The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-30
The sShankland BiH'
By II. II. Sawyer

at their place OF business they can be
induced to sign it.
"War Is HE'LL
! The petition subjects the commun-
ity to bitter strife. quarrels, bicker-
ings, ETC., which disrupts families,
alienates friendships, hurts business,
divides churches, and embroils, the
whole community. The secret ballot 1
opens the question to free and fair
discussion, allows every voter to ex-
press his opinion without fear or In
'timidation and really gets an express
sion of the will of the people When
the vote Is counted, the question is
settled and the community resumes
it's normal conditions without the aft
er effects which follow a saloon petit
ton fight.
Court Decisions Not Law.
If the disturbance among the people
of the community were the end Of the
petition warfare, it would not be So
intolerable, once in while, but there
always follows burden of litigation
i out of all reason and proportion with
the benefits obtained. In the end the
question is usually decided upon some
! technically and without much view to
! the will Of the people. If the VIII
of the people is the supreme law of
/ the land then surely the decision OF
] the saloon question upon technicali-
4 ties without regard to the will OF the
people is not good law. The secret
/ ballot would practically do away with
/ litigation upon the subject, and at
! the same time leave the voice OF the
people expressed at the ballot box SUI
preme AS it is now, saloons operate
during the litigation and if the ques-
ton can be kept in the courts the sa-
loon will operate although they have
no legal existence at all BY the time
one case is settled another petition is
in circulation and the same procedure
must be gone through with again.
i unsettled questions destroy the
peace of communities"
7 Take a Dare.
i The open ballot or petition method
would not now be tolerated by the
American people for the settling of
any other question. Let any one dare
to suggest the settling of any other
question by the petition method and
the absurdity of it would make him
the laughing stock of any community
If then the secret ballot is the proper
method for settling other public ques
tons it seems absurd to retain THU
antiquated vicious and corrupt methot
: for settling one OF the most importan
questions for any community.
!, Help to pisfranchlse the Best Citizen
One of the worst features of tn
petition system is that 1T disfranchise
many of our best citizens. There ar
a large number of voters in ever
community who because of their pos
!, !. ton or occupation can Ill afford to b
boycotted by either side In such
controversy and the only way to pr
. vent such boycott is to place Their
u selves in such position that thf
Il cannot take sides. To do this the
u stay away from the polls and refu.
e to vote at all for by SO doing they b
y come Ineligible to sign petition f
III 1,a coIa
: fluence, judgment and vote is lost
s. the settlement of other public que
re lions and the election of good publ
= officials.
~ Tried and Found Wanting.
" The petition method has proven
.. self an absolute failure. In the eis
" teen years since it has been the !;
ny of Iowa there has been but two
on three instances in which the temp
ance people have been able to sect
io' a majority of the voters to sign ps
We tions against the saloon and thus |
Ne them out, while in all of our neighb
ys- ing states, hundreds and thousands
saloons have been wiped out by
voters by the use of the secret ball
Surely no other proof is needed
nd convince any one of the failure OF
pie petition method of government.
ent
eel Who Worked Out the Petit
SO Scheme?
les The mulct law, including the p
les ton scheme was enacted by the liq
interests of Iowa. The temporal
cry people have always opposed it. 4
the petition feature was devised with
pie view to the well known fact tina
on grea. many people will sign petit
ple under pressure, who would not v
Top to legalize the saloon. This fact all
lch is responsible for the most of the
;ret looms in Iowa today. We serior
doubt il there is single county
the state where So per cent of the
ers would vote at secret ballot
leu favor of the saloon. Why I