Charlevoix county herald., 1913-11-22
THE MICHIGAN
ANT-SALOON LEAGUE

The Otsego County Advance-one o.
the staunchest anti-saloon papers il
the state--in its last issue has the
following comments to make on the
Michigan Anti-Saloon League
The Advance has always foolishly
supposed that the Michigan Anti-Saloon
League was organized for the express
purpose of putting the saloon out Of
business and furthering the cause OF
temperance. To that end, we have
given the League our support, editor
tally and financially, ever since this
publication was founded. But we now
learn that we have been laboring under
ludicrous misapprehension. Our
faith has been knocked into a cooked
hat, so to speak, and the editor is now
racking his brains to solve the conun-
drum. "Why the Michigan Anti-Saloon
Lacquer"
The most successful plan that has
ever been put forth to arouse public
sentiment and action against the saloon
has been county option. The practical
man must see that in order to combat
any great evil or foe, the units of
strength composing such must be in
dividually conquered. No nation ever
planned the destruction of another of
equal strength at one full swoop, but
instead made inroads upon the outlying
forces of the enemy, conquering the
units of power and thereby weakening
the whole. Local option has not been
a failure, but on the contrary is has de-
monstrated that there are millions of
people who hate the saloon and would
exterminate it. In this manner a wide
spread sentiment has been aroused i'm
pelling our legislators to the acceptance
of the fact that their constituents
desire prohibition and that ultimately
that they must make this condition pos
Sible.
But local option has never been more
than a means to an end. 1t could not
be more, for its defects are too flag
rant and serious to warrant its perpet-
uation in respective counties. 1t has
been with this understanding that so
many thousands of people have voted
for local option in Michigan counties,
hoping that by their act they might
hasten statewide prohibition which is
a long step toward national prohibition
and temperance.
The Anti-Saloon League has been
the friend of local option, and has no
doubt been largely responsible for put
ting so many counties in the dry column
Ostensibly the Anti-Saloon League has
been the exponent of state wide prohi-
bition, but successive acts on the part
of that organization for the past two
years seem to point to the contrary,
and the average temperance man can
not but feel that the League is playing
a game of hide and seek, with no def
mite object in view.
Three years ago 1t seemed certain
that the League would make an issue
of state wide prohibition and the
chances seemed favorable for its sue
cess, But at the last minute they
backed down, saying the time was not
then ripe. There was skepticism ex-
pressed by the supporters of the
League as to the wisdom of such
stand, and the League lost friends.
Several months ago plans were made
to bring about the submission OF state
wide prohibition amendment to ref
erendum vote Of the people, and all
temperance people have been conserv-
ing their strength for big scrap next
fall, believing that they would never
have better chance to carry to issue.
But when optimism is highest along
comes National Superintendent Baker,
advising an altogether different course
of action, and like lambs in the fold the
Michigan League bleats acquiesence.
The state wide prohibition issue has
been laid on the shelf out of harms
way and the League has announced its
intention to enter politics with ven.
geance and elect dry legislature that
will ratify Congressman Richmond P.
Hobsons prohition amendment to the
United States constitution.
There is not one chance out OF
hundred that the Anti-Saloon League
can elect a dry legislature in 1914.
There are dozens Of representatives
who would vote to submit 10 the people
an amendment to the state constitution
and yet il they themselves were to cast
decisive vote upon the same measure
they would vote adversely.
There Is not one chance out Of
hundred that two.thirds Of the states
will ratify Hobson's prohibition amend
ment That time is not yet ripe. The
snt-saoon forces are powerful, but as
yet their strength is puny compared
with that of the liquor forces, and it
will nc O lonu tirne vef before the ra.