The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-12-23
SPOKANE WILL CONTROL
BREWERY OWNERSHIP OF
BARS BY REFERENDUM
Law Passed BY Legislature is
n Ignored, But People Will
II Exercise Their Rights.
WILL SET PRECEDENT.
Change is Near in City Which
Uses Commission Form of
Government.
WILL SET PRECEDENT.

SPOKANE, Wash, Dec. 22-Fate
sometimes drives square pegs in
: round holes willy-nilly
Illustrative OF an instance OF this
kind is the position OF Edward NJ.
Cornelius. stenographer Of Spokane.
He literally hammered himself into
a round hole fashioned by Spokane
brewers, who advocated a regime OF
brewery control The control was far
2 reaching inasmuch as the independ-
ence OF the small retail man suffered
almost complete extinction He was
bat puppet- and the brewer pulled
the strings.
n Washington state passed a law in
1909 compelling the severance OF all
/ brewery ownership and providing a
penalty for such infraction.
Spokane brewers ignored the act
of legislature. They even went so far
as to poke fun at il.
II was a good joke Cornelius I'M
Willingly unearthed the control At
first he did not exactly understand
othe ways and wherefores, but an In
evestigation showed up such rabid
violation OF law that the insurgent pro-
prietor sought TO remedy the evil by
calling IN the Spokane officials, They
hemmed and hawed. but did nothing.
Finally a resolution was passed, large
" favoring the brewer and failing In
It's purpose OF breaking up the con
troll"
Spokane Is operated under the COM
mission form of government In the
charter there is a provision for eRer-
alton OF the initiative. recall and ref
erendum. This is why Spokane Will
take the initiative and why the peo-
ple will vote upon the ACCESSIBILITY OF
taking the law regulating liquor traffc
within the city's borders into their
own hands. Attorneys are working to-
day on the new ordnance which, when
completed, offers the brewers no ave
nue. OF escape. They stand TO lose con-
2 troll OF the retail dealer, but that loss
lis not all, for in their EFFORTS TO con-
troll the trade they leased and built
big buildings in which saloons were
hlocated on the ground floors. In one
instance there were Is saloons In one
!, block
The fact That Cornellus was hsnNlns
people OF the city with an aggregate
wealth of some 100000 did not dis
I turb the retail man in the least. He
tried to interest the Royal Arch In the
battle for principle. but found brew
cry control there also.
In all probability saloonkeepers or
Spokane would have gone grum0ling
along with the brewery yoke across
complaining shoulders had not the
personality OF Edward Cornelius en-
tered the field. Principle was the
power behind the man who worried
the brewers, and he demonstrated that
day on the new ordinance which, when
where there Is right, might also crops
up, even il II Is tardy in gaining
strength.
While the fight is not over yet ana
while there is much TO do before vic
tory is complete, the peoples decision
in the initiative means an eye-opener
to Spokane. Citizens OF the commun-
ity are already largely insurgent and,
providing the new law Is accepted,
some startling developments may De
locked for along the lines OF citizens
will for citizen good.