The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1916-05-12
five HISTORICAL
PROGRESS POINTS
THE FIGHT AGAINST SALOONS
SHOWS GAINS MADE SLOWLY
BUT WERE CONSTANT
VOTER CAN PUSH WORK ON
The Steady Cooperation Is inspiring
and Results Will Benefit Every
Good Citizen of Michigan

Five points in Michigan history
mark the progress OF the night
against the saloon: statutory prohibL
ton In 1853, constitutional prohibi-
ton defeated in 1887; local option
begun in 1889, liquor laws amended
in 1909, 1912, 1913 and the submission
Of constitutional prohibition in 1916.
Statutory prohibition was adopted
In 1853 and remained on the statute
books until 1875 when 1t was replaced
by the present license law.
Prohibition by constitutional amend
ment was submitted to popular vote
In April 1887. The issue had been
troublesome for several campaigns
in state politics. Leaders OF the
dominant party agreed that 1t could
no longer be avoided. In total vote
of 362,917 the prohibition amendment
was defeated by majority OF 5,645.
In 1889 a local option bill was
passed with the county as unit
This Law has been frequently amend
ed and improved. Under its provision
Van Buren, county in 1890 was the
first county in tks state to vote out
saloons and although several contests
have been waxsd IN that county It
has remained dry to THU day. Daring
the following ten years, eleven oeun-
ties. 1T di1ereat GMss, oauawod the
saloons but owiAS 70 lax law enforce
msnts, dss largely 70 serious detects
In the law itssk. sid Of them returned
to the hosAse eslsAan.
In 1896 the Anti Saloon league or
Michigan was organised with W. K.
Fox OF Grand Rapids president and J.
F. Brant OF Ohio superintendent.
During the twenty years passed, this
organization, Ia cooperation with
many other Anti Saloon agencies and
societies in the state has done heroic
service for entire abolition OF saloons
! for Michigan
Through persistent cooperation OF
many forces allied against the saloon
a total OF forty-fve counties was Sc
cured up to April 3rd, 1916. Since
! 1887 no legislature would consent to
| submit again a prohibition amendment
to the constitution, but at the 1913
session the legislature agreed to per-
NIT the electors to vote on a prophsi-
! ton so the constitution could be
/ amended by the iniative and referen-
dum as we'll as by the old way OF
direct submission after a two thirds
vote in the legislature.
The Michigan Dry Campaign CON-
! mittee was organized at Lansing in
the fall Of 1914, to wage a campaign
on behalf Of the organized churches,
farmers clubs, workingmen, business
mems association, W. c. T. U. and
other organizations opposed to the
saloon. With the cooperation Of
these forces in city and country. petit
tions were circulated last winter to
be filed at Lansing not later than
July 1st.
The history of the local option
campaign in Michigan counties would
make a book by itself. BY determined
fighting each year in various counties
and in legislative districts, the Anti
Saloon league and other prohibition
forces made such an impression on
the state legislature that the local
option law was amended from time to
time and vicious bills urged by the
brewers and distillers were defeated.
The legislature consented to pass
the Search and Seizure law and an
amendment to the Drug law reQuir.
inga physicians prescription In some
counties for the purchase Of liquor In
drug stores. Attempts to appeal the
local option law were defeated. The
Pray bill was passed regulating liquor
shipments into cry counties.
Previous to this amendment the
number Of dry counties had gone back
from forty to thirty three but the
tendency In recent years has been
towards increasing the dry area Of