Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1873-06-19
Temperance in Pennsylvania.

In an article published in the Chris
tian Union, Mr.. j. A. MOwatt gives
some interesting facts respecting the
state of public opinion in Pennsyl-
vania, on the temperance question,
and especially in regard to the prac-
tical workings of the "LOcal-option'
Law recently enacted by the Legisla.
ture of that State. He says "that the
result of the popular vote has been,
that there are now forty-three counties
and six cities which have voted
''against license" by a majority of
votes and twenty three counties and
sixteen cities, which have voted 'tfor
license" by majorities of from two to
five thousand votes-Elk giving the
smallest, and Schuylkill the largest,
majority for license"
II is instructive to note what sec
tons of the State, and what classes of
the population, have voted for "pro-
hibition" and what for ''liicense.''-
On this point Mr.. Mowatt says:
''From Maryland, on the south, to
New York, on the north, the central
counties of Pennsylvania have voted
in favor of prohibition. There is not
now a licensed liquor saloon over the
entire width of the State, throughout
it's centralcounties.
"The twenty three counties that
have voted 'for license are largely
populated by what is known as .Penns-
ylvania Dutch > speaking mongrel
dialect-R hOtch potch Of English and
German. These people are very
strongly conservative. They voted
many years against common day
schools, which were left to the local
option of counties. 1t is only about
ten years since Northumberland
county carried the establishment of
common schools. Some farming dis
tricts have made no provisions yet for
common schools. But, while opposed
to day-schoOls, they are in favor of
liquor night schools and have voted
for license On the other hand, the
forty-ive counties that are prohibitory
comprise the great English speaking
population of Pennsylvania, and the
descendants of the early English and
North Ireland immigrants who set
tied in that State
Inasmuch as the Constitutional Con
vention sitting in Philadelphia, has
adopted as an article of the future
Constitution of the State, the prohibi
ton of the manufacture and sale of
alcoholic liquors, it is important to
learn what the whole vote of the peo
pie on the question of it's ratification
in October next is likely to be- On
this point Mr.. Mowatt gives US the
following figures and probabilities
According to the census returns of
1870, the forty five counties that have
voted against license had a popula-
ton of 1,414,0OO, and odd. The
twenty three licensing counties had a
population of 100000, and odd
These form solely the population of
the counties, with the city populati on
excluded entirely. 1t will thus be seen
that there is a majority of the people
OF the whole sixty five counties
against license, by nearly 100000
souls.
1.-The six cities against license con-
tain a population of nearly 100000
The city of Philadelphia does not
vote on the question until next Oct
ober. Thousands in Philadelphia
that have voted under special acts,
voted overwhelmingly against Ii
cense.' 1t is not doubted but the en-
tire vote of the city will give like re-
suit. At present there is a majority
in the city population for license.'-
But, taking the population of the
sixty-fve counties, and the twenty
two cities, the result is, that forty two
counties and six cities, which have
voted against license give majority
in the total population of abont 81,
600 persons over the population of
the twenty three counties and sixteen
cities that voted for license Practi-
cally, therefore, the State has decided
against the common licensed sale of
alcoholic liquors in 'all its borders -
If the October vote shall correspond
to these anticipations, the cause of
temperance will be put on better ba-
sis in that State than in any other in
the Union. Yet there will be need of
vigilance in the enforcement of the
law, and of this Constitutional pro
vision. In some counties particularly,
public sentiment will be opposed
to prohibition liquors viii be
smuggled in and sold secretly. Vigil,
ance in the correction of public senti-
nent, and in the sentiment, and in the
enforcement of the law, will tax the
energies of the friends of temperance
for years to come.