The Detroit times., 1912-12-12
BARNETT FAVORS
TAKING SALOON
OUT OF POLITICS
Warmly IndOrses Marks Plan
for Excise Commission to
Control Liquor Business
WOULD RESULT IN
LAW BEING OBEYED
Fear of Losing License Would
Hold SalOonkeepers in
Check, It's Argued

lone OF the best suggestions that
has come from Mayor-elect Marx 10
date is for the creation of an excise
commission to have control OF the
saloons in Detroit" said Edward Bar
nett. alderman-elect Of the Third
ward, and a saloonkeeper himself. Il
will do whatever | can while in the
council to further this plan, because
i believe 1t Is a good thing for both
the saloonkeepers and the city at
large. When John b. Whelan was
commissioner OF police and advocated
an excise commission, favored il,
and | am convinced more than ever
that II IL necessary.
Il am a saloonkeeper and l am in
favor OF taking the saloon question
entirely out OF politics. The saloon
should have no place in politics. Such
an arrangement Is bad for the saloon
and bad for politics. The saloon
problem will always be kept alive and
in an unsettled condition. and there
Will be a bad state OF affairs until 4
non-partisan exciDe commission Is &C.
tablished for this city.
Il can't conceive OF a reason why
saloonkeeper who means 10 be fair
and honest and keep within the law
should oppose Marks excise commits.
sion Itan. First, such o commission
would take from the council the pow
err 10 grant liquor licenses. So long
as 1t is up to the aldermen to give or
refuse liquor licenses the aldermen
will be subject to the influence of
saloonkeepers. The people place the
l. IL
complain when they see some ev:-
dence OF saloonkeeper gaining the
favor of the aldermen. The people
should take this temptation away
from the aldermen-ln other words,
keep the saloon out OF politics. have
heard many aldermen say they would
be thankful to be relieved of this re-
sponsibility, because they are always
in hot water with their friends when
the granting of licenses comes up
every year
The members Of the commission
should be men not tied up in any way
with the liquor interests. They
ought to be men whose honesty, in
tegrity and moral fibre are above re-
proach. They should be strict in the
enforcement OF the law.
Now, II such q commission were
exercising supreme authority over the
saloons OF the city. what would be the
result? Every saloonkeeper would
realize once and for all that he would
have TO obey the law. Ii would &C
more toward making the
law-abiding than all the
other laws put together. Some saloon
keepers may think they can evade
the law with impunity and if they get
caught the most that is given them Is
a fine or reprimand. II they knew
that the slightest infraction OF the
law meant their retirement from the
business, believe me, they would obey
the law.
The excise commission plan would
improve the saloon business in al.
other respect. II saloonkeeper
realized that his license was good as
long as he obeyed the law. that Il
could not be taken from him at the
whim or impulse OF some politician,
his license would Immediately assume
a money value greater than II Is at
present. Why, where they have ex-
else commissions the saloon license
is worth many times more than ii Is
here"
Barnett also Endorsed the plan to
put city employees on civil service
basis and Marks plan TO establish
city hospital. He called attention 10
the fact that as estimator he fought
to have the board appropriate more
money for the contagious disease hos
pital
Il don't believe In this scheme to
abolish the board of estimates, how
ever" he said. The board of esti
mates should meet once a month IT,
stead Of once year, and II should
keep rnore in touch with the needs
of the city. The board is an invalu.
able check on extravaganza and can
go into the needs Of the various
propositions more thoroughly than
could the mayor on whom 1t is pro-
posed to confer the veto power.
Barnett has a resolution already
drafted TO introduce In the council
when 1t reorganizes to force the pave.
ment OF ST. Antoinest., from Farms
worth-st., north, nine blocks. This
will be done TO improve conditions
in front OF the Children's Free hos.
pital on st. Antoine-st., where the
mud roadway Is now almost impass-