The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-10-22
Committee Of 100
Answers Queries

mittee of One Hundred drew up the Ore
gon dry amendment, may we venture
to ask your space to answer two queries
that have been asked broadcast regard
ing this measure. These are:
If passed, when would the Oregon
dry amendment take effect2
Why was the word distribution left
cut of the amendment?
The measure would not take effect
until Jan. !, 1916, thus allowing one
year for business to become readjusted.
AS to the very important question
of distribution, J. E. Wheeler, chair
man of the Committee of One Hundred,
makes the following statement:
THE wet forces are seeking to
make capital of the fact that pro-
posed Oregon dry amendment does
not forbid the distribution" Of
liquor, but merely it's manufacture
and sale.
'They are correct. This was done
designedly and deliberately by those
who drew this amendment. Oregon
has many citizens, especially many
Of foreign birth, who desire to have
liquor in their home. They feel that
it would be a hardship and an in
fringement of their personal liberty
absolutely to forbid them the USE
of liquor.
"The present proposed law does
not forbid the USE of liquor by any
citizen, be he poor or rich, provided
he wishes to have this shipped direct
from some other state to his own
home.
'But the issue this time is the
open saloon and the sale of liquor
in clubs and elsewhere AS some
German farmers out in Washington
County put it. We are going to vote
| for Oregon dry. Since Hillsboro
went dry, we can still have our glass
Of beer at home if we choose, but
we do not go to town and drink
more than we ought to, and waste
all our time hanging around saloons
and neglecting our farms, and spend
our money treating a lot of others
who are doing the same thing. And
if that is good for us in Washington
County it is good for the state.
"The comparatively small guam
tity of liquor that is or will be
drunk in the home, if the individual
must send weeks in advance for it to
some distant city, may or may not
do serious damage. We can decide
as to that some other time, but the
open saloon, with its vicious treat
ing habits and association, it's uni
versal temptation, alike to the bust
ness man and the laborer, the man
who can't say no, and especially to
the growing youth of Oregon is in
excusable.
And don't let the liquor people
worry you with the charge that this
will merely drive Oregon saloons out
of business: that the same amount
of liquor will be drunk by the profit
and the revenue will 60 to some
other city or state. from which the
same amount Of liquor will be
shipped to Oregon consumers.
"Some liquor is shipped into dry
Kansas, but official state figures
show the per capita consumption to
be $1.25, as against $21 per capita
for the United States as a whole.
Some liquor is shipped into dry Sa-
lem. Eugene, Roseburg, Oregon City
and other dry towns. But the sa-
loon is gone. And any business man
will tell you, these dry towns are
the best in the state. Some liquor is
drunk in Portland on Sundays,
doubtless, and in homes. But we
doubt if the liquor people themselves
will assert that one-fiftieth as much
is drunk on Sundays as on week
days. Some liquor will be shipped
into dry Oregon and drunk in the
homes of the few who will feel they
must have it.
But every citizen knows the
amount drunk and the damage done
will be trivial compared with the
present conditions of vicious, unend-
ing temptations to every class Of So
ciety. Listen! the Eastern liquor in
terests are generally understood to
be contributing two-thirds of the
vast fund that is being used in Ore