The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-07-27
Additional Local.
Local Option.

Locai Optioh
We have received "A somewhat lengthy
communication from Mr.. 5. III. Black
man with reference To the existing
local option law, and especially critlcis-
ing an article on the same subject
which appeared in this journal on the
18th. As Mr.. BIS communication
simply copies the article referred To in
fragmentary sort of way and COM
ments on the fragments, we deem 1t
sufficient in this case To take up his
fragments and reply to them In the
order he places them.
Inasmuch as this paper had urged
them 1.-THE friends OF the law to hold
fast what they had and hope for some
thing BETTER" Mr. b. thinks the paper
ought not ''go over to the assistance
of those who are so anxious TO get the
law repealed, as the greatest obstruc-
ton 10 their traffic" The traffic" that
we had particular reference to is the
Uery outgrOOM of the present tdtO.
Mr.. Blackman "cannot believe that
the bootleg dealers have carried on
their traffic in this village to anything
like the extent To which your (our)
article indicates" If Mr. Blackman
was half century younger and less
methOdical in his habits and hours,
there would be no room left for doubt
in his mind as to the "eXtent" of the
traffic carried on.
But" continues Mr.. b., If it be all
true, as you assert, then, instead of its
being a reason why we should cowardly
succumb to their demands TO remove
the only obstruction TO their nefarious
traffic, it would De one of the strong
est reasons for continuing 10 force them
to the wall" Let us again remind him
that the dealers we are discussing do
not rant the taeO repealed! 1t is their
sole stock in trade.
Again: 'If it is true, and known to
the one who asserts it, (and no one
should publish as a fact charge SO dis
graceful TO Il community unless he
knows 1T to be true,) then it would be
the duty of such person to bring it To
the notice of the officers" &c. Now,
we submit TO Mr.. Blackman, or any
other intelligent citizen, whether it
would be exactly in the province of a
newspaper to become an informer
More than this, the officers to whom he
wishes us TO carry this information
Know these things just as well as we do
Mr.. Is. seems to question our state
ment that "boys from IL to 16 years of
dlC huoWh W Z
bottles of whiskey in their possession,
and that cherished sons of respectable
parents are carried or helped home in
state of maudlin intoXication." On
the 4th of July, while at the fair grounds,
the writer of this article saw (by actual
count seven different groups of boys,
from three to five in u group, drinking
from bottles taken from their pockets,
and some of these boys were mere lads
An officer in this village, but a few
days ago, took two bottles of whisky
from boys, less than 16 years old, who
were preparing for fishing excursion
AS to the carrying or helping home"
OF boys who were intoxicated, Mr.. b.
is slightly tinctured with an Eve-like
curiosity for names. In this we cannot
crafty him. We bnOW ID TO be true i!
And the respectable parents" of said
boys were once as strongly in favor of
local option us Mr. Blackman is, but
now would be glad to have the traffic
Gf traffic there must be) in the hands of
men who are bnOUn To the public as
dealers, that offences against the law
may be- traced to their fountain head.
Mr.. Blackman lays much stress on
the sentence IN our former article that
during the past year every saloon and
bar in Van Buren, county was closed"
and argues from that fact that the law is
IA success; but he utterly ignores what
followed that sentence and what is the
very giSt of the whole question, viz. I'm
proportion as the saloons were closed
the importation business set in, and it
has been kept up To such an extent that
to-day there are more men in Paw Paw
of whom whisky can be bought than
ever before in the history of town"
To us, aud to hundreds of other low.
ers of temperance and good order, the
above reasons are sufficient to ask the
repeal of the present law.