Against The Saloons

The opponents of the saloon in Ann Arbor met Sunday afternoon in Newberry Hall for the purpose of agitating the proponed five-mile law. Rev. Messrp. Cobern, Young, Carman, Gelston and Bradshaw occupied seats on the platform. Mr. Gobern was the first speaker. He compared the saloon evil to the vulture which preyed on Prometheus' vitáis. Students were in particular danger because they were yoimg, away from home, many unused to city ways. each infliienced by coinpamons, lovers of ixcitement. What can be done about it? He thought theproposed fivemile act practicable, and scouted the idfa that it was au nbridgruent of per10 al liberty. He did not believe that forty saloon-keepers could exert more iiifiuence tlian eighty professors. All that was needed to destroy the great evil was uniformity of aim and effort and unbounded faitli. Rev. Mr. Young thought that the object ions tn the proposed law were puerile. He had seen a similar measure succee.! in Missouri and he believed that tbeobstacles were not insurmountabls in Michigan. What if the proposed law did not entirely stop drinking. Coulil an intelligent man expect anything of the kind so long as human beings have appetiteb? Duty demanded simply that temptatiou should be taken outoftheway. As for another objection, that many of the citizens woukl leave the city, if the saloons were abolished, he could only say tbat such citizens were not wanted, anyway. Rev. Mr. Carman said thatthe entire Baptist church suppoited the proposed rueasure. Nevertheless there were manygood people who were not represented at the meeting. The citizeus might be divided into three classes: First, those who favored even radical measures; second, those who were jast as emphatically on the other side, and, third, the great middle class, including many wdo in their rninds favored the moyement, yet feared the sacrifice of business interests or the loss of social standing. He feit much charity for these men. Yet he tnonght they would be bronght to support (he five-mile law on the grounds that theysnpported the many restrictions already imponed on the liqnor traffic. He believed that any pecuniary loss that might come from the abolition of the saloon would be fully compensated by the gain in the University attendance which would come about. if the saloon danger no longer existed. After brief remarks by Rev. Messrs. Iston and Bradshaw, the meeting ad■ urned.