CIHM 
 
 IC[\/IH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Collection de 
 
 Series 
 
 microfiches 
 
 (Monographs) 
 
 (monographies) 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian da microreproductions historiques 
 
 1 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original 
 copy available for filming. Features of this copy which 
 may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of 
 the images in the reproduction, or which may 
 significantly change the usual method of filming are 
 checked below. 
 
 □ Coloured covers / 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 □ Covers damaged / 
 Couverture endommag6e 
 
 □ Covers restored and/or laminated / 
 Couverture restaur^e et/ou pellicul^e 
 
 I I Cover title missing / Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 I I Coloured maps / Cartes g6ographiques en couleur 
 
 I I Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) / 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 n 
 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations / 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 D 
 
 Bound with other material / 
 Reli6 avec d'autres documents 
 
 Only edition available / 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along 
 interior margin / La reliure serr6e peut causer de 
 I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge 
 interieure. 
 
 Blank leaves added during restorations may appear 
 within the text. Whenever possible, these have been 
 omitted from filming / Use peut que certaines pages 
 blanches ajout6es lors d'une restauration 
 apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait 
 possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t^ film^es. 
 
 Additional comments / 
 Commentaires suppl6mentaires: 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 
 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- 
 plaire qui sont peut-#tre uniques du point de vue bib!i- 
 ographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, 
 ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m6tho- 
 de normale de filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. 
 
 I I Coloured pages / Pages de couleur 
 
 I I Pages damaged / Pages endommag6es 
 
 □ Pages restored and/or laminated / 
 Pages restaur6es et/ou pellicul6es 
 
 Q Pages discoloured, stained or foxec* / 
 Pages d^olor^es, tachet^es ou piqu^es 
 
 I I Pages detached / Pages d6tachees 
 
 |\/| Showthrough / Transparence 
 
 □ Quality of print varies / 
 Quality in^gale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary material / 
 Comprend du materiel supplementaire 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, 
 tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best 
 possible image / Les pages totalement ou 
 partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une 
 pelure, etc., ont 6t6 film6es a nouveau de fafon a 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 Opposing pages with varying colouration or 
 discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best 
 possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des 
 colorations variables ou des decolorations sont 
 film6es deux fois afin d'obtenir la meilleure image 
 possible. 
 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 This item it filmed at the reduction ratio checked below / 
 
 Ce document est filmA au taux de rMuction indiqu^ ci-dessous. 
 
 lOx 
 
 
 
 
 14x 
 
 
 
 
 18x 
 
 
 
 
 22x 
 
 
 
 
 26x 
 
 
 
 
 30x 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12x 
 
 
 
 
 16x 
 
 
 
 
 20x 
 
 
 
 
 24x 
 
 
 
 
 28x 
 
 
 
 
 37v 
 
Th« copy filmed h«ra has b*«n reproduced thank* 
 to tha ganarosity of: 
 
 National Library of Canada 
 
 L'axamplaira film* fut raproduit gra 
 g^nArosit* da: 
 
 ila 
 
 Bibliotheque nationale du Canada 
 
 Tha images appearing hare are the best quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specif icationa. 
 
 Las images suivantas ont *t* raproduitas avac la 
 plus grand soin. compta tenu da la condition at 
 da la nenet* de Texemplaira filmi, et an 
 conformity avac lea conditions du contrat da 
 filmaga. 
 
 Original copies m printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrsted impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies »r* filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or iliuatratad imprea- 
 sion, and anding on the last page with a printed 
 or iliuatratad impression. 
 
 The laat recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol V (meening "END"), 
 whichever appliaa. 
 
 Lea exemplaires originaux dont la couvarture an 
 papier est imprimie sont filmAs en commenpant 
 par la premier plat at en terminant soit par la 
 darniAre page qui comporte une emprainte 
 d'imprassion ou d'illustrstion. soit par la second 
 plat, salon la cas. Tous lea autres axempl&ires 
 originaux sont film4s en commenpant par la 
 pra<n(4rj peye qui comporte une amprainta 
 d'imt/assion ou d'illustrstion at en termii.ant par 
 la darniAre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinta. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la 
 darniire imaga de cheque microfiche, salon le 
 cas: le symbols -i^signifie "A SUIVRE", le 
 symbols V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Maps, plates, charts, etc. may be filmed at 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included in one exposure ere filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hend corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many fremes es 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent etre 
 filmts A dea taux da reduction diffArants. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour atra 
 raproduit en un seul clichi, il est film* i partir 
 da Tangle supirieur gauche, de gauche A droite. 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant la nombre 
 d'imeges nAcessaira. Lea diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent le mAthode. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 'fr'i'jl' V 
 
