The Council Scored

The action of the council in railroading an ordnance through in one night - giving the saloons of the city pefinission to keep their doors open until 11 o'clock standard time. each week-day night, was made the theme for a sermón in the protestant churches last Sunday morning. In all of them the rebuke administered to that body was scathing and keen. At the Methodist church Rev. Dr. Cobern gave one ot the most forcible sermons he has ever preached. He referred to the so-called petition of the saloon keepers to the council, in which they agreed to obey the law if permitted to keep their saloons open an hour longer each day, as an insult to every decent manupon that body and to every decent citizen as well. It was anotice that they would obey the laws if the laws suited them, if not they would disobey, and what are you going to do about it? "I wonder if there is one here who has not blushed during the week over that action of the council? If there is I do not think much of that one's complexion." "It is commencement week. The people are coming from all ends of the land into this uni versity city, which is farther known tlian any other in this state, or in many states." They are coming to ascertain what kind of a town it is to which they send their sous and daughters. And they piek up a paper- any paper for that matter, for it is all over the world - and find that an ordinance bas been passed by our city fathers gr.mting the saloons longer hours. It is our duty to forget that we are Republicana or Democrats or Prohibitionists, and join our hands and votes to redeem our city from this obloquy that shames us. Even in Saginaw, which has a bad reputation as a drinking town, the decent people have a temperance mayor and temperance aldermen, and last Sunday in Saginaw there was not a saloon open. And yet here in Ann Arbor, this beautiful, this culturerl, this university city, it goes out that the saloon keepers have promised to obey the laws, providing the council will make the laws to conform to their wishes ; and the council obeyed, with only a protest from two or three noble men. I almost wish it were election day next week. I would stay away from my boat för the sake of voting. I never did such a thinu in my life, but I am ready to work at the polls. My prayer shall be from now until election day, that every niember of the council who voted for that ordinance, shall be buried by the votes of protestingcitizens as deep as the old woman prayed that the devil might be buried, and face downward, so tbat the harder ie clawed the deeberhe'd go. At the l'res'.jVierian '!ru,c!i KeV. ,T. M. Uelston contended thatthe action of the council liad brought ujmn the commuuity an issue tliat shíhild array all the moral and religiousJÊSatiment of the ommunity in indignanífjfotest, and he believed the pulpit a' oper channel thvough which to give vaice to the protest, líe protested against the action of the counoil for these reasons: 1. It is a practical dcclarutiou that the Inovru wishes of the mora!', and Teligious portion of the community Aveigh nocfiing aainst a petitiou against the Sftlooiis; 2. It is a confession thnt the wfelfiire of the eomnmuity is not supreme in the decisión of the council. :'.. It is an advertisemeut to the world that tlie city of Ann Arbor is gJrerned ?t)y the saloon and for the saloon. 1 1. The petitioners coufess themselves law bre akers. 5. Tucj action of the eouñeil is 6 agreemeut with lawlessuess. . The saloon, as a brefciins; place for crime oughtnot to have its Hberties iniireased but dlminished. 7. It conflicts with ttte aim of theffctate laws to protect the community and supuréis crime, since it facilltates crime. The congregation were evideiitly very much in Sympathy with the words of the pastor. At the Unitarian church Rv. J. T. Sunderland referred to the actifm of the nmimiin council in extending tfe time for the closing of the saloons in tilis city as being unwarrantable. i Ie rcad from the council proceedings the vote taken upun the passage oí the ordinance, that hifl congregation mighf kuow npon whoni the responsibility .restëO This actioji lie ' thouiíht, showed a;x very starilins; nianiier: 1. How sUaincfiiüy under the doíninance of tlie saloons the ei' i Huw arrogaiitly defiimt of luw the saloons have the affroutry cooly to ofTer to tlie eiry government to obey eeñuin lausiabuiii closingon Sundays, takirjg down conditlou chiit certaiu prlvilage be iiraiitri theiü. .;. How reut is tlie need for a strongand pL'nnniU'ni imivement in the city for municipal irjoriii. to take our city electious out of party uprlitice and bi'ing together all the frieuds of law and order of every politica! name to mainïspeetable city government. Mr. Sunderland pictured the injury the saloons were doing the city, especially the university, and thauked tlie aldermeu who had the courage to oppose the disgracefül measure. At the Baptist church Rev. A. S. Carmau said : " The past week's record of fatalities is surpassed by the record made by our city council oh the saloonclosing question. The former were disasters, the latter was a disgrace. It was simply a surrender of the city for an additional hour and a half of debauchery each night. I uuderstand that the mayor is expected to veto the ordinance, but it is just as well that some express"ion should be given to the indignation which decent people feel on the subject." Rev. J. W. Bradshaw, at the Rationa] ohurch, among other things said these : " By the law of the state, except under special conditions, the saloons of the ed to suspend their business at nine o'elock in theevening. i is provided, however, that common ila "i citiea raay extend the time during which liquora may be sokl until eleven o'cloek. If there be any place in Michigan where the law should be enforced in all its strictness it is Ann Arbor, where nearly o, 000 students, chiefly youngmen, are gathered and beset by all the temptations to which young men are subjected in absence froni liouie. Here if anywhere the earliest hour of closing should be insisted upon. J!u in the past ten o'clock standard has been fixed as the hour of closing, and now having habitually treated with contempt the law requiring them to close at tbat hour, the saloon keepers come asking for another hour in which to prosecute nefarious business ; and the council have votedto grant their request. ïhis proceeding is atrocious, and deserves the severest rebuke which eau be given." ---