Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1911-03-23
'AGIN THE SALOON
Will Shipman Tells Why He VIII
Vote Against The Saloon

Editor Bedding Banner
DeaI Sir: am strong believer In
local option or any law to do away with
the saloon. l am asked by many peo-
pie what makes me feel that way.
Through the medium OF your paper
would like to tell the public what
makes me take this stand. 1t is to
save the children and mothers OF this
country having TO go through what my
mother and brothers and sisters went
through, including myself. We had
as kind father as any mother or chill
dren need to ask for when he had no
liquor. He ran an engine on the New
York Central railroad for IL years be-
fore he came to Michigan and he said
they never made trip without jug
Of whisky hanging in the water tank.
After working for II years on good
paying railroad he came TO Michigan
and bought 40 acres of land for $3.50
and had not dollar to pay down and
so gave his sister q mortgage for the
full amount. After having worked for
II years at good wages, who had the
money? The whisky element, the shop
keeper, or in more polite words the So
loon keeper.
He came to Michigan in 1864 and
was killed in 1889 by his team running
away, being 30 drunk that he had no
control of them at all, and pounding
them with his whip, the wagon wheel
struck stone and threw him out, the
wagon wheels passing over him killing
him instantly. He had worked for %
years and when he was killed he left q
mortgage of $500 on the farm that he
bought for $3.50. can tell you how
that was. / have known him to go to
Lansing, eight miles from the farm,
with $500 in cash in his pocket and
stay three days, then came home SO
drunk that my two brothers and / had
to carry him from the wagon to the
house and his wife and children had
TO take care of the person that the sa-
loon keeper had robbed. have gone
to Grand Ledge when I was IL years
old bare footed and stood behind my
father when he was so drunk that he
hardly knew his own son, and took
his pocketbook out Of his pocket and
took it home to mother with only 1912
in ii, that being all there was left of
the $3.50, but it did no good. In a few
days he got the money of mother and
lost it all. He never spent it. They
robbed him when drunk.
Think it strange, dear reader, that
hate the saloon business? am like Mr..
Washburn. No one has got string
on INC that he can pull at all. have
trod the streets of Bedding for q years
and have, as yet, the first white shirt
to buy for saloonkeeper. could tell
of several cases like this but am afraid
you would not have space for so long
an article. Shame on the man that
will uphold such an element as the sa-
loon. He is not fit subject to be plac-
ed in positions of public trust, either
state, county, municipal or school dis
trict officer. My vote will help to down
him every time. am not like the sa-
loonkeeper, have lot of stuff print
ed 10 pawn off on an unsuspecting
public that they don't dare to sign
their names to, but keep hid in the
dark.
l will give any saloonkeeper in Ionia
county $50 il he can prove that he sells
stuff; over his bar that people can not
get along without. There is no other
enterprise in Ionia county that 1 dare
challenge in that way. The best saloon
keeper Belding ever had says the high
est priced whisky that saloonkeepers
sell is I water so it won't burn their
Threats and the price is 10 to Is cents
a drink for water. But Uncle Sam
don't put any revenue on water. Better
pump it out Of your well and give your
wife the money to buy things for her
self and children and you as well, il
Iyou don't know enough to do so your
self.
| Written by q man that knows the
whisky business from the ground up
and don't need a sharp lawyer to stand
to his back and tell him what to say
and can get right out on the platform
and say it himself and is not ashamed
to sign his full name to it either.
What is the matter with you "wet,
fellows that you don't charter an auto
and get out on the corner and tell the
people what good you are to tho COM
munity and IL they will only let you
|open up again how kind you will be to
relieve the fathers OF the inconvenience
of taking care Of his money and send
him home drunk for the mother and
children to contend with. Are you not
ashamed OF such low, degrading