The Detroit times., 1915-01-09
BREWERS ASSOCIATION
CLOSES HEADQUAR and
!. GOES OUT OF BUSINESS

and announced that they would spend
$4,000 in educating the public.
In fact these are halcyon days Tor
the drys. With the convening OF the
Legislature I'm Lansing come stories OF
their plans for the next year and
echoes OF greeful chortlings over the
| surrender or the liquor interests.
For the first time since the organ
izatIon OF the Anti-Saloon league In
Michigan by the Rev. George w. Nor
row, In 1905, the senate OF Michigan
IL to be presided over by an avowed
temperance worker. Lieut.-Gov. Luren
ID. Dickinson. This assures a commit
tee on liquor matters which will not
permit the liquor organization to
again throttle beneficial legislation by
smothering IL in committee. This COM
mittee will promptly report out bills
providing for statewide prohibition of
the liQuor traffic and OF the traffic in
cigarettes, and knocking out the Mich
igan Bonding q Surety Co.'S monopoly
on saloon bonds. Other legislation
will have a chance, especially the re-
sub mission OF the woman suffrage
question. which &ill surely carry the
next time.
In the house OF representatives, the
mighty temperance forces of the state
can be sure OF fair treatment by
Speaker Smith, who has always been
sympathetic with the prohibition OF
the liquor traffic and whose home
county. Lapeer. will undoubtedly re-
turn TO the dry column when the vote
is taken In the spring election. This
means that all temperance legislation
will be fought out on the floor OF the
house and senate, and that no senator
or representative can avoid going ON
permanent record on the subject. In
past years, too, many OF the peoples
representative In both house and
senate have avoided record vote or
Temperance matters by inducing slav
ISL committees to serve their liquor
enriched masters by keeping bills II
committee. Representatives and sen
ators have then gone home TO thu
Christian constituents and reported
that they did everything In their pow
er TO get a chance TO vote for prohibit
tion but that the matters were held
In committee.
Several reasons have contributed TO
the present favorable situation for the
drys. One Is the growing OF the an
ger OF the people against the domina-
tion OF the liquor interests in political
matters. The politicians themselves
are the first TO discern this develop
ment OF the public mind and, whether
they are sincere or not the effect is
the same, they respond To the quick
ening Of the public pulse
The next IA the growing dtstrusu
upon the part or the saloonkeepers of
- - ~.
wholesalers and manufacturers of
wbigky and beer. They have frequent
ly heard one OF the largest whisky
dealers in Detroit say that he makes
more money while counties are dry
than when they are wet and that he
gets cash for whisky shipped to con-
sumers in dry counties while he had
TO extend credit and take many loss
es while dealing with saloonkeepers.
They have discussed among them
selves the oft-repeated charges that
the big brewers in Detroit. Grand Rap
ids. Saginaw and Bay City have actual
iy contributed funds to help make the
smaller counties dry so that they
would not have to deal with saloon
keepers but could ship direct to con-
sumers and for cash in advance. They
have heard Of frequent statements by
brewers that the. small counties are
sure 20 be dry anyway and that il Is a
waste OF money to try 10 keep them
wet. They have heard brewers and
whisky makers In their conventions
declare with selfhealing unctuous
grace that the whole prohibition move
ment is due to the avaricious and
criminal habits OF the saloonkeepers
The hotelkeepers Of the state have
seeh the Shiny hand of the brewer and
distiller reach out in the legislature
and throttle legislation intended TO
exempt the country hotel from the
operation Of the local option law.
The small brewers are sore against
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