Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-10-28
WILLIS UPHOLDSl
M'OERMOTT ACT
Pending Referendum the Work Of
Liquor License Machine.
MUST REDEEM PARTY PLEDGES

port tne mcDermott ACtJ WINCH
Places Issue of Licenses In Hands
of Officials Chosen by People and
Makes Law Enforcement Manda-
tory-sprague Act Also Strongly
Recommended.
nce.)-Governor Willis has issued
statement in which he comes out
strongly in support of the McDermott
liquor licensing act and the Sprague
redistricting law. He denounces the
pending referendums on these acts,
and declares his respect for platform
pledges, holding that political party
is and should be something more than
a 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:
"Cne 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 result of the centralized
control of the issue of liquor licenses
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 matter OF common knowl-
edge, substantiated 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
lied 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
it's 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.
'T denounced the machine in the
campaign of 1914 and l denounce it
now In 1914 the Republican plat
form denounced 1t and every Republi-
can speaker who mentioned it at all
opposed and reyiled it. BY what sort
of legerdems:in and intellectual contor-
tions 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. I do not be-
lieve they will gather up it's broken
fragments and try to build another one
this year.
PERSONALLY l fought the liquor IL
cense machine, not because it was
Democratic, but because 1t 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 redemption OF the
solemn pledge made to the people in
the Republican platform. 1t 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 and
unmistakable, and 1t breaks the con-
troll OF any state administration over
the enforcement of the owen Sunday
closing law, passed more than twenty
years ago. 1t redeems our platform
pledge to the people, and am for 1t.
'The Sprague bill is a 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 tho lower house
of the national congress. The Sprague
bill makes this possible; the present
law renders 1t impossible.
"Both the Sprague bill and the Nc
Dermott bill should receive the I'm.