The Detroit times., 1911-02-16

PETOSKEY. Mich, Feb. 16.-That
local option has been a success In
Emmett county. especially In this city,
10 conceded by fair-minded persons In
position 10 Judge. There is no ques-
ton that, from a moral standpoint,
most desirable results have been OBJ
tained.
Emmett county went dry" in the
spring of 1909, so. that local option
has had less than two years trial.
Though liquor has been obtained, II
has not been consumed In such large
quantities as was formerly the case.
and Petoskey has been a cleaner city.
and Emmett a cleaner county. A year
before local option was carried. this
city, which has population border
ing on 5000, employed four night pa
trolmen. Since the law has been In
operation. this number has been re-
duced to one. and his presence is sell
dom required. During December and
January there were no arrests for
county jail and poor house have been
little used for several months.
The foremost merchants of the city.
who have been interviewed. tSye de
clared, with one exception, that bust
ness has been better during the last
two years than before. and that 'ex-
ception" did not make statement.
One grocer told OF Is per cent gain
in trade for six months in a dry
year over the same months in a wet"
year Another gave figures from his
books which showed an increase or
80 per cent in 1910 over 1907. and a
jewelry store enjoyed an increase OF
81 per cent in the same way. Other
reports, equally favorable. were made.
Moreover, bills have been paid. in a
great many instances, more promptly
than has formerly been the case.
Petoskey Is resort town, ana
skeptical persons have feared that
summer business would be ruined by
local option; that tourists would cease
coming to northern Michigan. Some
regular visitors have gone TO other
resorts during the last two years, pos
sibly because they could not get liquor
at Petoskey and suburbs, but their
places have been taken by others who
came here because their children
could not secure It, The last two
years have been as successful resort
seasons as Petoskey and vicinity have
ever enjoyed.
During the last few months, new
laundry has been built In Petoskey,
two other business blocks are in pro-
cess OF construction. and private resi-
t, dences for permanent and summer use
are being erected I'm and near the city.
The paper mill, inactive for several
years, is about to resume operation.
Petoskey's ministers praise local OPP
ton from all standpoints. the most
OF them having studied the effects IN
every way possible.
A sufficient number of signatures
was secured by the VETS to put the
question to vote again next spring.
Among the men who signed the pa
pet are some who formerly expressed
themselves in favor of local option.
hut these declare that they attached
their signatures to the wet" petition
To give the people a chance to decide
again. and that their ideas have not
changed. Other men, formerly wet,
are now dry" and one, who was an
active worker against local option
two years ago, said: 1T Is dry; let II
stay so. There can never be any cx-
cuse for saloons"
ALLEGAN, Mich, Feb. 16.-The To-
cal option question will be submitted
to the voters OF Allegan county, April
a. Nearly two years ago Allegan
county went dry" by over l,lOo ma
jority.
When Ezra Bracket, president OIL
the County Law and Order league
passed among the leading business
men, asking them whether they
a wished the present conditions to con
tinue, fully nine.tenths Of them de-
clared that never had business been
better than since the closing OF the
saloons. They further stated that
bills had been paid more promptly,
people had purchased better grade