The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-10-28
WILLIS UPHOLDSI
M'DERMOTT ACT
Pending Referendum the Work Of
Liquor License Machine.
MUST REDEEM PARTY PLEDGES

port the MeDermott Act, Which
Places Issue of Licenses In Hands
Of Officials Chosen by People and
Makes Law Enforcement Manda-
tory-Sprague Act Also Strongly
Recommended.
Columbus. - Especial Correspond
ence.l-GOvernor Willis has issued q
statement in which he comes out
strongly in support OF the McDermott
liquor licensing act and the Sprague
redistricting law He denounces the
pending yeferendums ON these acts,
and declares his respect for platform
pledges. holding that political party
is and should be something more than
q plunderbund for the distribution OF
patronage. In urging Republican sup
port of the McDermott liquor license
act, Governor Willis openly charges
that the pending referendum thereon
was conceived and is being fostered
by the liquor license machine. The
governors statement follows:
"One of the cleverest and strongest
statements in the Republican platform
| Of last year was the one demanding
the decentralization of the issue Of
liquor licenses. 1t was asserted time
and again by Republicans on the
stump and in their campaign litera-
ture that as a result of the centralized
control of the issue OF liquor licenses
q vast political machine had been built
up under the administration of Cover
nor Cox. If any additional proof were
needed of the absolute correctness Of
the Republican contention in this re-
gard, recent developments concerning
the circulation of referendum petitions
on the McDermott bill furnish it.
1T is a matter of common knoWl-
edge, substant!ated by indisputable
evidence, that this referendum was
gotten up by the liquor license
machine constructed under the preced-
ing administration, aided and abetted
by that portion OF the liquor interests
which is opposed to the enforcement
of law, and which, therefore, feared
the strong provisions on law enforce
ment contained in the McDermott bill.
This unholy alliance Of would-be law
breakers and self-perpetuating Office
holders, decreed, financed and organ
ICED the referendum on the McDer-
mott bill. The liquor license machine
denounced by Republicans and repudi-
ated by the people at the polls got in
its work and proved by it's prompt
Self-perpetuating activity the absolute
correctness of Republican opposition
to it. In many cases county liquor
license commissioners circulated or
procured the circulation Of referendum
petitions In their several counties.
The machine worked as its builders ex-
pected it to work
Denounces the Machine.
Il denounced the machine in the
campaign of 1914 and | denounce it
now. In 1914 the Republican plat
form denounced it and every Republi-
can speaker who mentioned 1t at all
opposed and reviled it. BY what sort
Of legerdemain and intellectual contor-
tons can any Republican who opposed
the LIQUOR license machine in 1914 con-
vince himself that such machine
should be perpetuated in 1915? The
people of Ohio fought and overthrow
the machine last year. do not be-
lieve they will gather up its broken
fragments and try to build another one
this year,
Personally l fought the liquor Ii
cense machine, not because it was
Democratic, but because it was auto
cratic, corrupt and un-American. am
as bitterly opposed to it now, when
the Republican party would be the
supposed beneficiary of its activities.
A liquor license machine constructed
to control the votes of those subject
to the provisions of the law is wrong
in principle and utterly indefensible.
"The McDermott bill was passed by
. legislature strongly Republican in
both branches as a redemption OF the
solemn pledge made to the people in
the Republican platform, It places the
issue of liquor licenses in the hands
of officials chosen by the people; its
provisions as to law enforcement and
Sunday closing are clear, strong ana
upmistakable, and it breaks the con-
troll Of any state administration over
the enforcement of the owen Sunday
closing law, passed more than twenty
years ago. It redeems our platform
pledge to the people, and ! am for 1t,
"The, ,Sprague bill is fair. equitable
redistricting of the state for congress
sional purposes. The present law was
passed to give the opposition an unfair
advantage in the selection of members
to congress. The political sentiment
OF the state should find expression In
the Ohio delegation in the lower hauSe
of the national congress The Sprague
bill makes this possible; the present
law renders 1t impossible,
"Rpth the spFague hill and the Nc.
permott bill should receive the un-
qualified endorsement Of the people
At the polls. Unfair methods and the
liquor license machine must not con.
troll Ohio"
IA RiOht Kind of Tariff VIII