Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-03-22
SALOONS KNOCKED OUT
Judge HObsOn Decides Mulct PeEi-
ticn is Insufficient.
CONTAINS ONLY 62A PER CENT.
Fight Finally Ends With Victory
For Anti.SalOOn Forces and
Winnes!,iek County Will
be Dry.

! The long fight for the abolish
ment of saloons in Winneshiek
county was won on Saturday morn
ing, when Judge Hobson in district
court decided that the mulct saloon
| petition circulated on election day
last November and thereafter was
insufficient, the withdrawal petition
filed later by the anti-saloon forces
containing enough names to bring
the consent petition below the re-
quired 65 per cent, or to 62A per
cent.
The decision was made after a
week of consideration by Judge
Hobson ON Saturday morning at
| ten o'clock, before quite a number
OF interested parties representing
both sides, and the newspaper men
of the city. Judge Hobson prefaced
! his finding with a few remarks,
stating that the case was an appeal
| from the decision of the Board of
Supervisors, declaring the petition
OF consent sufficient; that he had
spent the entire week in personally
canvassing and examining all the
names which might by any means
influence his decision, being assisted
by his reporter
! The appeal from the finding of
the Board was assailed on nuns
Der of grounds, the insufficiency of
! the bond, the right of the county
attorney to appear, the bond not
filed in the proper place, and numer-
Gus objections to Withdrawals, which
Judge Hobson disposed of one at
time, holding in favor of the APP
pellant, and then took up the mat
ter of the petition itself.
On the petition of consent he
counted every name except 8 which
were repeated and 81 names which
were not on the poll books of the
election, making a deduction of SO.
Names spelled differently and pro-
nounced the same were treated as
the same name, whether full name
books of the election were 1882
names; on the petition of consent
3,425 names; on the withdrawal
{ petition 426 names; 65 per cent, as
required by law, would be 3,141
names. There were IL Withdrawals
of Withdrawals, counted in favor of
the petitioners. Summing it up
leaves 3,009 petitioners, excluding
all as stated above, and adding the
Withdrawals of Withdrawals. The
/ total reduction from the petition of
/ consent of 3,425 names is there
! fore 416, leaving 5000, or 62.2723
/ per cent, 1872 names short of the
/ required s. per cent, or 2.17 per
cent short.
After reviewing his, work during
the week as above, Judge Hobson
then read the following finding,
which is filed as the record of the
Court in the case:
1t is ordered, considered and ad-
judged by. the Court that the Peti-
tion of Consent in issue in this ap-
| peal does not contain the number
of names required by law, but that
there should be deducted therefrom
| Of cio
whose names do not appear upon
the poll lists, 81 names, also du-
plicate names of persons whose
names appear more than once upon
the petition of consent, names,
and also the names of voters who
voted at the general election in
Winneshiek county at the election
in 1910 and signed the Petition of
Consent, and who also signed the
withdrawal lists, $50 names, and il
is further adjudged by the Court
that after making such deductions,
aggregating 416, the names OF but
62.2723 per cent of the legal voters
who voted at the last preceding
general election signed said Peti-
tion of Consent; and it is adjudged
by the Court that said Petition of
Consent is insufficient. 1t is furth-
er adjudged by the Court that the
finding of the Board of Supervisors
made thereon, be, and the same is
hereby set aside and declared null.
void and of no effect. Judgment
against Otto DreXel and Henry Po-
tratz for costs. Said parties and
each of them except.
The saloons will be permitted to
operate under the old petition until
July 1st of this year, after which,
as the matter now stands, they mus
close. There are only two courses
left to the saloons, If they desire
to continue, either of which Is
problematieal. One is to appeal to
the supreme court, and the other
is to circulate an entire new petit
ton and procure list OF 65 pei
cent Of those who voted at the last
l.