The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-02-19
BIG REDUCTION IN
SALOONS AIMED At
Old Committee of Hundred Seeks
Courts Aid in Strict Enforcement
of Warner Cramton Law.

A sweeping reduction IN the NUM-
Der OF saloons in Wayne county Is
aimed AT in proceedings brought be
fore the supreme court In Lansing 10
compel oy mandamus. Attorney-Gen-
eial Bird 10 attach his name as relatoS
10 a suit against the common council,
OF the city OF Detroit The petitioners
are the prominent members of the
old Committee OF One Hundred. and
are represented by Attorney Jaspet
c. Gates. J. l.. Hudson. John Is. How.
arth, A. H. Finn Robert NJ. Zug ana
others are interested
II is expected through this suit 10
bring the provisions OF the Warner.
Cramton law before the supreme
court. AMI get ruling ON each dis
puted phase The court may decide
the case, however. ON only one issue.
that being the formal one as to the
necessity for the Do ginning OF SUIT
against the Detroit council BY the
encouragement In the Wayne county
circuit
In case the Interpretation given the
Warner-Cramton law by the Commit
tee OF one Hund-ed and Attorney
Gates is upheld. from one-half To one
third OF Detroit's saloons would oe
wiped out after Apr.i 80 next.
II the supreme court issue the man
damus without deciding the constitu
tionality or giving Interpretation OF
the licensing provisions or the bill
the decision OF those points would 10
left To the Wayne circuit court.
II is charged In the information
filed by Attorney Gates that the De
troit common council has evaded the
provisions OF the Warner-Cramton
law II Is further alleged that the
council plans To issue more licenses
next April than il has the legal righ'
To do.
AS a reason for refusing his sigma
ture. Acknowledgement Bird has state
that. IL any saloonheeper runs placS
III violation OF the law. he can be pun
ished by criminal action. Gates
doubts this, holding that the payment
for a license, even II that were no.
+ legally granted. would protect The
liquor dealer from punishment.
Bird also denied that il has beer
shown that the common council lis
+ tends 10 violate the law.
+ Gates holds, as DO most who have
studied the question. that all the sd
looms which have been purchased 10y
their present owners since Sept.
last are actually run without license
the transfer OF a former owners Al
cense by the council being Invalid
He would have al. such cases rule
as license surrenders. and the tota
number OF saloons allowable d.
creased by that number
But he goes much farther liz
holds that wherever saloon wa
owned by woman an alien or cor
poration Nav ! last the sale 10 All
other person has invalidated the II
lcense and that nc license can b.
issued in place of srch licenses ISSUES
last year.
Where saloonists have moved fron
street to street or ward TO ward
Gates believes that the surrender o
the former bond ana license and tax
ing ont " another has constituted
surrender and decreased the lega
number of saloons.
There We're also more than 90
cases OF discrepancies between tn
l'quor bond fled with the common
council and the tax certificate issue
by the county treasurer. as, for ~
stance. John Schmidt may have f!e'
the bond and August Schmidt paid tn
tax. These are debatable cases.
There were also 242 saloonkeeper
who failed TO pay their tax last April
Gates believes that the fact OF non
payment OF tax Tor period ate
May last constituted a valid sur
render OF the right to continue Al
the business.
There are now more than 1000 So
looms in Detroit, while there wcr
sos ia April last Jear. this being tn
maximum limit possible for the cour
ell TO license this gear II there ha
been no surrenders. According y
law. the number OF saloon license
NAV be decreased for various cause
until they reach one to every 800 pei
sons. or about SIS to 925 for the Gig
taking the present estimates OF popr
lation. Gates takes the figures OF tE'
last United State census, howeve:
which would reduce the minimum
number of saloons TO 57l.