The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-02-14

popular government Of the last hsR
century and whoever opposes the Sc
cret ballot fer settling any question
opposes government OF. by and for
the people do rot say that the bill
might rot be improved If those OPP
posing it would suggest improve
ments instead OF opposing the prIn-
eiple of the bill.
If the liquor men support the
Shsnkland bill. as IS claimed, am
glad that they have got to the place
where they are willing 70 let the
people rule" on this important qnes-
ton The temperance people have
always pro.essed to stand for this
principle and / should be sorry in
deed 10 see them abandon that pr1n-
cipIe Just because their opponents
concede it to be right The position
is that anything the liquor men sup
port must necessarily be wrong.
Therefore if the liquor men support
any proposition, no matter what
their motives may be, 1t j. incumbent
upon the temperance people to OPP
pose It. And If they could not favor
proposition of good government
which had little or no effect upon
their business for any reason. In
the Thirty-third general assembly the
liquor men almost solidiy supported
the Noon Law. Does any one con-
tend that the Moon law was bad
The present drastic drug store Ian OF
Kansas was supported by the liquor
interests, as was many Of the early
| prohibition laws. Did these work
against temperance? You see that
if the liquor men we're wholly Bad.
which TINS position presupposes. il
also ascr.bes TO them infallibiIity, and
! this is absurd They do not know
how this Law will work out any more
than any one else
But after all, is It the liquor men
who are urging this BILL Since this
charge has been made / have made
some inquiry and / have found about
as much diversity of opinion among
liquor men as among temperance
people / find the business, profes-
sional and laboring classes, the VIC
/ TINS Of the warning factions in these
petition fights, the ones who are urg-
ing the bill. They feel that the SCI
cret ballot VIII enable them to main
tain their dignity and manhood, and
still express themselves where it
viii count, at the ballot box, without
being subject TO accusations, threats,
/ brides, siurs, etc And If | have
rightly sensed the situation, those
liquor men who are supporting the
bill are doing it to gain the good viii
of this class Of citizens rather than
Tor any temporary advantage they
e1pec- to gain.
Ny opposition to the saloon is sec
ond to no one, but cannot see any
reason for opposing measure in the
interest of good government, which,
| after thorough test, is admitted to %
better designed 70 obtain the will Of
the Psople rpon the question submit
ted 10 them The great majority OF
LIE ps-opit &PsDA-Dt$ - Va ~ -
cent? are ret in aEy way affiliated
! with Tie s4scon business or any anti
saloon organization and from these
there is no opposition. Il vas IN the
interests II these tSaat the will was
drawn ard that support is asked. Tne
ultrs~radical temperance ard liquor
rlasseS, representing probably 20 or
Is per cent Of the people, are divided
on the merits Of the bill It's adop-
ton cousd rot hurt the temperance
cause In the least, it probably would
not effect the saloon business verJ
much, but it would greatly benefit
and relieve suffering public
H. H. SAWYER