The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-07-02
LOCAL TROHIBITION IN PENNSYLV1-
MI.

''We have no bar attached to the hotel
now, sir, and cannot furnish you with any
thing to drink" was the answer which we
received on Thursday, April oath, from the
proprietor of hotel in Lewistown the coun-
ty town Of Mifliin county, Pa. "You know, !"
he added, 1--WE have local option in this
State and this is a prohibition county"
In order to test how far the prohibition of
the liquor traffic was real in these hotels and
taverns, deprived Of license on April list, I'M
der the "local option vote, we had quietly
tried whether drinks could be had in various
towns throughout the State of Pennsylvania !;
and hitherto with the same result-a refusal
to supply us with any sort of alcoholic liquors.
q. You might get it, sir, at the drug store
said the intelligent and courteous no tel pro
prietor, already referred to, because you are
stranger but the people of the town can
not get it without regular prescription.
This gentleman thought it great hardship,
too, that .he should have been deprived of his
license by a popular vote. He looked upon it
as a great loss to his business, and likely to
affect his years profits very considerably.
let he was honest enough and logical enough
to say g If tire liquor trade be right, and as
necessary as other trades, every man ought to
be as free to carry it on as to deal in dry
goods, or boots and shoes but if it be as bad
as the Temperance men say, than it is proper
to suppress it, | am not an advocate for
licensing it, sir l am for free trade in it, or
prohibition
The result of the popular vote in Pennsyl-
vania has been that there are now forty-two
countiesand six cities in which they have voted
"against license " by a majority OF votes and
twenty-three counties and sixteen cities which
have voted "for license" by majorities of
from two to five thousand votes--Elk giving
the smallest, and Schuylkll the largest ma
jority for license"
According to the census returns of 1870
the AZ counties that have voted "against
license y had a population of 1,414,000 and
odd. The 90 license counties had a popula-
ton of ono and odd. These form soiy
the populations of the counties, with the city
populations excluded entirely. twill thus be
seen that there is a majority of the people of
the whole IS counties "against license" by
nearly 4O0,0 souls.
\ The cities against license" contain a
population of a. 900, and odd. The rs cities
g for license contain a population of nearly
10000 The city of Philadelphia does not
vote on the question till next October
Thousands in Philadelphia that have voted
under special acts voted Overwhelmingly
ssagainst license" 1t is not doubted but the
entire vote of the city will give like result
At present there is a majority in the city
population g for license' But, taking the
population of the IS counties, and the %
cities, the result u.s. that AZ counties and 6
cites, which have voted "against license, ;"
gave a majority in the total population of
about 81, 600 persons over the population of
the 23 counties and 10 cities that have voted
'sfor license Practically, therefore, the
State of Pennsylvania has decided against the
common licensed sale Of alcoholic liquors in
tall it's borders.n
From Maryland, on the south, to New FORK,
on the north, the central counties of Penn
sylvania have voted in favor of prohibition
There is not now a licensed liquor saloon over
the entire width of the State throughout its
central counties.
The twenty-three counties that have voted
"for license" are largely populated by what
are known as Pennsylvania Dutch speak
ing mongrel dialects ho.ch-potch of En-
glsh 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. But while opposed to day schools,
they are in favor of liquor saloon night
schools and have accordingly voted "for
license
On the other hand, forty-five counties
that are prohibitory comprise the great Eng
fish speaking population of Pennsylvania, and
the descendants of the early English and North
of Ireland immigrants who settled i'll this
state
And, by-the-way, en- PEASANT, why do so
many writers in America designate these lat
ter s'Scotch-lrish p" The term would be
wholly inexplicable in Ireland ITSELF Such an
expression is never heard there, and would not
be understood. Ulster Presbyterians are Just
as proud of being Irishmen-- paddles ever
hoiC LIS ticii CVuutiylici tiie MUNSTER no
man Catholics. Why they should be ''Scotcli-
Irish " when they reach the United States is
incomprehensible to us. We are personally
more directly of Scotch descent than one in
ten thousand of the northern Irish who claim
that queer title of "Scotch- Irish " in the Uni
ted States; but we desire no nobler title than
that of "Irishman y or even the more pro-
vincial one of Connaught-man.'
These English and Irish descendants in
/ Pennsylvania have voted---s'down with the
! liquor traffic; !" while the Pennsylvania Dutch
have supported and sustained licensing it. 1t
is wholly unnecessary to say ON which side the
majority ofeducated intelligence is to be found
That prohibition of the liquor traffic can be
etfectually carried out, where the people
will suppress the sale of Intoxicating drinks
we have no manner of doubt. There is no
police force in those forty-fve counties of