such a case
will result in the restoration of the
licensing power to the cities of the
first and second class.