Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1902-04-04

/ bub what are tue ito5OIS 4t0AItQ 4IOul
| a.? 4 appeal 10 some certainly wItnIn
the hearing OF nay voice, you nave lived
| during portion, IL not al OF this time
and noted the progress oil events curing
Us LIE. What were they! There Was
40 Improvement in the amounA Oh liquor
sold or the manner Oh us SAFE. ii was
sold openly in what was calico gro
ceries. in places OF refreshments called
| by some "taverns. IN eating houses anu
every other old place where the COnNen7
fence OF mankind might demand II. NO
taxes were imposed upon It's sale or
MANUFACTURER; there was no law to re-
SuIate, control and restrain its sale and
use, and none 10 protect the pubic from
us evil influence. IL became more anu
more In the eyes OF the people VINO cOun-
lenanced IL, an irradicable evil 50 far "a
legislation could prevent. The tralfic IN
II became more and more open anu bold
prosecutions tor the Violations OF IL less
ana less common, until It's advocates
ana promoters recognized the IutluLy
or their Efforts 10 enforce it, and IL be-
came practically dead letter upon Our
statute books; attempted To be enforced
out little; enforced less and a DutL OF
riGicule IN The hanGs Oh It's lrIeLus ana
advocates, until IN 1870, the state being
unwilling 10 longer tolerate The nul-
sance, the common sense Oh our people
TOOK the subject Out OF the llellss AanQs
OF its advocates ana salu. You have
been given al the rope you wanted an1
this last and best effort vi yours 10 Iegls-
late morality into our people and Wipe
out intemperance Dy legal enactment,
has after al honest ana faithful effort
10 enforce II, huns Itself. let us make
common cause over tAe remains anc. take
II out to the scrap Pile ana Jay il away
peace ably by the Size OF the s4umbering
remains OF It's earlier brothers" 30 this
was done in the following quiet ana
peaceable manner. The legislature OF
1875 repealed the act OF 1855 know Il as The
'Prohibitory liquor law TO which 4
have referred. see Act 269. OF 1.-THE Ses-
sion Laws Of 1879. The same session of
the legislature passed the first general
law since 1870 taxing the business OF
selling spirituous anu Intoxicating IL
quors. This is known as Act POS, of the
Session Laws OF 1875.
The general tax law OF 1915 was n
like manner assailed in The case oil
foungblood v sexton, D. Mich. =. 400,
as unconstitutional and void as being a
license OF a business, but our supreme
court consistent with its previous hole
ings OF this section of the constitution
actually went so far as to hold that a
taxation of the business was not a llcens
ing Of the business and sustained the
law. But it was generally thought by the
legislature and the bar that this act was
unconstitutional, so 10 make il certain
that we would rid ourselves Of the last
evidence Of this period OF prohibitory
enactment. the legislature submitted 10
the people OF the state the question OF
an amendment TO the constitution wip-
ing out this stumbling block IN The way
Of real reform in the use OF splrltuous |
and intoxicating liquor. See joint reso-
luton, No. II, page 800, OF the Session |
Laws OF 1876. This anne ndment was car |
ried In the general election OF 1876 by a !
vote of CO. 639 for the amendment and !
90, SCI against IL, and the people OF the |
state after twenty years OF embarass-
ment and chagrin wiped out the last |
evidence Of the crusade and Section A., !
OF Article ", OF our Consutu- |
ton is now blank. The |
last child born of the crusade was taken |
in charge by an honest. faithful anG |
courageous people and tenderly laid |
away to rest by the side OF its earlier |
brothers.
1t will therefore be seen that the right |
eous judgment Of our people 10th in the |
halls OF legislation and at the polls had |
been passed upon 'prohibitory liquor |
law" and ii had been condemned by |
both. 1t was found from actual eXper-
fence that IL was impracticabie. senti- !
mental and its enforcement impossible. |
l say again / am proud OF the efforts |
and faithfulness OF our people in the
experiment.
The persistence and determination Of
the prohibltionists did. however, plain
y assert Itself at this session. Ii Illus
ira ties the two-sidedness OF politician
as well the sympathy born OF the human
race, since Notwithstanding an entire
reversal of our policy on the question OF
the control OF the liquor traffic. the same
legislature appeased the arCor and en-
thusiasm Of the survivors OF the crusade
by passing one more act which repre-
scented the dying effort Of the period
This was Act 226 OF this session, and
found on page 221 Of the Session Laws
Of 1875. This act imposed a tax upon the
business OF selling ardent spirits and in
toXicating liquor SHIPPED into the state
from without the state. Thls act Was
declared unconstitutional In wailing y. /
Michigan. 11s z. s. Reports. D. 44G. as re
sfraining commerce between the .. ates
and prohibited by the federal constitu-
tional, ard the last child born Of the sur
vivors was likewise buried beside rs
earlier brothers
Our judicial decisions abound with
many cases which shows plainly the
struggle OF the different communities
In this state 10 rid itself OF the legisla-
ton OF this period to which have call
ed your attention, and the studied eff
forts TO avoid the constitutional clause
and statutes to which I have referred
IL illustrates In a marked degree the nut
sance which had been tolerated and en-
dured duringthis regime. ! have time
TO notice but one OF them. Our supreme
court showed Itself skilled diplomats
in the art OF overcoming the handicap
imposed upon the people by the consti-
tutional clause 10 which have referred
and the prohibitory liquor law. For In
stance, different cities and villages
passed ordinances designed to regulate