The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-04-11
WAR ON THE SALOON
Drastic Legislation Enacted in Calf
fornia and Maine.


San Francisco, April 10.-War anC
booze are becoming enemies. The
soldier and the saloon are not com
rades. BY a vote of % against II
the State Senate of California has
adopted a measure which will close
the saloons and outlaw hard alcoholic
liquors in the State. The continued
! sale OF light wines and beer under
| certain restrictions is permitted. The
passage of the bill by the Senate was
a distinct victory for the San Francis.
co Examiner and the Los Angeles Ex-
aminer They had consistently fought
for this legislation and won in the
face OF one of the bitterest battles
ever fought by the whiskey interests
/ of the country.
The law passed by the Senate was
the Rominger bill, which failed of
passage by one vote when II first came
up for final consideration on March
28 The vote at that time was 20 in
favor of the temperance bill and 10
against It. Twenty.one votes were
necessary to pass it. At the last
moment senator from Los Angeles
was induced TO desert the temperance
forces and espouse the cause of the
powerful liquor lobby in the State
Capitol at Sacramento.
State Senator Joseph a. Rominger
of Los Angeles, father of the BILL i'm
mediately changed his vote in order
that he might move for reconsidera
ton. Assured of the support OF the
Hearst newspapers in California, and
the backing of an aroused populace, as
he declared, he felt confident that the
Advocates of liquor and the open sa-
loon would be routed at the second
test.
Senator Carr of Oakland, one of the
stanchest supporters OF the liquor for
ces in the first debates. received a pc
tition signed by $4,000 constituents
urging him to support the temperance
bill Senator Carr voted with the
majority for the temperance bill
Supporters OF the Ruminger bill de-
clared thst California has taken the
lead in carrying to astest an effective
effort to draw drastic legal distinc-
tions between the sale of beer and
light wines and the sale OF whiskey
gin and other liquors with high alco-
holic percentages. 1
The bill as passed permits the sale
of wine and bear in the dining rooms
Cf hotels. restaurants and clubs with
meals, and also for family use
Al Ian frr,
for Maine rum sellers! Maine judges
will have no choice of penalty.
Offending liquor dealers must go TO
Jail Their money won't save them,
That's the burden of the Legisla-
tures decision. The Legislature ad-
journed Saturday afternoon after pass
ing the most drastic anti.rum laws in
the history Of the Pine Tree State,
long since dry.
Remove sheriffs and county attor
neys. too" said the Legislature before
adjourning' Acts were passed to set
this legal machinery in motion
SO that If you sell liquor in Maine
you must go to jail--in cases of single
sale, for search and seizure, common
sellers. people who run tippling shops
and the like. Pocket peddlers and
loiterers are included
Autos used to convey liquor into
Maine. out of Maine or over Maine
may be seized and forfeited, accord.
ing to the Legislature.
But the Legislature failed to pass
the Bussabarger bill prohibiting the
of liquors to the State. 1t
also failed to pass the bill to prohibit
the sale of out-of-State newspapers
liquor advertisements.
The Legislature did pass the re-
solve to amend the constitution for
equal suffrage. This will go to the
people for ballot next September