 'fc„ 7 x> •:■ ^•l: ' "l 
 
MICBOCOPY HESOIUTION TIST CHART 
 
 (ANSI ond ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 
 
 ^ APPLIED INA^GE Ir 
 
 1653 East Main Street 
 
 Rochester. Ne. York 14609 USA 
 
 (716) 482 -- 0300 -Phone 
 
 (716) 288 - 5989 - Fa, 
 
The following article appeared in the Daily Planet, 
 Chatham, during the 
 
 LOCAL OPTION 
 
 CAMPAIGN 
 
 ISSUE OF DEC. 23-1911 
 
 and is the personal experience of the Editor of that 
 Paper who was sent to Owen Sound and Gait to 
 study existing conditions. The paper took no part 
 in the controversy. Its columns were used freely by 
 both parties and the article was favorably commented 
 upon by fair minded Electors as an unprejudiced 
 presentation of a difficult subject. 
 
 K 
 
 ^'A ir»y 
 
The Planet and Local Option 
 
 The most interi'sting and important topic of conver- 
 sation in Chatham at the present time is the suhject of 
 Local Option. The ratepayers of this city are to-day face 
 to face with what may very reasonably be termed a crisis 
 in the history of Chatham, and as far as the great tpiestion 
 of temperance is concerned, and the all-important interro- 
 gation to be answered on the first of Januarv next is "Shpll 
 Chatham. IX THE J^EST INTERESTS OF THE TEM- 
 PICRAXCE CAUSE, inaugurate a system of what is 
 termed Local Option; or shall the ratepayers consider it 
 better to continue under the license system?" 
 
 Since the campaign started in Chatham many state- 
 ments have been made. Numerous letters have been writ- 
 tf'n to the newspapers, and gentlemen from Local Oeption 
 districts have been brought to the city to address meet- 
 ings. It is a fact that much that has been said and written 
 on this question has been of a very conflicting nature. 
 Certain things have been contended by one side only to be 
 flatly denied by the supporters of opposite views, until the 
 ratepayers, for the most part, are, to say the least, some- 
 wha*^ confused and in doubt as to which argument to be- 
 lieve. It is also noticed that some of the statements on 
 b'. ' '°s of the question strike a good many people as 
 b. . .'ly exaggerated. The question is one over which 
 
 r- r ' "oth sides of the argument naturally become en- 
 tL ■ and their very enthusiasm may in a measure be 
 responsible for any extravagant views they may hold. 
 
 The Planet considers it a duty, as a reputable journal 
 serving the public, to take every means possible to pro- 
 vide the people with information upon public questions 
 of moment, and to offer such advice as may be deemed 
 expedient, after a careful consideration of the various 
 features in evidence. In view of the above mentioned con- 
 ditions, therefore, and as a result of the important bearing 
 that the issue will have upon the every-day life of the 
 citizens of this community, this Great Home Journal des- 
 patched a representative to Owen Sound and Gait, where 
 Local Option is now in force, with instructions to find out 
 at first hand what the actual conditions are, and — with 
 
 900713 
 
any personal prejudices he may have had entirely elimin- 
 ated — to describe those conditions as they were found. He 
 was also instructed to interview representative citizens, to 
 obtain their views on this subject in dispute, and to report 
 such statements as they were S'^^n to him. In this article 
 he will attempt to give in a fair way and reasonable man- 
 ner, a straightforward and honest fullillmcni of his assign- 
 ment. 
 
 In the first place, there is no possible argument in 
 favor of Whiskey. 
 
 Big thinking men the world over are agreed on this 
 point. Whiskex is a curse, and there is no denying the 
 fact. Now the question comes, what is the most effective 
 vviiy of dealing with that curse and what action should be 
 taken to most successfully CONTROL the misery that it 
 creates? So that in this election, the question of temper- 
 ance is not directly at stake. Most men ARE believers in 
 temperance. The whole question is whether or not Local 
 Option is a good TEMPERANCE measure, and whether 
 or not it ANSWERS the purpose to which all temperance 
 men and women are striving. 
 
 Under Local Option, the public bars are closed, and 
 all liquor stores are closed. If any man wishes to have 
 liquor in his house for his own use, he may order it from a 
 licensed town, and the liquor may be shipped in to him, 
 but he may not offer it for sale, nor keep it in his posses- 
 sion with the intention of selling it. 
 
 So that this clears up one point. Local Option does 
 not keep liquor out of the city. It merely prohibits people 
 from SELLING it in the city. Any man can carry as 
 much liquor as he desires into a Local Option district, and 
 the law does not stop him. 
 
 The first place visited was Owen Sound — a town that 
 has been much quoted, in the present campaign. Owen 
 Sound is a town of some 13,000 inhabitants, about the 
 same size as Chatham. There are not many towns or vil- 
 lages in the immediate vicinity whe. * liquor is sold, and it 
 might very reasonably be pointed to as a concrete example 
 of what Chatham would be under Local Option. 
 
 The first impression, after a visit to (Dwen Sound, is 
 that Local Option DOES NOT injure the business inter- 
 ests of a town. 
 
