The Detroit times., 1910-02-19
BIC REDUCTION IN ;.
SALOONS AIMED At.
Old Committee of Hundred Seeks
Courts Aid in Strict Enforcement
of Warner Cramton Law.

\ sweeping reduction IN the num-
Der OF saloons IN Wayne county IL
aimed al in proceedings brought be.
fore the supreme court IN Lansing 10
compel. ny mandaplus, Attorney-Gen,
eial Bird 10 attach his name as relatoS
10 suit against the common council.
OF the city or Detroit The petitioners
are the prominent members OF the
old Committee of one Hundred. and
{. Gates. j. l.. HUDSON John Is. How
arth. A. II. Finn. Robert NJ. Tug aud
others are interested.
II is expected through this suit To
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 10 the
necessity for the beginning OF a suit
against the Detroit council by the
attorney general in the Wayne county
circuit.
In case the Interpretation given the
Warner Cramton law by the Commit
tee pf One Humid red and ATTORNEY
Gates il Ipheld. from one-half 10 one
third OF Detroits saloons would De
wiped out after Apr. 80 next
II The supreme court Issue the man
dalnus without c:ding the constitu-
tionaiity or giving Interpretation or
The licensing provisions OF the bill.
the decision OF those points would tie
left 10 the Wayne circuit court
IL is charged in the information
fled 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 right
10 do
As a reason for refusing his sigma
ture. Attorney-General Bird has stated
that. If any saloonke eper runs place
IN violation OF the law. be 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 ii has been
shown that the common council in
tends TO violate the law.
Gates holds. as do most who have
studied the question, that all the sd
looms which have been purchased By
their present owners since Sept.
last are actually run without license,
the transfer OF a former owners IL
cense by the council being invalid
He would have ali such cases rulet
as license surrenders, and the total
number OF saloons allowable de-
cIeased by that number.
But he goes much farther. He
holds that wherever saloon was
owned by a woman an alien or cor
poration May / last. the sale To an
other person has iavalidated the II
cense and that ne license can be
issued in place OF such licenses issued
last year.
/ Where saloonists have moved from
street TO street or ward to ward.
Gates believes that the surrender OF
the former bond and license and tax
ing out II another has constituted a
surrender and decreased the legal
number OF saloons
There were also more than 800
cases OF discrepancies between the
liquor bond fled with the common
council and the tax certificate issued
by the county treasurer. as. for m
stance, John Schmidt may have filed
the bond and August Schmidt paid the
tax. These are debatable cases.
There were also 242 saloonReep@s
who failed TO pay their tax last April.
Gates believes that the fact OF non
payment OF tax for period after
MAY ] last constituted valid sur
render OF the right TO continue IN
the business.
There are now more than 1000 sa-
Icons in Detroit, while there were
1865 In April last year. this being the
maximum limit possible for the coun-
ell 10 license this year II there han
been no surrendeTs. ACCORDING 10
law the number OF saloon licenses
NAV be decreased for various causes
until they reach one to every 800 per
sons. or about SIS to 925 for the city
taking the present estimates OF popu-
lation Iates takes the figures OF tia
last United StateE census, however,
which would reduce the minimum
number OF saloons TO 81.