The Detroit times., 1915-02-08
SEES MICHIGAN
in DEATH GRIP
WITH RUM SOON
State Wide Prohibition Fight To
Start Within Year, w. b.
Wheeler Predicts
OHIO ANTI-SALOON MAN
TALKS TO PASTORS UNION
Committee Will Discuss Pro-
posal to Again Observe Go-To-
Church Sunday

That another year win see Niehi-
gan engaged In q campaign for stats
wide prohibition. was The prsdiction
made by Wayne b. whssass. stats -
perintsndent Of the Ohio Antt6aloon
league, In an inApiring talk On -Tne
strategy Of the night against ths liquor
trafiic." before the Pastors union. In
Its regular monthly meeting Monday
morning.
and many Of you gentlemen he
added. win i've 70 see the day when
you can trevsl from New York to Gan
Francisco. through busy oitiss and
prosperous countrysides. without see.
Ing q single saloon, Or brewery, or
distillery. Already the big distillers
are beginning to sec the day Of the
final overthrow OF the liquor trafic
and are making overturss to their OBJ
ponents for a time limit and . plan
that win reimburse them for their
property.
even the enemy's friends are de-
sorting It. Only little while ago
Dan Morgan Smith, who had been
chief counsel for the Model license
league for number Of yeafs, resign
ed his position and 70 now fighting
for prohibition. He declares that the
license league, whose motto was Reg
ulation that regulates. never intended
to regulate the trafnc ut all. He
found that those In the league who
were In favor Of strict regulation
were In q hopeless minority.
"One Of the arguments used against
US 10 that prohibition does mt pro
hibit. but can cite you an instance
Of big brewery In our own state thst
recently went into the hands OF q re-
ceiver because. according to the
sworn statement Of the president OF
the company. the antiliquor campaign
had injured the business. The Ques-
where prohibition now prevails 10
pretty well solved
"The tight Is going steadily forward.
Sixteen states now have prohibition.
and Idaho will make II, for practi-
cally all her legislators were elected
on a pledge to vote for It. or the
$500 counties In the United States,
1900 OF them are dry. Fffty-fvs per
cent OF the population Of the United
States lives In dry territory. and the
saloons have been driven from 1900
municipalities"
Tw.lve more states are now get
ting ready to enter the light for pro
hibition, and Michigan would ind her.
self In pretty good company when
she joined In the movement, said the
speaker.
Mr.. Wheeler praised the churches
forythe manner In which they are CO
operating in the work Of the league.
and urged the ministers to provide
bulletin boards where posters sup
piled by the league could be publicly
exhibited. This plan has been fol
lowed very effectively In Ohio, he
said. He answered criticisms that
have been made Of the Hobson
amendent. providing for national
prohibition, which failed Of passage
In congress, declaring that the
chances for securing its ultimate
passage were better than II It 7ere
broader In its scope.
The Rev. Edward Simpson, super
intendent of the Detroit district for
the Michigan Anti-Saloon league. In
introducing Mr.. Wheeler, spoke opti-
unsteady Of pending liquor legisla-
ton In the state legislature. Already
the bill to absolutely limit saloons to
one 10 every 500 Of population, which
was indorsed by the PastorS union,
has been introduced In the house by
Rep. Jerome, Of Hillsdale, he said.
Bills have also been prepared giving
electors q voice In the issuing OF
bonds To saloonkeepers, removing
screens from bars, and prohibiting
the sale OF liquor In lumber camps.
Another bill, II passed, will give
women the right to vote In local op-
ton contests. There were prospects,
he said, of the "drys" winning . large
majority of the IL wet counties|
where the liquor question y 10 bel
voted on this spring.
Mr.. Simpson asked the churches to|
observe May and 16 az anti-saloon|
field days In the churches, and open|
their pulpits to speakers from the
ranks of the league. This reQueef|
will be acted upon later.
On motion Of one OF the member,
the union referred the question Of rel
heating go-to-churoh Sunday. this
wear. to the committee on religioua
work with power to formulate . planI
and recommend q date. The ssnu1
ment Of the ministers seemed favorI
able to trying II out again beoaus<
Of the success of the plan last year
The opinion was expressed that 5000
church Sunday should come bscoe9
Easter.