New-York daily tribune., 1854-04-26
MICHIGAN.


bidding she further sale o. Intoxicating Beverages
within its limits. One section of this act provided
tbattL People, at set day then future, should be
empowered and invited to vote on the question not of
epactiDg or enforcing this law but of fxiDgtie time
Tor it's gong into operation If they voted Yes, the
law was to take effect the then ensuing December; if
No then it should not take effect till some remote pc
riod-lo7O, if We accurately remember A special
Election Was accordingly held at the appointed time;
avery large vote was polled aud the People said
"Yes-iet us have the Law ia operation forthwith -
by nearly "0,O00 minority
Here, you would naturally say. was an end ofcontro
versy; a law enacted by the Legislature and emphat
cally ratified BY the People distinct and une luvo-
cal issue No officers were chosen no other question
considered at the sane Election so there could be no
pretebse that the popular verdict was the result OF
bargain party necessity, or any complication what
ever Grant even that the Popular Ratification was
an impertneDce, an indec0rum, nuly-tha. the
People have DO right 70 direct Voice in the enact
mebt of laws but should accept without question such
ss the Legislature sees fit enact-and still cannot
see bow The validity of this act ia at all shsken InnI-
mersble decisions have affirmed the obvious truth that
an unconstitutional provision or clause in 40 act does
not yltiaie the residue of the law if the qualified
submission cl1ufe be judciay nullfed, the vitality of
the law still remains
But tn chief organ OF Sham or Cs,s Democracy in
Michigan is The Detroit Free Press conducted by
fully aware of the truth oace buntly procla ned by
the Hon Mile Walsh that "porter houses are the
nurseries of Democracy, that is. of the Sham
pattern As The Free Press lives by the party
ard The party draws very much of iEs vitality
from varicusl5 disguised Whisky aud Lager Bier. the
organ had fought the Prohiotory Law from the outset
aud continued TO fight it in defiance of the Peoples
oytrN belnirg ratification AMI, though the grog
shops were at first all shut up driven down into dark
cellars BY the Maine Law, yet few ru nseers, Gu
coursged by the tone and spirit of their avorte jour
nal soon began to sell less silly, aud were thereupon
pro.ecuted One of these suits was brought before
Mr. John 5. Bagg Detroit Justice OF 'ne Peace for
merly We believe one of the publishers of The Free
Press Aforesaid who took the responsibility of nuli
fying the Law OF Prohibition unconstitu.io ia be-
cause ratified by the People as aforesaid.
The case was appealed, aud came finally before the
Supreme Court OF eight judges (all Cas- Democrsts)
who divided equally on the question presented-four
of them for nulliyiDg four for upholding the law And
thu. it ans suspended like Mahomets cofia--and
this is said to be the effect of the decision One Of
these eight Judges sitting in Circuit decides against
the prosecutors Of ruuseler alleging that the Law is
unconstitutional Aforesaid whereupon the case is
ended because the People Gin whose name the prose-
cuton is conducted have right of appeal but let
tie Jud ge decide in drOr of the law aud rs uphoders
and the rumseler appeals TO the full Bench where the
Judge whose decision is thus appealed from does not
sit so there Judges the Bench, three for
and four against the Law and the rumseer triumphs,
THROWN all the heavy costs on the friends of the law
so their efforts are paraly yzed, aud drunkenness is
again oyersl reading the State.
But new Election takes place next November,
when the whole matter be set right Wha the al
vocsfes OF Prohibition have Eow t. do is TO secure
LEGISLATURE that will re enact the Prohibition Law
corditioraly increasir ts penalties and improving
its deails in every way, that pettifoggng subtle
ty can evermore defy it with impunity Who doubt
that this is OF importance than all beside that de-
peDds the issue of the next Election
That the People are for Prohibition they have al
ready shown beyond cavl the oOly danger of defeat
results rom the operation of parties The Sham De-
nOcrsey as party is being gradually drilled into an
attitude Of hostility TO the Law already We observe
that nearly all its local journals being nodded into
the smili,ude Of their Detroit pitcbppe The triumph
OF that party will be the downfall of Prohibition.
But il need Not trumph-shoud no.-must not. 1t
be beaten by thousands if its adversares will but
present united front And why may they not The
OILY State ticket yet nominated is hat OF the Free
Democracy, taken in equsl proportion from the two
Old parties and composed entirely of esrnes faithful
champions Of Prohibition THIS iicke. can be elected
and probably other antRum ticket can be. II the
Wigs of Michigan will but act sensbly aud pa,ri
etieslly they and have often blamed the Free
Sellers for Not doing they beat their adyersares
out of sight re-estsblsh beyond cavl the Law of Pro
bbition, United States Senator forthwith in
place of Mr. Stuart and another two years hence 10
psce Of Gen Cas and place the State where il should
be for years TO They do this if they please
or they can permit few short-sighed as2irants AID
secret instruments of the Liquor Interest to begue
ttem into dog in-tte marger policy which hazard,
everything and will almost certainly result in disaster
We trust they have the ssgac.y and vre to take that
course which Duty and G.terest combine to recon-
rtrd.