Southern Washtenaw Farmers' Club
The Southern Washtenaw Farmers' Club met at the home of George Rawson in Bridgewater, Friday, Oct. 7. About 50 were present.
After a social time dinner was served following which the president, William Pease, of Manchester, called the meeting to order and announced the topics prepared by the state board for discussion, which was "The duty of the farmer to the temperance question. "
Emmett Allen, of Bridgewater, read a paper presenting some very good thoughts upon the subject, one of which was: Remove all restrictions; remove the tax; remove the screens from the doors and windows and have the business conducted like any other business. It would then fall into disrepute of itself. If men will have liquor let them buy it as cheaply as possible, and in the same manner as they would boy other things. He said the most of the newspapers were silent on the temperance question. The press was a power for good and ought to be used for good morals as well as for news in the community.
Mrs Spafard, of Manchester, followed with one of the best papers on the subject that we ever heard. The evils of the liquor traffic upon society and the home were largely dwelt upon. We wish the entire paper could be published in every paper in the state. Extracts from this paper could not do it justice.
A general discussion followed, lead by C. M. Fellows. By request of the president, Mr. Fellows read from the supervisors' report what it costs to run the jail and the poor house in Washtenaw county, giving the following statistics: Whole number of prisoners confined in the jail during the year, 303; drunkenness and disorderly 160; assault and vagrancy 21. The speaker thought fully, two-thirds of the prisoners were there because of whiskey. Page 46 of the report read: Board of prisoners, $3,214.85; sheriff's fees $1,203.12; deputy sheriffs' fees, $3,532.46; cost of county poor (page 24) $6,000. Taxes might be greatly reduced by reducing the consumption of liquor.
S. M. Merithew thought the farmer should use his influence for temperance to save taxes if for nothing more.
George Rawson spoke in praise of Mrs. Spafard's paper and wished the saloon banished from the earth, it would make better homes and cleaner politics.
Mr. Woodard, of Clinton, said the saloon men in his town lived up to the law relating to minors and closing hours and thought that there was less liquor drank than if the saloon was prohibited, as the inter-commerce law allowed liquor brought into town in original packages.
At the close of the discussion the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted:
Whereas, the committee on topics for discussion appointed by the state board as placed upon the list "The duty of the farmer to the temperance cause," and wishing to record an expression of this club upon said topic; therefore,
Resolved - 1st, that we regard the evils of intemperance as the greatest curse to the state and to the nation; 2d, that we view with deep regret the increased use of intoxicants as shown by carefully prepared board of trade statistics, showing that the United States consumed the vast amount of 900,161,000 gallons of malt liquors and 16,739,000 gallons of distilled liquors in the year 1896, equal to 14 gallons to every man, woman and child in the nation; 3d, we regard the saloon and the public bar as the greatest curse to the home, the enemy of mankind, filling poorhouses and prisons, and corrupting politics and politicians; 4th, that we as a club believe that the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage ought to be prohibited by law.