THE WOMAN WHO DID.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1951, 7 January 1914, Page 5

THE WOMAN WHO DID.

ARMED WITH MANDATE ENFORCES

MARTIAL LAW.

IN COPPERFIELD, U,S;A.

ARRESTS MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS.

By Telesrraph-Press Assodation-Copjrieht "Times"—Sydney "Sun" Special Cables. New York, January 5. Miss Fern Hobhs, private secretary to tho Governor of Oregon, has arrived at Coppouh'eld with tho Governor's mandate to place tho town under martial law, and a request for the instant retirement of tho Mayor and councillors, owing to their connivance in violations of tho liquor laws, several of the councillors being saloon-keepers. Hearing of the threatened action, many citizens armed themselves, with the intention, it is believed, of resisting the ordeh They were thunderstruck when a singlo woman stepped from the train. Tho Mayor fiatlv refused to resign, but Miss Hobbs promptly summoned the State Artillery and prison guards, under Colonel Lawson, and ordered him to arrest tho Mayor and councillors. Tho saloons were then raided and placed under guard, while the proprietors were ordered to remove their etocks to another county, otherwise they would bo confiscated.

Oregon was admitted into the Union in. 1559. Its constitution provides for license" and "consent," and tho control of tho liquor trade \>y the local authorities of every municipality. High license prevails in most towns, and "consent" is confined to the rural districts. Applicants for licenses must obtain the signatures of a majority of the lp->;nl voters in tbeir neighbourhood, and this leads to considerable animosities between those who want and those who do not want liquor in given localities. In towns and cities municipal governments exercise complete control; nml although the people may vote "prohibition," tho local authorities of incorporated, towns may ignore any popular declaration. Thja lias been evidently the position at C'opperfiold, ami tho Governor of the State has been induced to inlerposn liis mandate.' Although "prohibition" ordinances prevail i;i Halsey, Shodd, Nowhcrg, Iforo, and Dayton, and other small placc3 like Copper'ficld, (he secretary of tho W.C.T.U. writes: "I rcjrret to say thore arc very few places really under prohibition, and they are small villages." Prohibition lias never received much countenance in this State.