The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1918-03-29
Election Commission Rules
Liquor Question Of Ballot
ISIS NAMES SHORT
Enough Names Stricken Out to
Save Saloons
The DRYS FILE A PROTEST

On Tuesday, March 10, the Chicago
Election Commission passed a reso-
luton of which the following is part
1t is therefore ordered by the
Board of Election Commissioners
of Chicago that said question
whether Chicago shall become
anti-saloon territory be not placed
upon the ballots to be voted upon
by the voters of Chicago at the
election to be held in said city on
April 2.
Immediately after the rendering OF
this decision a protest was read by
Philip Yarrow, superintendent of the
Dry Chicago Federation, in which he
pointed out the unfair methods which
resulted in declaring the petition in
valid.
Drys File Protests
Because of the great interest in the
Chicago campaign throughout the
country, we are reprinting fully in
another part of this paper the protest
filed by the drys which sets forth in
detail how thousands of names were
unjustly stricken from the petition.
The Good Citizenship Committee OF
the Church Federation Council has
also sent a protest direct to Judge
Scully of the county court. This pro-
test gives additional light on how the
petition happened to be held invalid.
1t is also printed in another part OF
this paper.
Who Fought the Petition
The nght against the petition was
not made by the people having the
welfare of the city at heart, but by
private interests using every possible
technicality and all the political pres
sure and influence that could be
brought to bear in their fight to pro-
tect their private interests. While the
saloon question is fundam ontally and
primarily one which should be decided
by the people at large, the petition
which would have permitted this was
attacked and thrown out by indi-
viduals with private interests at stake
The following is list of names of
those who signed the objections to
the petition. In the list appear the
names of many brewers and others
connected in one way or another di-
rectly with the liquor interests. Not
one of the objectors represented the
interests of the public.
Names of Directors
E. N. Nockels, secretary of the Chi
cago Federation of Labor; John P.
Hopkins, former Mayor; William
Fisher, secretary OF the Trade Union
Liberty League of Illinois; Eugene
M. Kelley, David H. Garden, Peter
S. Theurer, John L. Fortune, George
J. Cooke, William H. Rehm, Edward
Lansberg, Austin J. Doyle, Anton J.
Cermak, secretary of the United So
cieties and baliff of the municipal
court; William Kramer, president of
the United Societies; Frank A. Nagh-
ten, Robert Schuttler Hotz and Per-
ley M. Goodwillie.
The throwing out of the petition
was bitter Disappointment to thou
sands of earnest, patriotic citizens of
Chicago who had conscientiously and
unselfshly labored to bring the ques-
ton to a vote.
The Next Battle
The men and women who gave their
self-sacrihcing efforts towards max
ing Chicago dry under the local op-
tion law will now turn with greater
energy and determination to the task
of winning the next Legislature. Rob-
bed of the opportunity to vote directly
upon the saloon question in Chicago.
the people are determined to break
brewery control of politics in Illinois
At the primaries on September H.,
Chicago will give an effective, favor
able reply to the question, "Shall the
brewers or the people rule Illinois?"