The Yale expositor., 1913-05-22

lney are apt 10 IOllOW the mdJOTltys
The governor says ne incerely hopes
that the tariff bill which passed the
house of representatives, will go
through the United States senate with
out amendment. The farmers of
Michigan will find out that 1t will not
effect the price of sugar beets and
the people in general will learn that
a scientific tariff revision is not a
project to be approached with fear
and trembling" said the governor.
Michigan brewers are fortifying
themselves for a fight against state
wide prohibition, which they believe Is
immient and may come within the
next two years The first steps to
throw out a strong line OF defense
were taken at an executive session of
the Country Brewers association held
at the Hotel Downey.
An attempt was made to preserve
the utmost secrecy regarding the
Lansing meeting. The representatives
from Grand Rapids Jackson, Saginaw,
Bay City, Kalamazoo and several other
quietly and were closeted for several
hours in the Hotel Downey, and it is
said that plans for a defensive cam
paign were discussed al considerable
length.
None of the Detroit breweries were
represented as 1t is claimed that there
is a bitter fued existing between the
beer manufacturers of the metropolis
and those who supply the "suds" in
the smaller cities Of the state. Never
the less, il is claimed that the Wayne
county brewers and the Country Brew
ers' association will work together for
a common good when the time comes
for the big fight.
1t is not believed by the brewers
that it will be possible for the temper
ance advocates TO secure a two-thirds
vote of both the house and senate,
which is necessary to submit any
constitutional amendment TO the vote
of the people, but they realize that
the last legislature placed in the
hands OF the people the initiative and
referendum and from their standpoint
they fully appreciate the gravity of
this situation.
When the initiative and referendum
were under discussion during the last
session of the legislature, IL was
claimed that state wide prohibition
would be the first proposition to be
fought out under the new section to
the constitution, and the brewers be-
lieve the fight is coming much sooner
than they anticipated. They believe
that it will be an easy proposition for
the "drys" to secure enough signers
to their petitions to have a state wide
prohibition amendment submitted TO
the people and they are preparing TO
meet the issue.
However, il is limited that the brew
ers are preparing TO utilize the initia-
tive and referendum to their own ad-
vantage. Although they appreciate the
fact that the prohibitionists would give
them hard battle, they are appar-
emily confident that the vote in the
various cities and the foreign element
in the upper peninsula is sufficiently
large to prevent the dry advocates
from putting the salons and breweries
out of business. Therefore if state
wide prohibition is attempted, it is
said that the liquor men will endeav-
or to use the initiative and referen-
DUN to repeal the local option law
and wipe out every inch of dry terri
tory in the state.
1t was pointed out at the beginning
of the last session of the legislature
that this might be attempted in case
the lawmakers submitted the initiat-
i've and referendum and they were
approved by the people. Although the
brewers are making no open threats
that this will be attempted, it is I'M
derstood that the subject has been
discussed. During the session one
member stated that the large wet"
vote in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ssgi-
nav, Bay City, Lansing and other
principal cities OF the state, would be
sufficient to accomplish this result IL
the liquor men started about it in
systematic campaign.
Rep. Weidenfeller, OF Van Buren,
county, who was in Lansing for the
final adjournment of the legislature,
has evolved a scheme that will ena.
BILE the state TO pay the expenses OF
the Michigan veterans who attend the