PROHIBITION IN AMERICA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 160, 31 March 1908, Page 5

PROHIBITION IN AMERICA.

LOCAL OPTION. IN THE STATES. PIIESEXT POSITION OF THE'MOVE- ', MENT. It will come as a surprise to most people, writesA;-Maurice-Low in' tho-"Morning Post,'" to' icarn ;that 'nearly, one-half of tho inhabitants of.. the United : States; ' live' in cities','\totfns-'arid villages where the' stile of ilitpxic'ints is' prohibited by, law.; And, this 'in\th«-''Uni^d r noi' ic6'\vater, ,is -thbV. national beverago', - ac-'cording'to.-a /cynical: Frenchman;'-and /every adult'-/American .is ''/.supposed'.••-tov-vtako-'.his whisky' ''straight'.' at ;all' hours/.of the, day. More/rcmarkablo .still, 1 at, the present mom-;' eiit 'appears '.to'/-, bo making tho greatest strides, in the Southern-States,, States in which/only a few- years ago-a man' wlio'did uot: drink'was-looked .'upon with, suspicion by' his: neighbours; not .to drink, was 'a; sigit.'of bffeminacy; uriscciableness,; of tho boHci'-than-thou'attitudo hotly resented'. by thbso oasy. to "tako. anger f and tho quibkvdrawing pistol descendants of- men;to ivhoih hospitality was-/impossible, .without capipus. libations.. ■.. /"■ '/• ... ;* .been/a .strong sentiment ih : iavbu'r of prbhibitioh;in.the United States, but ,it jias - had its- setbacks like -;eVcry. ' other mpvenfent'i ..Only a fow v years.;:-ago; it, appeared. as -if ;tho' cause / was " rapidly losing ground, then it suddenly took. on,new : life, and ,f6r, the live ; bi: sik years tho temperance, forces have been, more active than ever./before.. lii every / State, :in every■- village almost, temperance, is being. urged and preachbd, .and'with, such success,that nearly, one-half the/American people can only' obtain .liquor--/illegally.-'' Whether that/'fh'eans' vhat .there, is .roally more sobriety, now than thero used.to bo is a moot iquestion. .Tho'advpcatfes:' of tcrnporance declare; without hesita-tion.-thai'-tho question '•.'is"' not:' ojoeii to ■ argument ;;'thp, opponents', of all .restriction-oh tho; sale of' liquor i>pint/..to'.tho: fact/that' in /somo of.the/'prohibition States ' the. arrests' per/ capita'ror-.dfunkenness are' far; greater than iii thoso-States- where tho /sale of intoxicants is'recognised-as a .legitimate business: • ■: It/is'- a/ known/, fact' that in; almost all, 'of /the. prohibition/: or ; -local ; option States-,''or. coinmunities liquor is'for . sale, but it is 'sold surreptitiously and -in such'. .! circumstances that to t-ho" vice/of drunkenness are. added the iviocs.. of; deceit; and lying./ ' 'InJsomo; prohibition- communities'.tho. authorities'- wink at the. violation' of ;the law. Beor and - whisky aro : not; sold/openly, but in .back ,'rootna screened from ' pubhc observation,. in cellars,. in obscure places, , the location of . which -is /very' well . known: to tho. habitues, tho traffic ris 'car-, - ricid- : . oil'..'"':At ; almost /regular, intervals; 'to, " satisfy.; the - moral; sense •of ■: tho'/; temperance people in : tho community, tho -'sheriff: or the 'offchef.; official', charged' with/tho,' enforcement of /the law ■' ■ raids'"'these illicit places, their proprietors 'aro > fined, and/'the. stock -of ■ liquors; usually* very, ./small because inoticb -:has 'bedh .carefully: given. '■ in-f'; advarico;- is' confiscated. - The fine 'is ; no v ;' deterrent, liqu-orj,';selliiigi', in' -any'-:.circumstances': is treniejy but illegal' liquor, selling is siniply-,fortune'making./ ~-J; :/::/'/./,' //.-.// / ■.'.lht'emper'ahce/is'. such';. - a ./growing-- evil: in l America', that' every;-State'-has given';seriou3, . considerationto':'the .'■ -problem/'. and,/ 'various; , rembdies;...;;haire-' : '.l)Mri.-,4ri^. :> -''/,Careful'/sfuT dents ,of- the': question beliovb; that State proj- ; hibitipn'. must/always /be a - failure,'--because-while's a majority: of the, ■ States/ may' favour .it.'. thprb'.^fl;.'alway's/ ; bo'/ a' l sufficiently large' /minority/to'Vrerider;'the;law.liugatqry..; Th.ey :a.ttach' ; 'more impprtanco /to; local; option/ cs r ; peciaily; if; the vdistricts//are.-; small ./and t-lib ■ vote/required.'; fdrVits enforcement /is siderably! inore, than.. a ' majority ,; say • 60, or ■10 •' ) '.it., reflects '.so/Jairgelji. the''prevailing' / sentiment; of;' the/community ■ that,'tho;law -%\ ; ill/be i uphejd.. In ; Minncapolis. ;c6me'/,yeare-ag'oja, /.'curious certajn/pprtibn of ..tho city; was'-thp '.'liquor, z.bu&''/aiicl tip" saloons we're .permitted, elsewhbre'/whic)i;preyerited:the'cst'abl.ishnicht : 'of/salo'ons)'in .the'-, residential ,part of : .tho'; city; .This/,was'/' found / effective./jn. decreasing 1 .tho *Apn^ttmpii}b&7oifJl^uo°r:",- ? Soifie v qitws,'; AVasli-; 'ingipri,/for:'instance,-prohibit' the-salo/of-iri- ' toxicant? within/ a. certain /distance'/of ;'a ! board; schpol-'pr/ohuroh^:///'':<;'/ ./.v//.-.?■< //

