Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1911-03-30

cits recently printed on Wndt retuth
to License Means in Dry Counties" the
purpose and fallacy of the writing is so
evident that il would seem not TO re-
quire answering, and yet however I'M
sound An argument may be on its face.
there are always some who are misled
by it.
The article says There have been so
many saloons heretofore in many places
that there has been such fierce COM
petition between license holders, and
such a struggle to make expenses and
live that many saloonkeepers have been
forced to quit the business and lose
their investments, but there will be no
such conditions in the dry counties
that return to the license system; for
there can be but one saloon for each
500 of population. and this will enable
the saloonkeeper to do legitimate busi-
ness and strictly obey the law"
That statement looks almost ludi-
crous on the face of it to citizen of
Belding. Think of it. We had only
four saloons before the county went dry
and those four claimed to be making
only a good living. Now, under the
Warner Champion law, to which the
writing refers, the city could have eight
and perhaps nine saloons according to
the recent census. and yet they say the
competition would not be so great but
that they all could make living and
strictly obey the law. If that number
Of saloons in Bedding could make liv-
ing and their expenses without strug-
Cling for it then they are making an
immense amount of money off some
poor men who can't afford it. Think
of it. One saloon for 500 population.
That means for 500 men, women and
children there could be one saloon in
Bedding and in every township and city
IN Michigan. The average number of
men in 500 of population would not ex-
coed l25, and that is placing the num-
Der high. The number of men among
that 125 who would patronize the sa-
loon would not exceed rs, the average,
and yes they say one saloonkeeper can
make living on every rs men without
struggling for business. If those are
facts it is high time every decent man
arose to put an end to the traffic for it
is taking that much money away from
men who can not afford it and out Of
the legitimate lines of trade.
The article says further, license can
only be issued hereafter to citizens of
the United States and of the state of
Michigan and can not be issued to any
one who has ever served time in any
state prison or penitentiary in this state
or any state" There again is their ar
gument unsound. 1t isn't the saloon
men the dry" forces are after. 1t is
their traffic. IL is quite probable that
liquor does man just as much harm if
sold by citizen of the United States
or the state of Michigan as it would if
sold by foreigner or criminal. We
have good lot of citizens here in Mich
igan, but we don't suppose they can
take away the bad effects of liquor by
selling it any more than foreigner can,
and it is just as harmful if one man
sells it as another. 1t isn't the man
but the trade we are after.
Neither would the danger of losing
his license keep the saloonkeeper within
the law. We have stringent laws in
in the past; laws which forbade them
sellidg to minors or intoxicated persons,
or to any person to whom they had been
forbidden to sell, and yet they have
violated those laws without the fear of
punishment, and what reason is there
to believe this law will have any differ
ent effect?
They say even boys can get whiskey
from the mail order houses. They can,
and perhaps some of them do, but you
will be obliged to show US few. Even
if they do, how would the return to the
license system change that condition?
They could get it from the mail order
houses then as they do now, could they
not? The only benefit from your argu-
ment, then, that boys could have from
the return to license would be to get
liquor at home instead of sending out
of the state for it, and save the trans.
portation charges. That is undoubtedly
your insinuation and you are contem-
plating a breach of the law in advance.
However, here is the great good that is
being done for the boys. If it should
be true that now and then boy sends
out of the state for liquor, there are
hundreds of others who do not have the
temptation thrown in their way. 1t
can't be kept from everybody any more
than smallpox, but, like the disease, it
can be confined. A return to license
nov is just as dangerous as under the
cd system. Adv.
COUTn CrEOAHACuI