The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-02-14
TEMPERANCE FIEN
FAVOR BALLOT
some EAS0NS EXPLAINED
Attorney SsxFef Relates Eistsrl.
eai Facts Rsarlas Upon the
Need isr Chaaslas e
the SAankland fiaa.

TO The Edssor IL. znsxsr to The
attacks on me so-ealied Saarsklznd
ball 5y the amendment association
and the Anti Salooa League appear
ing n the EveEIag Tribune ard the
Register and Leader . fsH DAYS age.
! would like 10 say that Haany Leading
Ann-Saloon League men have en-
dorsed the hsis. and shat less than
year ago ten oct Of the fifteen on
GERS and directors Of the amendment
association expressed themselves a.
m favor 81 tire pr11cipie OF tie
Shsnklznd BIZ, and % Tar as / know.
are still Of tie same opinion.
Both OF these organizations claim
to favor the submission Of prohiDi-
tory amendment TO our rsrsIurson
q q secret ballot If. as they claim,
The DRY eo1nties viii go wet under
the secret ballot By O. per cent, why
DO they ask for res1bMlssSon By so
Per cert vote Their position is
based on the idea that the majority
OF the people want the saloon. BIZ.
are afraid to ssgn petition for IL
But do rot bel.sve that ths people
Fant the saloon, Tor DO believe that
any considerable number OF temper
ance people are opposed to the Shank
land bill. and ] resent the Irsinuatior
constantly shrown out BIZ . few ultra
radical heads IF temperance societies
that all the temperance people Of the
state are opposed 70 good govern
nnent and the VIII Of the people fair
IL expressed at tie secret ballot And
while would Ike TO have the county,
or the state as the unit. yet / believe
the secret ballot substituted for tie
petition. without any other change,
IS far better way 10 settle the ques
ton. and VII produce mech better
results for temperance ard prohibi-
ton IN the end.
But what I want to call attention
to is that may Of the temperance
people who now oppose the Shank
land bill originally favored it. and
some Of them we're responsible for It's
introduction in the ThiTty-thIrd gen
eral assembly, for it must be kept IN
mind that the bill originated with
anti-saloon people, not as a temper
anee bill, bit as good government
law 1t was not intended to affect
the saloon business or temperance
situation aHy more than was ALSO
iuteiy necessary TO wipe out this blot
upon popular government, placed
there by the liquor interests in 1894.
Now what is the reason for the
change Of opinion Of those who at
FIRST faTc-ed this bill and for the op-
position Of the-e VINO do not favor III
II cannot be denied that as general
proposition Of government the secret
ballot is preferable to tie open bal
lot or petition, and indeed there is no
attempt to deny this. Does any one
contend tlsn that proposition OF
good government will work evil m
settling any question? Why then the
opposition to this bilIz They say.
The liquor nen want it-r That is
enough for them. And why do the
liquor men want 1T Because the
temperance organizations oppose it.
There you nave TIE whole thing IN Z
nutshell Il either side had taken
the opposite position We should have
had the situation reversed. And vet.
in the abstract every one admits the
secret ballot to be in the interest OF
good government and good morals.
Is It not true That too much of our
legislation, and especially reform leg
islatinn, is enacted or defeated Just
to spite the opposition.
/ II is short-sighted policy that op-
poses an admitted proposition Of good
government because Of a seeming
TEMPORARY advantage, II there is any
y tWhica 90 not admit, and it is
real craftsmanship 70 favor and en-
COURAGE good government even al a
sacrifice Of temporary advantage, If
II necessary. Is It rot possible that the
opponents Of the Shankland bill have
chosen the silost-sighted policy and
allowed their enerniez to take the
ether,
In the discussion Of the shankland
bill the cole question 70 be decided IS,
whether the enc day secret ballot viii
secure better government than the
tnirty-day open petition, for it is
automatic that good government ever
tends 70 prosperity, temperance and
morality Any fire spun theories or
subterfuges about the liquor business
being different from ether questions
Is not II print. The merits Of the
liquor question does not enter the
shankland otll. for the reason the
liquor traffic IS not al issue. but a
method Of ascertaining the viii OF
the people upon a question supposed
N be LIT 70 thSsx S1asa.z. 1.