Ann Arbor's Saloons

An (tem is goingthe roundsof the otate press to the effect that the tem peni nee people f Aun A rbdjf charge that 40 of the 70 Baloonluta of the city are uot nsgesaed their proper amounl of ' taxc. Now, o i'ar as assosments are coneerned, that is a matter for Aun Arbor people'tosettlc, but what the liepublican woukl like to know is whether "the modern Athens" iseursed with 70 snloons. If it is, Uien we acknowledge that síich a state of thiugs is a very bad ahowlng, at that particular point. for the Mquor tax law. In a conversation with A. ü. Crozier of that city, a few days since, wlio is one of the best Informeel among Michigan political prohibitionists, lie made the assertion that " in Aun Arbor, at least, there had been a large and steady inervase in the number of saloons." Now we do not know what Ann Arbor has In the way of saloons to-day, but we do know what the reports on file in the auditor general's offlee sliow, and here is the story: In Washtenaw county in 1875, wlien the tux law first went into etlect 124 saloon-keepers paid the tax. Let our political prohibition friends remeniber that these 124 saloons were an inheritance bequeathed to us by a prohibitory law without public sentiment to enforce its provisions. Of tlie total number of saloons in the county 41 were in the city of Ann Arbor What do we find in the latter days, under the "blood-rnoney" tax lawV In 1883 the total number of saloons in the county was 81, and just 40 of these were in the city of Aun Arbor. In otlier words, the detested " blood-money " tax law has decreased the number of saloons just 41 in the entire county, and there was one less saloon in Ann Albor in 1883 tlian In 1875. But, s:iys Fiiend Ciozier, in the last f our years in the city " at least there has been a large and steady increase in the number of saloons." Here are the exact figures: In 1880, 40; 1881, 43; 1882, 33; 1883, 40. Can inybody see any " large and steady Inorease" in these lig u res? Allweaskof our political prohibition fi iends 8 to stand squarely on the record. An ounce of result is worth a ton of theory ; and a grain of truth ought to offset a ton of lie. What is true of Washtenaw county is true of nearly every county in the state outside of the mining and lumbering regions. The republican party, as a true friend of temperance, stands pre-eminently in advanceof the prohibition parly, for its work is in a practical lirection. W'liile the republican party is largely made lip of temperance men.who are about equally divided as to the elh'cacy of taxation and prohibition in removing the great curse, each side recognizes a coinmon groundon which there can be unity of work for the advancement of the temperance cause. That common ground rests in an acqaiescence to submit the marnier of' dealing with the monster to the people, from whence all power is derived. When the sovereiirns declare the way in wliich the gigantic evil shall be attacked, whether t shall be by prohibition ortaxatiou, then ;he great republican party is ready to stand in the future, as it always bas stood n the past, for the enforcemeiit of the air. The republican party at its coming convention will agaiu reitérate the resolution 'avoring a submission of a prohihitory imendment, and if third-party prohibitionists do not play directly into the mnds of the whisky democracy, whose egislative members have stood almost solidly in favor of stifling the voice of the eople, we predict that the coming legisature will submit a prohibltory amendnent to the votéis of Michigan for their final decisión. Such is the position of j he republican party. What more can be asked ? As an earnest of what may be expected of the two great political partles in the lirection of teraperance and submission of a consUtutional amendment the record of the past two sessions is the best index. In 1883 just 76 per cent of the republican members were in favor of allowing the people the opportunity to vote upon the que3tion of piohibition, while 83 per cent of the democratie members, at the crack of the saloon keeper's whip, stooil up in line and.said, in the classic language of the Detroit Freo Press, "the popular right to countnoses" is of llttle moment to the pressing demand of our whisky allies who command us to allow such expression. Almost exactly the same scène had been enacted in 1881, and in each of these years political prohibltionists had put third tickets into the field to indirectly defeat republicans favorable to submisslon. These are facts which cannot be gainsaid, and yet to-dar we see kthe proh i bition party in battle array, with lts guus double-shotted, pointed in the direction of the republican party, while the whisky democracy 'stands in the background eagerly bending forward and anxiously waltlog for the match to be applied. The line-spun theories of political prohlbition leaders cannot disguise the plain truth that neurly every vote cast for the prohi bition ticket is an indirect vote for the democratie candidates, and it wasthis fact which made a prominent Michigan democrat joyfully exclaim , when the result of the Pittsburg convention was announced : "The prohibitiou party will be the salvation of the democracy. I have great faith in piohibition." The teinperance men of Michigan cannot dodge the issue. They must either vote indircctly for the whisky democraey, which declares against all siiinptnary laws, and refuses to allow the people to voice theirsentiments, or they must stand squarely with the republican party which lias "ever been the true friend of temperance. Which will