The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-11-15
Favors Local Option.

MR.. EDITOR: III you Will grant me III
| tie space in your paper will try to answer
| the article published last week, signed
"Ward.n The writer started out with q
truthful declaration. The saloon he admits
is the one great physical and moral enemy
of man; the evils of evils and vice OF vices
In the next breath declares 1t can't be STOP
ped. that liquor will be made and sold as
long as the world stands, and points with
pride to his wide knowledge of facts to prove
this statement. Has he overlooked the fact
that government to exist at all must be
greater than any of Its vices? That where
vice begins to rule, right there government
begins to cease? am informed that there
are less than 40 saloons in this county. Are
the people Of Shiawassee county ready to
say, Is Ward" ready to say, that this county
could not control 40 men-even though they
were desperate and determined? i think
not. They could be controlled and we all
know it. Mr.. Roosevelt has demonstrated
this fact to certainty in the city of New
York. He has shown law and not vice, to
be supreme in that great city. Who is
ready to say this county is more vile and
desperate than the city of New York?
"Ward" seems to give the saloon men no
credit whatever as regarders of the law.
This isn't quite fair, is it? Many of the
saloon men are kind hearted men; they are
in the business because there is money In
it. But am willing to say that were their
business outlawed, three-fOurths of them ut
least would embark i'm other business or
seek more congenial cline and would give
the people no trouble to enforce the local
option law, so far as their acts were con-
cerned. presume there would some liquor
bought and sold; there would be places per-
haps where a man could by taking his oath
he needed 1t for medical purposes, buy it.
There might be places where certain favor
ties could get it for time, till they were
caught at it; they might send to Saginaw on
Detroit and have it shipped, labeled syrup;
but there would be no open saloons to ruin
our boys--in fact there would be no saloons
at all.
There are thieves in this county; there
were thieves in the world before Noah
got drunk; there has been stealing for ages,
and believe there will always be. You
can't stop it. Prohibition don't prohibit it.
Why not license it? 1t would help pay
our expenses as a county; help pave our
streets, etc. Then why not license 1t?
Simply because in so doing we would be-
come partners to the ransaction--thieves in
the sight of God and every God fearing man.
Well and truly did "Ward" say that the
people would vote for local option because
it was right--no man needs better reason
for his action in any matter than that he
did what he did because 1t was right.
We believe local option will be submitted
to the people and believe with 'Ward" that
the people will vote for ii because it is right.
But he says an election will cost 80, 900.
Well, supposing 1t does, what will be the
effect II 1t carries?
Surprising that there are 40 saloons in the
county and that each sof them pay $4,000
license, the county would receive from that
source $40, 000.0U. Some one has got to pay
1t; VINO is 1t? The saloon keeper? Yes.
And 1t is the people of Shiawassee county
that furnish him with the money; nor is this
all; the people pay the saloon keeper and his
family must be cared for out of the bust |
ness, which cannot be done for less than |
81, 900 a year. Forty saloons, 100000 |
Zach equals $40, 100000, to which add $780, |
700 for license and we have total Of net |
earnings of S60,0OO0O. Now suppose that |
here is profit of so per cent on their bust
less, they must then sell double this amount |
IT $3.50. OO0 90. in order to, live, say nothing |
bout laying up any money for rainy day, |
md people of this county must pay every |
lollar of it, besides being robbed of man
lood, intellect and morals, and having to |
Jay for endless litigation caused by the
raffic.
Still Ward" would try to make us be-
leve that for the trihing expense of an cleo
ion it would be wisdom for us to drop the
natter here.
Is this true? If the people of this county
an save at least $4,000 say nothing about
heir time, health, morals or the natural
enefts to society, wouldn't it be wise to
o it? If any one thinks it can't be stopped
nst write those fellows who were cited to
ppear in u. s. circuit court at Detroit for
cling hot pop the 4th day of July in towns
hat had local option. They might be able
0 speak from experience along this line.
BUNTING.