 /i ''■ 
 
This IS a bald statement, but it seems to be borne out 
 by the facts in Owen Sound. The town is going ahead in 
 leaps and bounds and everyone seems to be prospering to 
 a very marked degree. Business is good in Owen Sound, 
 and trade Mourishcs even though the bars are closed 
 
 rpr l-^'^S^'^u!'*' ^'^"''"^^ ""^^''' ^° ^^y that Local Option 
 C.KhAlES this prosperity in Owen Sound. The town is 
 favorably situated and naturally must grow as a manu- 
 facturing centre. Its n.erchants and manufacturers are 
 wide-awake business men, and for that matter people have 
 to live whether there is Local Option or not, and they 
 have to buy things, creating trade and business, so that 
 the statement is easily supported that Local Option does 
 ot°her general business of a town one way or the 
 
 Some of the business men who have identified them- 
 selves actively in the Local Option controversy find that 
 their opponents in the cause decline to buy in their stores 
 m this way men on both sides have lost business, and they 
 suffer through airing their views. But what they lose 
 someone else gets, and the trade goes on just the same. 
 
 It is a fact that since Local Option has been inaugu- 
 rated in Owen Sound the Police Court cases of drunken- 
 ness have greatlv increased. There are more drunken men 
 making the r appearance in the police court to answer to 
 charges of excessive drinking. Some people would lead 
 you to believe that this proves that there are more drunken 
 men in Owen Sound since Local Option carried, but this 
 IS a pretty hard statement to support. 
 
 evpn W^" ^^u"" '^'r^ P'^">' ^^"^°"^ P'^" for drinking 
 even before the, got Local Option, but The Planet is in 
 formed that the enforcement of the law under the license 
 system was very lax. Six or seven months before Local 
 Option earned, the government decided to be more strict 
 n the enforcement of the license law in Owen Sound, and 
 
 i5..PTf''^/?-^^^'""'" Inspector. This Inspector 
 started out to do hi. duty and to "clean up" Owen Sound 
 
 BeinJu 'f T'°"' ^^ '}"' ^''''^'' ^^^^ ^^^^ concerned. 
 Before he had a good chance to show what he could do 
 
 T nT!i n T-P'^'^'"^ the town under the Hcense system. 
 
 thl Tn ^ ?" T' 'u '"'^ ^y *^" P^^P'^- Since that timi 
 this Inspector has been giving the strictest enforcement 
 
of the Local Option Law that is possible. He is active in 
 i.H- extreme in instituting prosecutions whenever he 
 thiiks he has the least chance to succeed. He is assisted 
 hy the police departin.-nt. who are more alert in arresting 
 men Jor drunkenness and other crimes, and this mav -xc- 
 count in a large measure for the big increa>e in the Jourt 
 convictions. 
 
 So this leads 'Hie Planet to place minor importance 
 rvu \ir'/''"^ ^^'^^ convictions lor drunkenness havr IX- 
 The police court records, however, show two things- 
 
 *u- V-T*^^'^"^''^' ^^'" getting drunk in Owen Sound, and 
 this drinking is leading them tr other crimes that are 
 worse. 
 
 c \\-^i"\'7^^'"^'^' Option has been proven ineffective in 
 iA\ LNG men from the drinking habit— and it is thereby 
 stamped as an incomplete and fallible TEMi'ERAN'CF 
 measure. 
 
 Alen can get liquor in Owen Sound, anv time they 
 want it, and they can get enough of it to get gloriously 
 drunk whenever they want to. o & / 
 
 Then there is the argument of the Assessment, and 
 he loss the town sustains in the way of taxes from the 
 hotels. 
 
 When Local Option passed in Owen Sound, the hotel 
 men appealed to the court of revision for a reduction in 
 their assessment, hut the appeal was thrown out. They 
 appealed furt_h(r to the County Judge and he made a re- 
 duction of 23 pe cent u their assessment. Since that 
 time there was a gene incr ase in the assessment of 20 
 per cent., all over the cuy to answer the growing demands 
 of the town, but that r. . 25 per r^nt. reduction for the 
 ho el men still hold. Wuether the Countv Judge 
 
 will sustain his own c .vhen the matter comes up 
 
 again is another ques ,/hetber or not the County 
 
 Judge of Kent would ti. the same kind of a stand in 
 over-ruhng the court of rt ision in Chatham, should thev 
 decide to leave the hotel as smmt as it is, is still anotheV 
 question. No matter how oes. the question of reduced 
 assessment is not regard, ; .e,,' 'slv n Owen Sound. 
 
 1 he town IS prosperous and t -^tt,.^ of a tew thousands 
 
 of dollars in the assessment , ■ it > a very mate-ial 
 
extent. It would probably be the same in Chatham, as 
 this city is prosperous too. Besides if the loss of a little 
 money to a whole community were the strongest argu- 
 ment against Local Option, and if Local Option i.-. proven 
 a good thing, then this argument is unworthy of an honest 
 man with a fueling for humanity, so in this contest it may 
 be dismissed as h;.\ ing vrry little weif^ht. 
 
