Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1904-03-03
MEET THE ISSUE
Continued from first page.


single CONVICTION OF liquor dealer to
their credit, with nothing but disagree.
ment OF the jury Ia the clubs case TO
show for their money! We have been
shown tax receipts for 1902 and 1909
where the valuation was the same, and
the increase in the county taxes was 30
per cent. The impression made by the
above statement Is that the $l4, 900 ex.
penses between May lst and Jan. Goth
is all due to court expenses in prosecut-
ing liquor cases. In the printed pro.
ceedings of the Board OF Supervisors
OF Montcalm county for the Oct. and
Jan. sessions l903-l904, on page 80, /
find that for the fiscal year ending Dec
3lst 1903, there was paid out upon SUI
pervisors orders Sl2,SSS 25 and for wit
ness and jurors fees in circuit and jus-
tice courts 4,93S Is making total OF
ST., 8a6.43. This amount included court
expenses in all kinds OF cases, besides
the many orders of the Supervisors for
other expenses not pertaining to litiga-
tion. 10 it possible that OF the Sl7 1876,
for the whole year, S14, 900 could be for
local option cases in seven months?
In the Stanton Clipper of last.week,
we find this comparison. The last elk
months Of 1903 compared with the same
period OF 1902, shows the following re-
suits, in 1903, decrease of $3.50 in poor
fund and s266 in jurors expenses. In
crease OF $3.50 court witnesses and 1917
in expenses In justice courts. The fn-
crease in expenses for the first six
months OF local option Is thus sCen to
be 1851 instead OF Sl4,080 for scv"r
months. ] may here quote statement
from an official OF Montcalm county in
a personal letter. ''Of course we have
to raise $4,950 that Te thus received,
by general taxation, but aside from
that, court expenses have not increased
to any great extent. As | view the
matter, the taxpayers have to put up
the amount that the saloonists pay the
county under the license system, but
believe that the general business inter-
ests can afford TO do 1t from the In
creased prosperity they enjoy under
local option" Since court expenses
have not increased but little, the sup
posed so per cent increase must come
from some other cause. 1t Is the loss
of the license feesp The county taxes
In Montcalm In 1903 we're 81, 800 or
this amount 1850 came from license
fees Hence TO make uD the loss OF IL
cense money, there would be An In.
crease OF IL per cent instead OF so per
cent. II there is 90 per cent increase,
it must come from some cause indie.
pendent OF local option.
The Bedding Star is authority for
the statement that these are IS more
y. 5. Cove: nment licenses this year In
Montcalm than last. Upon the auth
ority OF the Clerk OF Montcalm county,
we find that last year there we're SO and
this year AZ, three less than last year
instead OF rs more. Last year there
we're - drug stores and this year 80.
These figures show that there were Is
so-called clubs. But it may be gener-
ally known that since the arrest OF the
club keepers last fall there has not
been club running In Montcalm coun.
ty. These figures further show that
II there are many drug stores now sell
ing liquor illegally all but three of
them were doing business under the ga.
loon last year. and experience has
proven that drug stores that sell illeg-
ally without saloons, did and will, sell
illegally with saloons. The state law
on drug stores In local option counties
is much etricter than In license coun.
ties, adding Jail sentence. II druggists
sell under the stricter law, they will
sell under the less strict law. The Star
says the Bedding saloons we're closed
on Washington's birthday and the
Greenville drug stores were doing bust
ness. Would they have been closed II
Greenyille had her eight saloons as
last year?
1t is currently reported o the streets
of Bedding that certain minister OF
Greenville told in the hotel at Green.
Vile that he regretted having voted for
local option and that II he had oppor-
tunity, he would vote for license. The
reason given 10 that he thought there
was more drunkenness now than be-
fore. l Immediately wrote him let
ter, inclosing stamp for reply. have
not heard from him. At the same time
I wrote to one OF the leading pastors OF
Greenville asking him "a to the mini.
ter and his statement. The following
In his reply the minister referred towas
against US during the campaign and is
az ainst us now. He does not claim In
with me, that he thinks
as much liquor Is sold IS under the ga.
DON times. He did not vote for local
option. He ls very liberal and spends
much OF his time smoking pipe In the |
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