Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-01-21
The SUPERVISORS
SUBMITTED IT
LOCAL OPTION TO BE VOTED
ON AT SPRING
ELECTION
500 NAMES REMOVED FROM
PETITIONS YET ENOUGH
REMAINED TO COMPLY
WITH THE LAW
Opposition Fought Hard Not to Have
II go to The People. Side
Had Attorneys

The local option question which was
the bone of contention for several days
i'm the board of supervisors last week
was settled Saturday night just before
adjournment, when the proposition
was submitted To the people for their
ratification or rejection ut the spring
election. The committee TO whom the
matter was referred went carefully over
the petitions after they had listened TO
the arguments of George Nichols for
the opposition and r.. A. Hawley
for the temperance people, and after
throwing out the 800 names which had
been secured from many asking TO he
stricken from the petitions, they still
found ii sufficient number of signatures
to comply with the law and the super
yisors voted unanimously To submit il
and ordered an election to take place i'm
April
Mr.. Nichols made n very plausible
opening, declaring that the petitioner
asked for no special favor, but only that
ihe law should be strictly followed and
1hat the decision should be impartial
and just, according To the legal merits.
1t had been reported that the decision
was foregone conclusion, on account
of the bias of the board, but he could
not believe this-he trusted i'm the honor
and sense of justice of the members, in
whose hands rested the final question.
He was not here to argue the moral
aspects of the question--as To whether
prohibition was desirable or not, or the
best way TO reach evils complained of,
ar not-he was present only TO see that
what is done should be done according
TO law, and the petitioner whom he
represented had right to this. The
petitioner stood To lose the savings of "A
life time if the question prevailed.
There is no question of the right of the
voters To inflict this loss if they see fit,
and he was not there TO object to exer-
else of this right; but he was there to
ask that il only be exercised according
To the strict requirements of the law;
and in this he felt fully justified.
The figures on names he asked TO
have stricken from petitions were about
as follows: $50 not registered, 600 regis
tered only with initials, 25O with no
residence given, and $50 who ask TO
have their names stricken of. This
makes 2265 names and would leave
nearly 1000 less than the number re-
quired, without counting the petitions
objected To rs a whole on account of
informalities.
Mr.. Hawley followed, opening with
an earnest plea for the cause Of temper
ance. He said that he did not represent
one petitioner, but 1900 petitioners,
besides numberless women and children
deeply interested, but who could not be
legal petitioners. A temperance wave
is rolling over the world and Ionia
county cannot afford to lag another
year behind on account Of such techni-
cal objections as had been urged.
The public benefit not infrequently
requires not only loss of property, but
in time of war, life itself. He then took
up the objections and replied to each.
The matter of irregularity i'm ailidavits
and posting were treated at length and
declared To be of no account whatever
He instanced supreme court to sustain
him and declared the courts do not
overthrow the will of the people for
such tritles. He took up the Campbell
petitions and found very few names
illegible and acknowledged that such
names rs were entirely illegible should
not be counted. The Lyons petitions
are all right. The objection that certi-
fled copies of poll lists do not accom-
pany petitions amounts TO nothing
They are absolutely unnecessary; the
aflidayits cover all necessary require
ments.
lie then dwelt on the withdrawal
cards. Where is there any statutory
provision for withdrawal cards? And
he claimed there was no legal or just
right of withdrawal after petitions had
been filed. lie also intimated that the
cards had been obtained by discreditable
means. So far as the attorney-general's
opinion is concerned, il is no better than
that Of any other good lawyer, and of
no binding force whatever. And the
Encouragement dodges.
Who are "qualifed" electors? The