 One oi" the greatest Ejections tliat residents .)f Jwen 
 Sound have to Local Option is the fact that it divid-js the 
 people of the town into two distinct nd sei)arate classes — 
 Local Optionists and Anti-Local Optionists. This would 
 not be so bad if llie distinction were forgotten except dur- 
 ing a Local Option contest, hv it is not. The bitt t feel- 
 ing has become a very imp(,i lant \rdvt of not only the 
 social, but also the busii.ess and even the religious side of 
 the life of the comnumity. Men will not deal with busi- 
 ness men who hold ^ - josite views to their own on the sub- 
 ject of Local Option. There is no give and take. The line 
 is firmly drawn, and the peoi)le of Owen Sound are by no 
 means a united people on any one subject. .'Ivery feature 
 of civic life reflects back to the question of Local Option, 
 and it is said to be impossible to get the people to "pull 
 together" on any single civic project. 
 
 In the cause of real temperance, it will be admitted 
 that there are only two ways in which reform can be insti- 
 tted — either by eliminating the drinking altc Tether, >r by 
 regulating it. In other words, either stop it restrict the 
 sale of it so that it will do the least harm. 
 
 The license system does not ;ton i^ but under the 
 present Ontario license law it IS regu'^^d and restricted. 
 Local Option also does NO'i :top drinking, and so the 
 whole question to be decided cccording to the accepted 
 rules of debate is, "can the drinking be regulated BET- 
 TER under Local Option than it can under the license sys- 
 tem?" 
 
 How is the drinking in Owen Sound REGULATED 
 under Local Option? 
 
 The drinking is all done SECRETLY. While a lot 
 of it is detected by the Inspector and the police, as the 
 court records show, the fact remains that the great bulk of 
 the drinking goes undetected becaus the poHce and the 
 Inspector, even though they are as alert as it is possible 
 
to he. C^VVCrr riXD it. THc hllnd pi^' nourishes in 
 Owen S '«'. 'I'his i> admitted l)y even t friends of 
 l.ocul UptiiMi. hut in i onversation with 'I'hc K-inet. tiie 
 Inspector stated that as far as he knev there .••a^ not a 
 single hhnd )i^ in Owen S'lunl ai tiie presuit itnie. 
 TliiCV I ANXO'l' lih: LOCA'IKI). Drunl r d- ^'el h- 
 (|uur. 'I'liev pet al! they want, and they get drunk, ^fiiig 
 men j;et h r.v ' 'l t'lcy j^et all they want, no i..atter 
 win tlier they 1 ,'l'»^n i" l><-" over 2\ or umle- 10 years of 
 
 ag^e. 
 
 How then i\(n-^ l.o'-.il ( )i.tioii R I'.l il'j ..XT!', the 
 drinkinjj^of li(iU'>r in ( )wen Si>un(l? That is a fair (|ues(ion. 
 
 The IManei was eidi.yhtened h.v an oflieiai autliority 
 Upon the manner in whicii the hotels hreak the Kiw. i he 
 har-room is leased to a young fellow »vho wants to take a 
 chance on niakin,.r ^^ome money hy .selling i.(|Uor. lie car- 
 ries his stock in a hottle in his hip pocket. \\ hen his cus- 
 tomers come into the hrr-room he produces his I ottie and 
 sells his drinks. Of course, he is careful to know, hefore 
 the hottle is produc( 1, that all of the men in his har-room 
 at the time are "h c wires." If there is any fellow of 
 whom he is douhtful, he calmly says "Boys, there is noth- 
 ing doing," and the crowd disperses and congregates a lit- 
 tle later, minus the gentleman suspected of heing a spotter, 
 or a dangerous man to sell to. Of course this '^chcme has 
 its faults, and at some time or other the young li(|uor dea'- 
 er with the leased bar-room is caught and charged with 
 the illicit selling of whiskey. He is found guilty, probably, 
 and given a hundred dollar fine. He is also told that if he 
 ever comes up again on a similar charge, there will be no 
 fine — he will be imprisoned. There have been some who 
 have actually served time ff)r the second offence, but usu- 
 ally they are not willing to take the chance. They go out 
 of business immediately. They have in the most cases 
 earned sufficient money to pay the fine and retire with a 
 snug bank account. Instead of the Bar being put out of 
 business, how-ever, it still goes merrily on only under the 
 management of a new proprietor, who buys out the lease 
 of the young man who was fined. In this way. the hotel 
 proprietor? are immune from prosecution, and they realize 
 good sum- jf money through leasing their bars. It is said 
 that there are hotelmen in Owen Sound who are heartily 
 
in favor of Local Option, body and soul, because they are 
 making rr ore money out of the selling of whiskey under 
 Local Option than they did with the license 
 
