The Detroit times., 1915-01-28
Follett Measure Would Cripple
Activities of Michigan Bond
ing and Surety
THREE OTHER ANTI-BOOZE
BILLS PUT FORWARD
Designed To Remove Screens
Prohibit Sale Near Schools
and Curb Traffic
From a star Correspondents.

LANSING, Mich. Jan. 2s.-Four
liquor bills, three originating In the
house and fourth In the senate
were thrown into the legislative hop
per Wednesday afternoon.
Probably the most important Is that
introduced by Rep. Edwin b. Follett,
OF Hale, which. although the point Is
cleverly disguised. would, II passed.
do away with the monopoly now held
by the Michigan Bonding q Surety
company in the issuance OF saloon
license bonds.
The bill. while purporting to be a
measure intended to give townships.
villages or cities authority to reject
any and all liquor bonds and COMPEL
ing the authorities to refuse to accept
them upon petition of q majority OF
the electors, knocks out the big bond
ing organisation by the omission OF q
very few words from the act creating
it--Act No. 321 OF the Public Acts OF
1907.
Act 321 under which the Michigan
Bonding company was created, pro-
vides that any corporation issuing
liquor bonds must be q Michigan cor
poration and must have q capital q
100000. The excessive capital shut
out the majority Of Michigan bonding
companies but left the way open for
the Michigan Bonding q Surety
company. which was organized by the
liquor interests for the specific pur.
pose OF handling this type of bond.
Passage of the Toilette bill. which
omits In this connection the words in
corporated under the laws Of the state
OF Michigan" would open the way for
the entrance Of many outside bonding
organizations into this type Of bust
ness and would practically cripple the
Michigan Bonding q Surety company.
The active part in politics taken by
the bonding organization has stirred
MP considerable opposition to II In
many parts OF the state and legisla-
ton of this sort was freely predicted
before the opening Of the present ses-
sion.
The feature Of the Toilette bin al
lowing villages and townships to re-
ject any and all bonds and making II
imperative that they be rejected on
petition OF majority Of the voters.
Ia also covered In a bill introduced
by Rep. j. Frank Stevens.
Of Star City. n
The third piece OF Wednesdays
"dry" legislation was introduced by
Senator John A. Damon, OF Mt. Pleas
ant, one OF the dry triumvirate" OF
the upper house. Senator Damon
would require keepers of saloons or
other places where liquor is sold to
remove all screens. stained glass win
dows, swinging doors, partitions or
other distractions between the street
and the back wall. thus affording q
clear view Of the interior OF the place.
II Ia the senator's view that many
persons would not enter places where
liquor II sold II exposed to the public
yaxe while imbibing their grog. Laws
similar to those provided in the bill
ire In force in Iowa and several other
states while the city OF Battle Creek,
Nich.. enforces the same provisions
~ city ordinance. Whether such
avs have reduced the consumption of
intoxicating liquors cannot be ascer-
aimed.
Rep. J. Frank Stevens introduced IN
no house Senator Straight's bill pro
riding for the prohibition OF the sale
4 liquors within radius OF fve miles
II the University OF Michigan, the
,tate Normal college, the Michigan
agricultural college, the Central Mich
gan Normal. the Northern Normal
he Western Normal or the Michigan
Jollege Of Mines.
An the bills were referred 70 com
nittess on liquor traflc.
BALLDNGER.