The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1919-03-21
CAPITOL NEWS
BY Representative Lynn J. Lewis

The prohibition law has occupied
the center of the stage in the House
during the last: week; it passed
general orders Thursday with the
amendments offered by the committee;
no other amendments by the oppon-
ents were permitted; in this form it
will be transmitted to the Senate
where it will undergo little if any
change; this Bill prohibits the pos
session of intoxicating liquors where
such possession is unlawful under the
terms of the act; adds to the defin-
ition of Intoxicating liquors" by in
Guiding any liquid or combination of
substances chat will produce intoxi-
cation; also includes any substance
which, if mixed with water or other
ingredient will produce intoxication.
Section 8 of the Wiley Act of 1917,
which applies to Druggists, is left in
the bill; this permits the druggist to
sell patent and proprietary medicines,
tinctures, toilet preparations, extracts
ETC., when included in the u. S. Phar-
macopise and national Formulary, and
which do not require the payment of
U. S. Liquid Dealers Tax; provided
in all cases that none of these rem
edies or preparations can be sold by
the druggist as beverage; this sec
ton also applies to general merchants
who handle these remedies and pre-
parations. Clergymen are permitted
under license of the Food and Drug
Commissioner to purchase liquor for
sacramental purposes of wholesalers;
heretofore they were forced to pur-
chase from Druggists; the result has
been that very few druggists have
taken out license to sell Intoxicating
liquors, therefore in some cases it
has been quite difficult for the
clergy to obtain wines for sacrament
al uses. Intoxicating liquor when pos
sessed unlawfully, is declared contra
band and the act expressly provides
that no property rights shall exist in
such liquors. Containers and receipt
acles when so possessed; the same
are forfeited to the State, delivered
to the Food and Drug Commissioners
and disposed of as directed by the
State Board of Auditors; they will
be sold to the Sttae institutions, hos
pltals and infrmaries, or re-distiled
for their alcoholic contents. All vio-
lationS of the act are made felonies,
and for the second offense the Court
has no discretion but must send to
some penal institution of the State.
An officer may arrest for a violation
of the act, without warrant when
the offense is committed in the
presence of the officer; if warrant
is sworn out for an individual in one
part of the State, any officer of the
state may make arrest without pos
session of that warrant. Persons from
whom liquors, containers, implements
and furniture have been siezed have
their day in court, and may upon
petition secure the return of the
property provided they can show to
the satisfaction of the court that
such property is unlawfully detained
by the officer. The private dwelling
is immune from search, even upon
warrant, provided such place is used
exclusively as a private dwelling, and
not in connection with a hotel, store
or lodging house, nor operated as a
place of public resort. No writ of re-
plevin against an officer can be issued
to recover possession of liquors, nipple
ments, furniture or receptacles seized
by him under this act. Some concern
has been manifested about the state
by the druggists, manufacturing
chemists, and the extract manufact-
urers and vendors; they fearing that
their business would be interfered
with by this act; such is not the case;
their rights and privileges are not
changed nor interfered with by this
act in any way; in fact they are left
in exactly the same position as they
were under the Wiley act of 1917
(Act 1887. 1t will be observed that
nothing appears in the new law rela-
tive to automobiles and other vehicles
used in Smuggling" Of liquors into
the state; this proposition is contain
ed in a separate bill now pending in
the Senate, by the terms of which all