 Of course this is not all one-sided. It must be said in 
 order to state the case fairly that the men who are able to 
 wIV^.^^'k^^ ? ^ ^^^:^°°"^ ""der Local Option are all men 
 rAv, <^u ?^?^' ^^^'^^^" '^^" 8^° ^"to court in the event 
 
 ot the house being pinched" and swear thev didn't get a 
 drink. In other words, he must have the reputation of be- 
 ing ready to go into court and swear to a lie. So that one 
 would think that this would reduce the number of men 
 who would try to get a drink in a Local Option town. This 
 IS true. The number IS reduced, but the men who don't 
 drink in this way are the CASUAL drinkers-men whose 
 desire to drink is not strong enough to cause governments 
 to legislate to save them from the liquor evil. The drunk- 
 ards, the men with the strong appetites, and the young 
 men of the community are the ones who avail themselves 
 of this opportumty to drink— the very men that the honest 
 temperance men are trying to SAVE. Men with appetites 
 for drink w,ll get the stuff if it is around anv place, and they 
 will usually degrade themselves to anv extent to get it 
 i5ecoming perjurers is a matter of small moment to them 
 so long as they get their "booze." Young men are found 
 to have a fascination for the exciting experience of "taking 
 a chance. Stolen fruit to the ordinary young man is gen- 
 erally sweeter than that which is on his father's tlble. 
 1 his is the class of people that the honest temperance man 
 IS striving to save. They form the offenders against the 
 Local Option Law in Owen Sound. The respectable 
 drinkers have the hquor in their own homes. Drunkards 
 will get hopelessly drunk anyway, if thev can get the 
 liquor, no matter what system of law prevails. There are 
 other .trmkers in Owen Sound who under the license sys- 
 tem would go into a bar and take one or two drinks and go 
 home, while under Local Option the experience is that 
 when they get into a place where they can buy liquor they 
 drink until they get drunk. ^ 
 
 Owen Sound was a bad drinking town before Local 
 Option passed, and it would not be expected that Local 
 Option woud stamp out all the drinking. The statement 
 IS confidently made, however, by responsible men who 
 have watched events closely, that if the same determined 
 
effort were made to enforce the liquor license law as IS 
 mad to enforce Local Option, there would be less drinkine 
 in Owen Sound than there is right to-day. There can no 
 doubt be found men in Owen Sound who dispute this 
 Attcr all It IS a matter of opinion, as there has been no wav 
 ot provmg It as yet. It is a big question, with plenty o'f 
 room for argument on both sides, and it is a question upon 
 which big-minded men are bound to differ. The Planet 
 was caretul to mterviow only men who were looked upon 
 as being representative citizens ,and broad-minded busi- 
 ness men, with no personal interests in the liquor traflk 
 and this was the essence of their vieU's. As an opinion 
 from men who live under Local Option conditions, it does 
 not necessarily have to be accepted, but it is worthv of at 
 least passing consideration by people who are contemplat- 
 ing the advisability of establishing similar conditions of 
 civic lite. 
 
 Other facts which appear on the surface in Owen 
 i^ound while not very surprising, are worthv of consider- 
 ation too A large number of young bovs 'carry around 
 whiskey flasks m their hip pockets; people keep'liquoHn 
 their homes who never before thought of doing so; men 
 now buy a bottle whereas formerly they bought a drink- 
 men who tormerly drank beer, now drink v?hiskey be- 
 cause beer is too cumbersome to handle bv men who break 
 the law in selling it. 
 
 The temperance people admit most of this, but these 
 facts are merely pointed to in order that people may come 
 ^°\^^so"able decision as to whether Local Option REG- 
 ULAILS the drinkn.g of hquor better than the hcense 
 system. 
 
 co.J^^^A^ '" ^''''" ^PV"^ '^^^ P^^"^t attended the police 
 court. A man named Lewis was up for beating his wife 
 
 ^o'.'nH^ ',-''°"^^"''r ^'''' ^'"^ ^^'y ""tS with which tO 
 fore on ^I^^ i"^""'' h''^'' ¥^ '^"'" "P '^''^'^^ ^'^^^^ '^e- 
 the 14th of October He was found guilty of being drunk 
 and sentenced to 21 days. At the trial the other day the 
 
 iW hu'^r' r^'J""'^ '^t '^^'^' ^^^^"^^ Lewis for beat- 
 ing his wife stated on oath that since Lewis got out of jail 
 
 sohVhrll^ ^^^uT:"" ^^^°''^'-' ^' ^^^ "--^^ drawn a 
 soDer breath. He had been drunk CONTINUOUSLY 
 
ever since — almost two months, or a month and a halfu. 
 His companions were bad and he coldn't keep away from 
 it. He said that the stuff was shoved under his nose at 
 every turn. The poHce magistrate sent him to jail for a 
 month because, he said, HE KNEW WHAT IT MEANT 
 FOR A DRUNKARD TO EE AT LIBERTY IN 
 OWEN SOUND OVER CHRISTMAS AND NEW 
 YEAR'S. 
 
