The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1920-08-13
Voters M ust Follow
League Endorsements
to Win Legislature
United Dry Vote Needed to Defeat
Wet Program

Saloon League III endorsing canal
dates for the Legislature is explained
in the following paragraphs. Every
dry voter should understand the prin-
ciplcs upon which League endorse
ments are based:
Under the cumulative voting or
minority representation law i'll Hi
nois, as it is variously styled. it is
quite possible for minority of the
voters who concentrate their vote to
defeat the majority who foolishly
divide their vote among too many
candidates.
Suppose, for example, that the
proportion OF wet and dry voters in
a district is such that the drys have
enough votes TO elect two and the
vets one of the three representatives.
Now, if the drys should divide their
votes in the primaries among say
four or FIVE candidates, and the vets
concentrate on two. the vets will
nominate and elect two of the three
representatives, and the district will
be woefully misrepresentcd.
Danger of Pumping"
This has actually happened sew
eral times. For example, in the
Tenth District, six years ago, the Re-
publican primary election returns
were as follows:
Atwood, X. dry, received 6,333H
votes.
Lovejoy, R. dry, received 1920
votes.
fostering, r. (weD received 400
votes.
Ii the drys had divided their votes
Gas recommended by the League
equally between Mr.. Atwood and Mr..
Lovejoy, both would have been nomi-
mated, and as the district is strongly
Republican, both would have been
elected by handsome plurality, and
one of the worst vets in the Legisla
ture would have been defeated.
Methods of Endorsing Candidates
There are certain principles that the
Anti-Saloon League follows strictly
in making up its endorsements. These
principles, briefly stated, are as fol-
lows:
First-Only candidates who are
right on the Anti-Saloon League pro-
gram will be endorsed.
A candidate may be personally dry. |
He may be opposed to the saloon,
but he cannot have the endorsement
of the League unless he will vote for
the legislative cnactments sought by
the League. He must be legislatively
dry
Second-The Anti-Saloon League
ordinarily will endorse only as many
candidates for State Senator and for
State Representative as can be elected
The need of this will be apparent |
to anyone who studies the matter. To
endorse more candidates than can be
elected would be to divide the dry |
vote and to insure the election of wet
candidates. There is nothing that so
delights the liquor interests as the
splitting up of the dry vote.
Third-Where there are more dry
candidates in the field than can be |
nominated or elected, the League
gives the preference to the candidate
or candidates having legislative rec
ord, when it is necessary to choose
to safeguard the cause. Y
There is no rule of the League
which ought to be more conscien-
tiously supported by the temperance
people of the state than this one
We must stand by our friends-by
the men who, in the Legislature IN
cur the enmity of the liquor interests, !
by voting for dry measures-or the
power of the League to influence !
legislation will come to a speedy end. |
If the temperance people of Illinois
expect their legislators to represent
them faithfully, they must stand by
the men, for denomination and re-
election, who stood by their cause
in the Legislature. To do anything
else is not only foolish but dshonor-
able.
Fourth-Where the League must
choose between dry candidates none
of whom have legislative record,
in order to safeguard the cause it
chooses the man or men who have
the best prospect of winning.
We cannot afford to drive the dry |
vote of the district into a pocket and |
thus defeat the dry cause. We are
fighting TO win the Legislature. We
cannot endanger our success in this
important work by getting back OF |
weak candidates. The cause is great
er than the man.
There are enough drys in Illinois
TO Keep the Legislature dry. But
thew wont he couoted ,tnIeee +be,, oo