Letters From The People

Mu. Editor: TheCouuiERof February 23d. glves the expresslons of opinlous of thlrtyM-vni of your promtnent cltlzens on the pending prohihitory amendraeat Oí" ttiese only a few nre Ín favor of lt--a large majority are opposed. From a careful readlng a Ktranger at Hila el I k tan ce Is led to the conclusión that these "prominent persons" ihinl; Unit the law of 1813, aUhough lt was then heartlly anproved by the people, it Ís too soon to try agaln. Sorae favor a statute law that can be repealed at the next meeting of the leglslature. The flly of short llvedstatutes wassoapparent before the year 1850, that the revlsed constltutlon of that year wlsely provlded for blennlaL sesslons ; that the people might learn tho lawa before the suoceeding legislatureinet to repeal iln-in. The facílíty wltli which UitH had been done led the conventlou to engraft a piohlbttory licenseclause lu Iti sitid revlsed constltutlou. mr Malne law as it was then called, to enforcé tuis provisión was submitted to the people. Ilere was the great mtstake in not enactlng It 1" B ooiistltuLloniil manner, as other laws were. Oü this round thc questlon was referred to the supremo court, then composed of elght meinber- one half held the afirmativo. Tlius our hlgheet tribunal failed to pronounce the law constllutlonal. Howcouluyou expecta Michigan saloonlst who nowalmost úaily viólales the law undi-r whíeh he Ís permitted to do biisinrss that he would then have obeyed one that yas declare! to be uncoiihtltullonal? WtU Home of these wlse one answer thls questlon ? What would have been the resul t ol 'prohlhlllon in Michigan if sald law had hem proiu m n c.-d ciHist ltutloual? In that case Ui s;(tt' to siy, ilthouiih it may have been "as full ol holes iis a skimmer,"- llke t law In Maine, lt would have been ameniled from time 10 tiini', just as your tax laws have been at almost every sesstou of legislatura slnce LL Suinesaythe old law was a total failure, -inseiu'iitly we had free whisky 20 yeur The 40 saloons in Aun Arbor can and perhapsdosell more liquor now thau the S" li.i year ago. It Is a business susceptible of almost unllmited expansión - a busiin ss, whích, under a high tax or license, delers the poor and needy from engaging In lt. To say the amendment canuot he enforced as most oí tliose thirtj -leven thlnk orfear, is to placea low estímate on an Intelligent law abldlng vstate. Your mayor is reportad ;is mi ing that "all men except the anarchlsts have a natural regard tor law.'' To say that sik h uu atnendment, and a law to enforoe lt wlll fait to accomplish the end in view is to cluss tbe ool people of Michigan wltti our worst element of loreigners. It is to be hoped by the Ist of May that every saloon wlll be "suowed ander4 SO deep that tbe oriMinants (if auy) wlll never hear the sou tul of Oabriels trunipel. If the fear about wblob so mch Is said In thts connectlon, were a thlug to be welghed or measured, lt would be found that the prepooderanoe i wlth tbOM who do not waut any more prohlbltlon t lian th.il ronlitliu'il in [lui oidtiitiry KoeoM law. One f tbe persons Intervlevred bfti been to Manie, luwit itui Kangas. He seems to thlnk hu bas iearneü mort :nout the opt'ralions ol the prohihlloiy law thcre, thau persons wlio reside all time in tbone st-ates. A nolher qoeatlon. Ilow oaob eduofttlon in the line ol prohlbltlon has been Imparted to your pi'oplu since 1868, and bow maob longer in opinión of your astute judga who has made it a deep ttudy 45 years without auy advance, will lt take the OOfflmon people to arrlve at a knowledge of thoirsolemn dnty in thts all-important matter, The ten cominandments were made long before the dear people were ready and willlug to oby them. Your flvu or slx thousand schools of vico and inimorallty In the form nt saloons, edúcate youryoutiK metí imich more rapiilly In lnlqulty thun all your antt-prohibllioiiUts can tor gooil. If prohibí tl on wmlis in VI neland, N. ,1., Grlnnell, la., 1'ullniHnvHle anti BXtwards 0oM III , Potter üOM IVim.. AllaiiLil and 1-1 cuintlee 1 Georgia and 1 ta Qreeley, Col., how eau lt be a poor potley for Michigan. Tut' great philiuihropUt an.l pnlltlcally wlse Beojamla Krankitn, taid 'Tempeninoe puts wood on thi' Are, mmt in the t)arrel, in tbe tui, money in tti parte, oootentmeut in the boaseand olotbea oa tbe batrni." Oftnnon Kanars teetlmooy bai ¦ great wetght' wlth so ¦!-. [ir tayi of the B0,000 prUh ooefSlD t lu BnfUsh Jhü's, nealry all of wliom were there by reaeon of strona drink- ihey were made oompulsortly Hober by act of ParliaiiH-ni. Tuis well (Ilústrales the Idee. of penunej liberty (to y;e.t druukj ontertained by Hoint people and how the law can keep Mii'in solici'. Denver, Coi. , Mareta 19, 18M7.