Grand Forks daily herald., 1915-11-26
MICHIGAN TO Be
DRY STATE soon

Escanaba, Mich. Nov. 26. Michi-
gan dry in 1918" will be the battle cry
Of every saloon opponent in this state
from now until the polls close on the
| evening of Nov. 6, 1916, said f. L.
Baldwin. a leader of the dry forces
here today. On that day the voters
will render Judgment upon the pro-
posed amendment to the state consti-
! tuition prohibiting the manufacture
and sale of liquors after May I, 1918.
On November 2. at Lansing and
November 4 at Escanaba dry conven-
tions were held at which Representa-
tive Hobson of Alabama. Representa-
| tive lands Of Indiana and DIR. T. A.
Cairns of New Jersey were the prin-
| cipal speakers. At these conventions
committees were appointed and plans
made for an aggressive fight.
Prohibition has been an active is
sure in Michigan for nearly three
quarters of a century. Statewide pro-
hibition was in effect from early in
the sos until 1877, when the sale OF
liquor was again legalized. Immedi-
ately opponents Of the saloon began q.
crusade for restoration of constitu-
tional prohibition. Strict laws were
passed by the legislature to regutaIe
the traffic, principally in the sees s
Of 1895, when the temperance II 9
member from Montcalm county, and
one Of the most aggressive "drys"
Michigan ever had. It was under his
leadership that the dry forces forced a
vote in 1855 on statewide prohibition.
The amendment carried by substan-
tial majority in the lower peninsula
Of the state. The returns from the
upper peninsula counties were held UP
for several days, and when they final
ly were received the figures showed
that the prohibition amendment was
defeated by about five thousand. It
was charged by the temperance rorces
that the returns from two or three
upper peninsula counties, which gave
almost solid vote against prohibit
ton, showed that nearly as many
votes were polled as there were men,
women and children residing in the
counties.
In 1890 local option law was pass
ed, and the same year Van Buren
county adopted local option by a large
majority and it has remained dry ever
since, although the wet brought the
issue to vote five times.
Van Buren was the only county to
adopt local option for several years.
In 1894 two other counties voted dry.
but returned to the wet column two
years later. In 1895 the State Anti
Saloon league was organized, and at
that time VanBuren was the only dry
county. Between that time and 1907 a
number of the counties see-sawed
hack and forth on the local option is
sure, some voting dry but returning to
the wet column. SO that in 19O7-only
eight years ago-VanBuren was still
the only dry county in the state. To-
day 43 Of the SO counties in the state
are dry. Alger county voted last
spring but after counting it dry the
board of supervisors reversed itself
and counted it wet. The drys appeal
ed to the supreme court, and fa-
vorable decision is expected by them
any day. &
T In the Upper Peninsula the dry
forces succeeded in forcing local ops
ton elections in Alger, Chippewa,
Dickinson, Gogebie. Luce, Machinac,
Marquette and Schoolcraft counties III
the spring of 1910. The vets won Id
each of the counties, but by small MAJ
critics The drys brousht on local
option elections again last spring ii
/ Alger and Chippewa counties and also
in Iron county. Iron county was
found to have gone dry by majority
of $50. Alger county, which gave 3
wet majority Of ITS in 1910, went dry
by disputed majority Of and Chips
pewa county, which went wet, by 635
majority in 1910, reduced this majori-
ty to AZ. n
The dry leaders in several of the
upper peninsula counties will not wait
until 1918 to have the saloons abolish
ed, If their plans do not miscarry. In
Delta and Scheolcraft counties local
option elections have been ordered for
next April. In Menominee, Mackinac
Luce and Baraga counties, the county
boards Of supervisors turned down the
local option petitions but the drys
have asked the supreme court to iss
sue writs OF mandamus compelling tho
several boards to order the elections
The fight in Delta county is expects
ed to be especially aggressive.