Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-11-15
]. SCOTT NIB RIDE
CLAIMS CREDIT FOR
ELECT|NG BENSON
LETTER TO CHICAGO TRIBUNE
HAS LOCAL COLOR OF MORE
THAN ORDINARY INTEREST TO
PEOPLE OF LA SALE COUNTY.

ne IOllUWIHb lttttT NIItLth ny ~
Scott Mcbride, superintendent of the
Illinois Anti-saloon league, in answer
to Chicago Tribune charge that
state "drys were aligning with the
mall.Thompson forces to put over
a speaker who will be favorable to
the leagues cause. has local tinge
Of more than ordinary interest.
In IL Mr.. Mcbride gives the anti
saloon league credit for electing Ole
Benson and defeating William Scan
Ian for the legislature. The letter
also says that the league opposed Mr..
Seaman for speaker of the last house
because he was dripping wet.
The letter:
Nov, lS, 1922.
"To the Editor OF the Chicago Tribune
Chicago, ILL.,
Dear Sir
Il am writing in regard to your edi-
torial in your issue of Saturday. Nov
IL, 1922, on The dry alliance with
Small and Thompson" | am in a
position to know that your editorial
is false. II is without semblance OF
foundation in truth. Like the two ar
ticles published in your paper by one
of your correspondents on the same
subject, it is absolutely false.
THE facts are as follows
First, neither the superintendent
of the Anti-saloon league nor any
other representative of the league
has talked with any of the members
OF the next legislature, or with the
governor, or with any of the members
of his faction, at any time on the
question of the next speaker. | have
not seen or talked with the governor
since some time before the primary
election OF last spring and at no
time has one word been said by US
on this question. No alliance on the
speakership has been made with the
governors faction nor any other fac
ton either for this session or in any
of the preceding sessions. In the last
session one-half of those who voted
dry belonged to the Small faction,
the other half to the opposing fac
lions. The fact that these supported
the Illinois prohibition DMll shows
that we were non-partisan. All this
talk about an alliance between the
league and any faction is an effort
by the vets to divide the dry strength
and II possible elect a wet speaker.
Second, the position that the anti
saloon league has taken in speaker
ship contests, ranging over the last
teRiyears,. is too we'll known to be
questioned and has been conformed
to so rigidly in all these difficult con-
tests as to offer no excuse for your
editorial. f<
1.-THE Anti-saloon leagues position
on the speakership is briefly as fol
lows: We choose no candidate for
speaker. We oppose no candidate for
Speaker who is dry and is reli-
able man. We cannot trust any man
dominated by the vets as has been
proven by our experiences under for
mer Speakers Mckinley, Shurtleff
and Shanahan. We lost dry legisla- /.
ton through their manipulations. In
speakership contests we have con-
sistently opposed such vets We at.
fliate with neither party nor faction
in carrying out these principles.
1.-TWO years ago there were five
candidates mentioned for speaker,
namely, Homer Tice, Jas. A. Watson,
Gotthard Dahlberg, VIM. Seaman and
VIM. p Holiday. All of these except
Mr.. Seaman were dry. We would not
support Mr.. Seaman as he was drip.
ping wet. We gave our support to
each of the other four, Tice. Holiday,
Watson and Dahlberg. There were
no alliances nor promises in any way
with any party or faction. We gave
these dry candidates equal support. |
Dahlberg was elected doubtless be- !
cause he had the support of the !