 These are plain facts, and are given merely for the 
 information of Chathamites. 
 
 Among the men interviewed by The Planet was Mr. 
 Raven, a banker. He said that morally Local Option was 
 bad. He went so far as to say it was a curse to Owen 
 Sound. Mr. McLaughlin, head of a large biscuit manufac- 
 turing concern, said he thought it would be better for 
 Owen Sound to have licensed hotels, with a proper ad- 
 ministration of the license law. He thought there would 
 be less boys drunk under those circumstances. He said 
 Local Option did not injure the business of the town, and 
 he spoke very rationally in giving his views in a quiet, un- 
 impassioned manner. He thought that the education of 
 the people would do more to lessen drinking than strin- 
 gent laws. He said it was his experience that the bulk of 
 the business men of Owen Sound w'ere opposed to Local 
 Option. M. D. Butchart, commonly referred to as the 
 richest man in Owen Sound, with over $200,000 invested 
 in real estate, mostly on the main street, and the president 
 of the Men' sClub of that place, said he knew for a fact 
 that Local Option was a failure. He had nothing to gain 
 through making the statement. He had no interests in 
 the liquor traffic, and Local Option doesn't inconvenience 
 him in the least, as he keeps liquor in his house and al- 
 ways has done so. He is not an excessive drinker. Ht is 
 one of the most popular and respected men of Owen 
 Sound. He did not think Local Option kept Owen Sound 
 behind commercially, and it didn't prevent him from 
 further investing money in real estate. At the present 
 time he is building a new, handsome block on the main 
 street. He affirms that Local Option has not lessened the 
 drinking in Owen Sound. There is more "straight whis- 
 key" drunk now, when formerly people took beer. He 
 said, moreover, that there were 10 to 1 drunks on the 
 
 10 
 
 •1.^11 j-i- ;n 
 
streets now more than formerly. It leads men to take 
 false oaths, and has a bad effect morally. He thought 
 licensed hotels would further the temperance cause better 
 than Local Option as it works in Owen Sound. Archie 
 Hay, President and Managing Dirctor of th Northwest- 
 ern Chair Company, with 600 workmen on his pay roll, 
 said the meu who are in favor of Local Option wen' men 
 
 the ^^''^'-* ^^'^'^^ "°' °^^^ ^^ nights to see what was going on. The 
 men who know the ropes know that Local Option is a 
 
 ^^^ failure as a temperance measure. He said he knew from 
 personal knowledge that it was a failure. "Ask the em- 
 ployers of labor," said he. "and find out the diftkultv thev 
 have with their men since Local Option passed." Air. Hay 
 told of a contractor in his factory who voted for Local 
 Option. Some of the men under this contractor were 
 "boozers." When they had licenses and any of his men 
 got drunk he knew where to go to get them "to take them 
 home and straighten them away. Now these men get 
 drunk in blind pigs, and, instead of being off a day or two, 
 they are off the job for weeks at a time, and the contractor 
 doesn't know where to find them. That contractor, who 
 was an earnest advocate of Local Option when it was first 
 brought up, is now utterly opposed to it. Ex-Mayor Mat- 
 thew Kennedy, in business in Owen Sound for fifty years, 
 said there was too much theory in Local Option and not 
 enough practicability. He had had more trouble with his 
 men being drunk since Local Option passed than he had 
 formerly. Two or three of his men had been off since 
 election night. He did not say that the same might not 
 occur under a license system, but the trouble has bv no 
 means been reduced. Local Option has failed in O'wen 
 Sound to measure up to the standard set for it by its 
 champions. Mr. Kennedy admitted the evils of intemper- 
 ance, but he thought the license system if properly worked 
 would regulate it better than Local Option. When Local 
 Option passed, there were four policemen. Now there are 
 six required to enforce the law. Mayor Lemon said per- 
 sonally he was opposed to Local Option, "bone and 
 sinew." He thought it was a poor temperance measure. 
 Owing to the fact that as Mayor he represents both fac- 
 tions, he did not wish to give an interview in his official 
 capacity as Mayor. A large number of the merchants 
 
 11 
 
 "il> t_tV'. - -It, '!'£'. 
 
 .-i-'^ <.^jsmiKi*fmw^!^-Mimpyj)iatm^\. 
 
were also interviewed. While they were for the most part 
 utterly opposed to Local Option, they did not wish their 
 names used as it would hurt their local trade should their 
 statements get back to Owen Sound people. 
 
 These excerpts from interviews are given merely for 
 mformation that the people of Chatham may know what 
 the representative people of Owen Sound think of Local 
 OpUon as It IS found there. They are given merely as 
 OPINIONS, and they should be so regarded and taken 
 for whatever the people of this city think they are worth. 
 
