SOME STATISTICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9337, 30 January 1892, Page 6 (Supplement)

SOME STATISTICS.

i\Y.-irni l.rcw-.-r.)

That prohibition docs mii, prohibit is a fact Hint everyone. cai\ see exivpi. thus;; who won't see. Statements like the following are not by any means new, but they will bear repeating from time lo time, nevertheless, (i.ivernnient licenses me. nol bought for the rcl.iil of liquor uiih-.-s the buyer expects I" "*'' them fo>" tlu"

null" of liquor; and no 111:111 who li:is sonsu euoiu'li to do business at all, oven on Uu> smallest scale, will pay this license fee to sell that for which theic is no demand or sale. A (.iovermnont retail license, therefore, means in every in^anei; the sale of liquurs of some kind, ami "a demand for them, 11.) matter whether the s'sic bi; ll prohibition" or otherwise. The table below, i-olli'i-anl frum tin- i-onsus returns anil from Uu: rwouls of the l.it.'i-nal Ifcvenuc (iL'i)iu-tnH-nt by the Ohieago 'I'l-iljiuie, have thcri'foru a substantial value in juoVing of the elfeels of prohibition in reducing the number of saloons in prohibition states. They show that the number of saloons to the thousand of population in lowa, Kansa.;, Maine, and other republican-prohibition states is much j;ri';itrr than in democratic states, where the sale (it liquor is regulated. The figures show the number of people to each saloon in two groups of states—one democratic, the other ve.publicanprohibition ; — riiOlliiilTlON STATUS. lowa .. ... 1 saloon to every -I.T. people Kansas... ... \ saloon to every Sij K.oplo Vermont ... 1 saloon to every Sl«> people Maine ... •■• 1 saloon to every 71)2 people STATUS WIIKKK. SALOONS ARK. I.ICI'.NSr.D. Alabama ... 1 saloon to every US)) peopk Arkansas ... 1 saloon to every 1171) people South Carolina ... 1 saloon to uvcry 115! people Mississippi ... 1 saloon to every 1017 peopk North Carolina ... 1 saloon to uvuvy W.\ peonk " It is demonstrated by these, figures,'" say? the New Orleans Picayune, " that there are in lowa more than twice, ami nearly three times, as many saloons for each thousand of population :is there are in Arkansas, Alabama, 01 South Carolina. It cannot be claimed that this is due to lack of time to give prohibition a fair trial in lowa, for it has been fairly tried

and eonviet-.;d there ; and, moreover, the figures show that there are more saloons in Miiino to the' lh.ms:iiul of population than in any one of the group of democratic stutes. 'L'he best friends of prohibition must see that it is a failure. Thin it will he seen that while certain stales may indulge in the glorification of having enacted prohibition laws, the selfeongratulatiou is wholly empty ami vain. They have nut stored nor even checked the. evils of intemperance. On the contrary, they have, vastly multiplied the vice, and made hypocrites of men who were otherwise honest, upright, and temperate. It is possible- to divert and regulate the ilow of a river, but not to stop it. Intemperate drinking of liquors is the cause of many evils and not a few crimes. It cannot bo stopped, but the. sale of liquors can be regulated and kept under strict supervision, and men who commit crimes and endeavour to excuse Uu-inselvcs under the. plea of drunkenness can be and should be held to the sternest responsibility."