The temperance question was almost beaten in the Illinois State Legislature, due to the efforts of prominent men of Chicago and Belleville, who defended the freedom and the use of alcoholic beverages before the State Legislative Committee.

Regardless of the temporary success against temperance, the Staats-Zeitung, had warned the tavern owners repeatedly, to keep their interest in the anti-temperance activities alive, for danger from that source was still lurking. However, this warning was not needed, and the result is, that the petition in favor of temperance bears many more thousands of signatures than that of the opposition petition.

Chicago did not avail itself of the golden opportunity to elect Mr. Clark as Mayor, the man who pledged himself to suppress all taverns of questionable repute. If it had, the temperance fanatics would have thus lost their pet point. It is obviously the result of the last city election, combined with the indifference of those engaged in the beer selling business, that the temperance fanatics are making a renewed rather successful effort for their demands in the State Legislature. They alone are responsible that the Hinds Bill, the most intolerant of them all, was dug up and is now under consideration in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The rejoicing temperance fanatics are confident that they will have the cooperation of the necessary majority of members of the Senate and the House to pass the law.

what action do the innkeepers take in regards to the danger from that source. The honest ones in that business maintain silence while the loud mouths rush to the headquarters of the organization immediately upon learning that the Hinds Bill advocates were successful in bringing the bill before the Senate, and thus launch infamous defamations against the Illinois Staats-Zeitung and against A. C. Hesing.

This is evidently their way of expressing gratitude for the protection of their interests, for one generation by this newspaper. The warning of a well meaning press has been disregarded and thus, the temperance movement takes its natural course, aided rather than opposed by the innkeepers themselves. This is the consequence of throwing slurs at those who defended their cause.