The Battle for the Ballot in Lynden
Citizens gathered at the town hall to organize the 'Majority Rule' ticket, pledging to let the public decide the future of the local saloon trade.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Majority Rule people held a caucus in the town hall, Wednesday evening and nominated three councilmen and a treasurer. The meeting was called to order about 8 o'clock by Marshal Bailey. Arthur L. Swim was chosen as permanent chairman and A. N. French, secretary. The caucus adopted the name of the 'Majority Rule Ticket' and nominated the following: Councilmen for two years, John W. Edwards, D. Cruikshank, and R. Heaton. Treasurer, George Blonden. The following resolution was adopted: We pledge our nominees for councilmen to use their best efforts to secure an annual expression of the voters of the town on the question of licensing saloons, and to be bound during their terms of office by the will of the majority of the voters so expressed at each annual election.
“We pledge our nominees for councilmen to use their best efforts to secure an annual expression of the voters of the town on the question of licensing saloons.”
The 'local option' struggle over saloons in 1908 was a precursor to the statewide prohibition of 1916. Today, battles over local control of zoning, liquor licensing, and cannabis continue to pit municipal authority against state and federal regulations.
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