Tixpenence:seoms to provo that .while'tho sa,le .of liquor , cannot ■be suppressed' it can. ba effectively regulated if. the authorities are holiest ;in. ; thejr'.enforcement .of. tlio law'.'and that regulation, are :a. high licorice;-.-but 'not .too-high 'to .create''a riionoPQly.; :the : 'number' -of saloons . to bear -an, exact'ratio'to tho population'of :tho. oity,; tlio lioenqo H-oxb'o -'granted for,'.one'' year, .'to, revocation; at-any time for violation of -tho law, or policp .regulations, and only rcnew-f ablo:if' the licensee's record ' is ', cleanarid, . very.'-, strict polico';suporvision.. ;Thus'-:it' has be6n''*fpuiid-.'t^'t'^ere i .']ffie annual ".licence is .£2OO-'.to '£.300,: the; salobri-keepe-r is'-much -lesslikely.'jto' ru-n. !the. risk-fof;- forfeiting, ■it- by violating "the ; :law ; than. if, the: licence,'fee': is ;'.' \lt advantageously in'shutting'Hip low dririking-houses, as tho ; mrai' thorn havo.seldom money enough'to pay.,'a'--heavy .licence fee,' arid tho -profits .'are notMarge.:'enough to.: justify - the ni'vestiKent-.' : ' ,-: ' '

:Tho reason prohibition-has mado such headw:ay ill. the 'South is'sociologically, interesting, and: has a ;wide -bearing" on i.the denrioralising effect. of! liqubr or} , the black taces.;:;; Men. well. versed an conditions in the Southern States 1 havo' declared .' that. in .the day .when tho negro was never allowed intoxicants in any form -ho-was-tho,'best, most industrious and most- labourer in : tho'world,' but .sincb:.his.',riianumissi6n,.'. when , he - has, 'been placed ; -(sii an equality;with'^th'e.':white man in 'dririking'.'what:,ho'likes,-<he has' become'- absolutely demoralised, ho' is lazy, and-when, necessity;compels him his work:'is; always done.. ■