The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-05-04
HOW ORYs WON IN
CITY OF $4,000
Campaign in Muncie, Ind. Was
Spectacular, But Argumentative
Also-Big Dry Majority.

MUNCIE. Ind. May Has your
neighbor the right 10 prevent you from
eating pie because pie is harmful.
Tea. coffee. tobacco. hot bread. tight
corsets. hair rats are also agents OF
physical degeneration. but can anyone
say that YOU shall not have them,
/ BY the same token shall one man
restrict another in regard 10 the use
OF alcoholic liquors. which are also
harmfulr
| Is dry" town a 'dead" town?
Are more men driven 10 drink by
poverty than are driven TO poverty by
drink?
Hasn't the state gone into the
church business? Thos. Jefferson de-
clared that the church had usurped
the power VI the state and the nation
legislated this evil down. Are Prohi-
bition states now usurping the func-
ton OF the church?
Here are some OF the questions that
have stirred this city of more than 3o.'
600 people during the past month.
Muncie went into the saloon question
on broad lines While IS of the 80
ing for prohibition. Delaware, in which
Muncie is located. held back until both
sides mad been heard. Then. the other
day, by a substantial majority. the
people voted that the 80 saloons must
go. As the question OF personal lib
erty" had been considered from all
sides. as fanatieal prejudice was not
the spirit OF the dry campaigners and
as the election was, so far as can be
proven. clean of fraud, this local op-
ton fight IS considered conspicuous
feature of the national temperance
movement. Muncie Is one of the few
cities OF more than 10000 people to
vote dry"
The city has two newspapers. One
was wet and the other dry" This
insured a thorough presentation OF the
arguments of each party.
Point to Constitution.
The vets (made up of the drink
ing population. liberals, business men
who fear the effects of prohibition
upon property values. the state brew
ers' association and men otherwise
financially interested) argued that TO
prohibit the sale of intoxicants Is In
violation of the spirit of the constitu
ton. which guarantees personal free
| dom. They did not say that liquor
was not harmful, but they did con
tend that other fads and drinks were
also harmful, and that people had the
right TO indulge their appetites even
IL they did do themselves harm. One
wet leader. in speech before q great
and respectful audience. made up from
both sides. was applauded when he
said that the saloon was the poor
mans club, that the poor man gets 1T
tie enough oat OF life for his hard la
Dor. and that IL he could have any
fun from whisky he ought to be per-
mitted 10 indulge himself" He also
said: Some men drink and do not
bea their wives, and some men beat
their wives and do not drink"
/ The vets argued that IL was just as
reasonable to say that rich drinkers
get rich from drink as II Is to say
that poor drinkers become poor
through drink. Men, they said. be-
come what they will and you cannot
legislate bad out of them or good into
them.
The wet campaign was carried on
by distribution Of literature and pub
lie meetings.
Women Active in Fight.
Women were the active leaders In
the dry campaign. In automobiles.
buggies and on foot they canvassed
the county. They campaigned on the
farms and In the big manufacturing
plants They got up a parade three
miles long. Thousands OF Sunday
school children were In line. The ba-
bies of half dozen prominent women
were swung In their cribs on floats
drawns by fiower-decked horses. Plac-
ards on these wagons read: Vote
against the saloon in the interest OF
future generations"
One well-known young woman pos
ed in a cartoon on cart She wore
a ragged skirt, her sleeves were up
rolled and she bent over wash tub
and rubbed clothes. A big sign on the
side OF this cart read: IF the hus-
band gives his pay to the saloonist
the wife must win bread for the fam
lily
A party of young men drove a water
cart in the parade and bore a banner
inscribed Get aboard
This was the spectacular side OF the
campaign. But the dry leaders claim
ment of the broad issues.
They denied that prohibition was In
violation of constitutional rights. A
man is promised life. liberty and pur-
suit of happiness. Whisky. they said.
made for death, bondage and the pur-
suit of happiness. Whiskey. they said.
made for death. bondage and the pur-
suit of unhappiness The state con-
trolls the sale OF other poisons. why not
alcoholic? IL is the proper function OF
the state to legislate for the moral as
well as the physical betterment OF the
people Majority rule is the keystone
Of the republic, and the question was
to besdecided by the majority.
The drys charged that IL of every
IA crimes for which arrests had been
made i'm the county in 10 years were
traceable TO saloon influences.
In regard TO the question of state
usurpation OF church rights. the Pro-
testant clergy answered by giving
their influence In personal endeavor to
the dry campaign.
AT the election 1852 votes were
cast. of which 1882 were dry. The
temperance leaders say that this is a
high record I'm the national movement.
and is extremely important because OF
the broad issues upon which the cam
paign was waged.
DR.. ]. n. FREEMAN DIES.