 Probably the most important interview was with Rev. 
 Dr. Daniel, a former pastor of the Park Street Methodist 
 church of Chatham, and a man well known and highlv 
 respectcd by all men of this city. Dr. Daniel has been in 
 Owen Sound for the same length of time that Rev. Mr. 
 Morris has been in Chatham. The Planet representative 
 met him on the main street in Owen Sound, and inciden- 
 tally asked him for his opinion of Local Option. 
 
 "Well," said the doctor in a serious manner, "that is a 
 very hard question to answer. I find that it is a very big 
 question, and I do not consider that I have been in Owen 
 Sound long enough to give a definite statement as to 
 whether Local Option is a success or a failure in this town. 
 I find that it is r. question upon which big, broad-minded 
 men— Christian men— differ widely. I find that there are 
 so many preponderous features connected with it that it 
 would be impossible for me to form a definite opinion of 
 whether it is good or bad." 
 
 Now this is sensible talk. If all the men of both sides 
 would take the sensible view that Dr. Daniel takes on this 
 great question there would be less bitterness in Local Op- 
 tion campaigns, and we feel justified in adding that it 
 would be better for the real cause of temperance. 
 
 If Local Option were a glowing success in Owen 
 Sound and Dr. Daniel knew it, we believe he would be 
 glad to come out boldly and say so. If Local Option were 
 a failure and Dr. Daniel knew it, we feel justified in stating 
 that we know Dr. Daniel well enough to venture that he 
 would not hesitate to express his opinion to the public. 
 Dr. Daniel has been in Owen Sound as a Methodist pastor 
 for almost six months, and yet he is undecided. This goes 
 to show the proposition that the casual visitor is "up 
 
 12 
 
S ,h ! ^°" '" '"^""8="' 'he working of Local 
 
 Opfon there, and on this account con.dcrable dependence 
 must be p aced upon the opinions of men who have been 
 here all the t.me-men who are certainly in a position o 
 know, and men who are in every way represenutive and 
 responsible citizens. 
 
 rnr^AJJ^^- ^^^"^^^eprcsentative also visited Gait Here 
 conditions were found to be quite different than they are 
 
 in gT The ho, 1 1^ ^'"^^"^^ ^^^^ th-e are no bSpig 
 ver^,ttleX'o°1i ^sXn GaU-'xt P^S^ '"^ 
 victions have not been affected one way or he other s nee" 
 
 reducti^rin"tr'''^'- ^'^ "^^"^^ ^' ^^^ assessment a" d 
 reduction in tax receipts is too small to be considered at 
 all. Business is not injured, and Gait is growing as a oros 
 
 Eels'tfrnuchT'/.^^P^^ ^" Prett/wenTa'ii?fi:d'and 
 ance JftLT^ agi ation over the question of temper- 
 
 Lorpl nJ^ u' "i^;^ '^"^^ community in Ontario where 
 Local Option should work well it is Gait. 
 
 .rof ^^'^- °4^°"^se there is a reason for this. Gait's "sal 
 
 H^uris'L^-rd^viiiiter";^^^^ 
 
 ..on passed in Gait, the number of fare" o,. the d^cTrk rai"!' 
 
 :h7.7lT^^''^-'^i ''f'l ^"^ Preston his i^re^d by 
 aoout 18,000 a month. The youne men and thp A.Trl 
 
 ^et&'^pTclaffr '° ^T'" v"-"h'V <ir1n td 
 gei arunk. Special policemen have been placed on th^ Int^ 
 
 andVrdersfnc^T'''"',';^^ '"= P"^P°- o'f preseTvi^ ^w 
 Has i^aturaud : ha7 o^ufs^r" 'c^^ t ween^LVn '^^ 
 
 ■ police court records for drunks in Pre.tnn w , li j 
 as a result of Gait men getting dru'k in Preston Mr 
 
 ^als H« hI^lMh7J r ' ^^^'^'^"^S to private individu- 
 
 ^t^^^ t^^tc^S^te'^h "^"'^^•^^^^'^ ^^^^^e between the 
 lOalt iacihtate the easy importation of lir , .» 
 
 I 
 
 13 
 
 .^., 
 
These are the facts, so it will be seen that Owen 
 Sound is a far better comparison for Chatham than Gait. 
 Chatham and Owen Sound are more parallel cases. 
 
 In Gait many merchants — big merchants— \ycre 
 found to be opposed to Local Option as it works in Gait. 
 The police magistrate says it does some people good and 
 others harm. He also added as an opinion that if men are 
 sober only when they can't get a drink the proper thing 
 would be to lock up the drunkards. 
 
 Gait's growth is attributed by the Local Optionists 
 to the fact that the bars are closed. Preston is growing, 
 too, however, and Berlin beats them both, and the bars 
 are open in Preston and Berlin, so there seems to be very 
 little in this argument. 
 
