The Temperance Victory at the Territorial Legislature
Legislators pass a landmark bill allowing local precincts in Washington Territory to vote on the liquor trade, sparking a scene of jubilation and civic debate.
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 Local Option Bill was taken up as the special order of the day by the Legislative Assembly. Judge Jacobs spoke in favor of the measure, stating that the liquor traffic's tendency is evil continually, creating pauperism and vice. He argued that the principle of the majority ruling, a foundation of American government, should apply to the regulation of alcohol. The bill grants voters within political divisions the power to decide in regard to the sale of alcoholic beverages. While opponents argued the bill was an illegal delegation of legislative power, the bill passed with a vote of 8 to 3. Upon the final passage of the bill, the room erupted in applause, and those present began shaking hands with their neighbors in a scene of general jubilation.
“It is letting a thief into the mouth to steal away the brains.”
This 1886 legislative fight captures the early territorial roots of the 'local option' movement, which eventually led to the nationwide struggle over Prohibition. Today’s debates regarding the regulation of commercial spaces and neighborhood autonomy echo these same questions of who gets to control the character of a community.
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