The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-04-06
Or. D|CK|E HANDS
OUT STRAIGHT TALK
Tells Legislators Reduction of Local
Option Voting Unit Would Be
Cowardly Action.
CFrom a stan Corre.pondentJ

LANSING, Mich, April 6.-SeVeral
hundred "wets." 'drys' and leglsla'
tors listened to a discussion OF the
Fitzgibbon township and village op-
tion unit bill in the. house chamber
last night.
L. c. Stewart of Battle Creek. who
opened the discussion for the oppon-
ents of the small unit bill, produced
figures from experience In Calhoun
county to show that there were less
than one-half the number or occu-
pants OF the county jail in Calnoun
county under 20 months OF dry regime
than under the preceding 20 months
of wet, and that the number had been
reduced 220 In Battle Creek alone
These figures he applied To the fact
that the farmers. where the majority
was dry, pay 10 per cent OF the taxes
and that they would suffer their
share OF the burden IL Battle Creek
city went wet He said that 75 per
cent OF the contagious diseases in his
county were in the city.
He said that the anti-saloon people
would be glad to leave the question
OF opposition to the taxpayers and
gave the names OF several prominent
manufacturers In Battle Creek, who
had been converted to dry sentiment
by experience OF 20 months.
Mr.. Stewart said that fraud was
used to defeat statewide Prohibition
in 1889, that the saloon people had
asked for county instead OF state
wide prohibition, and were now try
ing to get away from 1t.
II. r. Pattengill, Of Lansing, dis
| cussed liquor selling as an evil at
large.
Former Senator j. II. Kinnane, of
Dowagiac, said that local option was
not onld enough to establish reliaDle
statistics, but that according TO Uni
ted States statistics the percapita
consumption of liquor had increased
since the era of local option.
He defended the township unit on
the ground that each locality should
have the power to work out its own
salvation. In his own county. he said
| 200 factory men in his township
! buy 1900 tickets to wet localities a
month, and that the county was kept
| dry by voters living near the out-of.
! the-county localities which were bene-
fitted. He said he was not willing 10
carried counties wet.
| He said that changing the unit
would put the decision where 1t would
remain fixed for longer time.
Dr. Emil Rosinger, OF Detroit, rep
resenting the Stadt-Verband OF De-
troit questioned the statement that
conditions were better in dry coun-
| ties, because, he said, no county ever
really was dry. He said that the Ger
mans were tired of the constant
wrangle over liquor matters in the
legislature and wanted TO have IL
settled by home rule. He intimated
that IL would be better To have no re-
strictlons on liquor selling holding
up the example of Germany, where
he said the people were temperate
although there was no prohibition.
j. Earl Brown, OF St Johns, said
that county option wrought Injustice
to townships and cities where ma
jority of the sentiment was wet.
Louis C.. Cramton, of Lapeer, one
OF the farmers of the Warner-Cram-
| ton law, took up an argument of u
previous speaker that cities ought TO
| have power 10 settle the liquor ques.
| tion as they do matters of sewage and
| lighting. He pointed out that cities
could not dispose of sewage In a way
to endanger other neighborhoods. and
| left the analogy to the audience. Dr
| Dickie, president OF Albion college,
Mayor Ellis. of Grand Rapids. and
James Lynch, city attorney OF Pom.
| tiac. also spoke.
! DR.. Dickie told the legislators that
II they wanted TO do the most coward.
! ly thing ever enacted in this capitol
| let them pass this bill.
| You are told with bludgeon held
over your head, | am speaking in a
political sense, TO pass this bill Who
Is asking for the passage OF this bi.
Is II the churches, or the educators,
or the homes? No, the demand for It
comes from the liquor interests
alone SANFORD