Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-22
Booze" at Work

Booze" at Work
THE liquor lobby at Harrisburg is conf
dent, even insolent in its assurances that
It holds the Legislature in the hollow of its
hand. 1t is not content with domination of
the Senate. In back rooms 1t haunts its con-
quest of the House, ridicules the efforts of
the Governor to translate his campaign
pledges into statutes and laughs at the efforts
hlgh-mnded citizens are making to secure
There is but one chance one fighting
chance to checkmate the conspiracy Of do
nothingism and it is popular demonstration
OF such magnitude that timid legislators who
have been browbeaten and driven into the
liquor camp will recover their senses and
vote as their constituents desire. A flood of
protests should pour into Harrisburg this
week. The Governor Is doing his duty, and
in opposition to him are insidious influences
which only a great popular uprising can
overcome.
why are the liquor interests always fools?
In State after State they have fought regu-
lation, battled against local option and ended
in the rubbish pile. Once let II be demon
strated that liquor controls the State Govern
ment, once let it be recognized that the dom
inant party is liquor handmaiden, and local
option ceases to be issue. Into its place
comes prohibition, fanatical and irresistible,
dissolvlng party ties. bringing into leader
ship men unframed in government, dividing
fa roig b,,t
always and inevitably eradicating license alb
solutey.
That is the verdict the liquor interests are
fighting for, although they do not know it.
They laying the foundation for revolt
that nothing can stop. They are driving
citizens into advocacy of radlcallsm. Let
these men, if they dare and can, hamstring
the local option program let them humiiate
and defeat the Governor; let them defy pub
lie sentiment and work their Will through
their political allies; let them win and they
will find they have gained a shadow and
wrecked utterly all hope of conservative
treatment. No champions strike such mighty
blows for prohibition as liquor interests
and attempt by one means or another to
paralyze the police power of the State and
prevent the enactment or enforcement of
laws devised to put the industry" on basis
not dangerous to the well-beng of society.
With this madness of the liquor interests
and their ultimate destruction therefor the
people have now nothing to do. They are
charged with an immediate duty, which is
to bring every pressure possible to bear on
the Legislature to forsake the special inter-
ests of booze" and follow instead the good
For 1t must be noted that the men who
shout for personal liberty" are the ones
lined up in opposition to the proposal that
the counties shall be permitted to decide for
whether or not they wish license.
The only kind of personal liberty they are
for is liberty to defy sovereign authority.
The Governor has called on the people to
help him Let them answer clamorously and
In such great force that the Legislature
must hear them. Local option will win, de-
spite the lobby, If any considerable part of
the Philadelphia delegation stands by the
Governor. Philadelphlans therefore, should |
be first and foremost in urging their repre- |
to vote as good men and true |
ought TO vote.
or course staid Philadelphia should have a |
stadium