 There are some men in Gait who supported Local 
 Option who are opposed to it now. Mr. Keyes, the Chief 
 of the Fire Department and the proprietor of a livery 
 stable in Gait, said that "it made a bar-room out of his 
 stable." He said he puts to bed in his stables on an aver- 
 age of four drunken men a week — men, he says, who 
 would not get drunk under the license system. They get 
 drunk because they now buy a bottle whereas formerly 
 they bought a drink. 
 
 Other men can be found who say that Local Option 
 is all right in Gait. 
 
 So this is the evidence as it was received, and we have 
 tried to give it out in a fair, reasonable and honest report. 
 It is by no means a one-sided question. We agree with 
 Rev. Dr. Daniel, of Owen Sound, that it is a question upon 
 which even ardent Christian men hold opposite views, and 
 it is something that men should figure out for themselves 
 in their own minds, after a careful consideration of all e 
 information it is possible to gain on the question. Ex g- 
 gerated statements should be disregarded and extrava- 
 gant claims should be cHminated on both sides. A man 
 can be a true temperance man and still oppose Local Op- 
 tion. It is — as we have stated before — purely a question 
 of whether or not Local Option answers the cause of real 
 temperance reform. 
 
 As long as whiskey is MANUFACTURED it WILL 
 be sold and it WILL be consumed. The only way in 
 which temperance reform can be brought about is through 
 
 14 
 
• thcr destroying tht source of supply, or placing proper 
 restrictions upon the sale of the product. And. as we 
 point. 1 out earlier in this article, the people of Chatham 
 should vote solely upon the question of whether or not 
 Local Option REGULATES the selling of Whiskev bet- 
 ter than the license system, for it has been shown and 
 proven that NEITHER system will ELLMIXATE the 
 drinking. 
 
 Th Planet's view on the subject, as a newspaper, is 
 quite well known among the Local Option workers. The 
 Planet believes that the Whitney Government has provid- 
 ed Ontario with an excellent liquor license law. and that 
 if this law were STRICTLY enforced it would regulate 
 the drinking, and work in the interests of real temperance 
 better than Local Option is doing in Owen Sound. We 
 admit that the law has not been strictly enforced right 
 here in Chatham, but we believe, as a matter of principle, 
 that if the temperance people would devote themselvs to 
 bringing about an absolutely strict enforcement of the 
 liquor license law, they would be better satisfied with the 
 results themselves than they would be under Local Op- 
 tion. 
 
 This is The Planet's view of the case, and we give it 
 for what it is worth. Sir James Whitney stated a short 
 time ago in one of his characteristic utterances that "a 
 public man who did not have— and did not express— an 
 bpinion on a public question is a public fool." We agree 
 with .Sir James, and we also believe that what applies to 
 a public man applies with equal force to a public newspa- 
 per. 
 
 We also believe that in all fairness men in the liquor 
 business should be compensated in the event of the pass- 
 ing of such a measure as Local Option, but then, that rais- 
 es another question in which there is room for more con- 
 troversy. 
 
 The Planet considers it a duty to provide all possible 
 information to the people on public questions that affect 
 their liberties, their financial interests and their moral wel- 
 fare. It was with the desire to provide such information 
 that a representative was sent to Owen Sound and Gait. 
 While The Planet has, as a result of these investigations, 
 stated a conviction upon the issue at stake, we are rather 
 
 16 
 
inclined to leave it largely an open question for men to 
 think out for themselves. No man is forced to accept the 
 opinion of any other man, or any nev^spaper, or public in- 
 situation, unless it appeals to his better judgment and his 
 inward personal convictions. On this account The Planet 
 will not try to force any particular Local Option opinion 
 upon the people of Chatham. We have no words of con- 
 demnation for any man who, as a result of personal con- 
 victions, supports either side in the present fight. We 
 rather incline to the opinion expressed by Dr. Daniel that 
 good Christian men are bound to differ in regard to it, but 
 they should give their opponents credit for being just as 
 sincere as they are themselves. The Planet would wish to 
 discourage all personalities in the present campaign. Let 
 the issue be well discussed, but let it be remembered that 
 abuse is the last refuge of the man with a poor cause. 
 
 With this article The Planet closes its part in the 
 campaign. While every opportunity will be gi- en to the 
 opposing forces to air their views in print. The Planet will 
 have no further comment to offer. We feel that in gidng 
 the information contained in this article we have perform- 
 ed our duty as a self-respecting public journal, and we 
 have tried to perform that duty conscientiously and with- 
 out prejudice toward either section of the conflicting par- 
 ties. It is now "up to" the ratepayers to personally figure 
 out the decision in their own minds, and decide the verdic^ 
 for themselves. 
 
 16 
 
•'"'TB- "WMMiV- «- ." I 
 
i-.L-m^-**--' •.-i.-.TT. 
 
 . ^Aj-m. ^hii I