The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-04-21
Ia PROHIBITIOW A EAIL URR

scientiously to give the experiment Of
prohibition a fair trial. The founders
of the National Colony, Treated in this
county, aimed to make Worthington an
educational centre, and as 4 means Of
furtsering this object, they determined
that Worthington should bs a prohibi-
ton town, and. therefore. the temper
ance feature of the community was at
tempted, and so far as open saloons are
concerned, it has been success. This
educational idea was the governing one
in establishing the temperance feature,
which was extended to the whole coun-
ty, and no liquor saloon has so far been
regularly licensed among US.
The attempt to make Worthington
an educational centre was a failure.
The expectations of tire founders and
early settlers as to the rapid growth Of
Worthington into 4 town Of business
Importance haye been disappointed.
Worthington has settled down into 4
well-to-do County Seat of 4 promising
prairie county. This is what it is, no
more and no less. And the question is
now forcing itself upon the minds of
many Of our people who have honestly
favored prohibition, is not this feature
also failure?
The recent term Of Court developed
some further facts for digestion. Some
thir.y-one indictments were found and
from 25 to q of these were for selling
liquor. The Grand Jury was kept here
day after day listening to the complaints
of parties who were giving information,
while the Petit Jury lay idle waiting
for something to do, until Judge Far
mer, in disgust, discharged both juries.
and said to the Grand Jury that they
had been wasting time over cases which
should have been brought before mag
istrate where both sides could have had
i hearing.
It is patent to the whole county that
the bulk IF the business and expense of
the recent term of Court grew out of
liquor prosecutions. Tie cost to the
county will be not less than $4,000. For
the nine years of prohibition, the cost
to the county has been, no doubt, from
$4,000 to $4,000. AS no licenses are
granted there is no revenue beyond an
occasional fine. Thus the tax payers
are out $1,000 to S., 900 by the effort to
prohibit the sale of liquors. If the ef-
fort had succeeded, every temperance
man would say that the money had
been we'll expended. But it is motor
ious fact that it has not succeeded.
There has been rs much liquor sold in
this county and about as much drunk
enness as in any of the surrounding
counties. Moreover, the prosecute n
have Teen one-sided and unfair to I.
great degree. Men who have violated
the law by selling liquor, have never
been prosecuted and have been protect
ed by all the force that 4 body of Typ.
ocritlcal temperance crusaders could
summon, while other parties have been
prosecuted in pure spite and for purely
personal reasons.
Practically, therefore. with the ex-
ception of excluding open saloons, pro-
hibition has been failure. Now the
question arises, have we pursued the
best method of promoting temperance?
It has been demonstrated that we can
not exclude liquor. Shall we therefore
regulate it?
Under the Wisconsin law, which re-
CURES heavy license fee and which
puts the vendor under heavy bonds, we
notice that from 700 to 500 doggeries,
or irresponsible saloons, have been clos
ed up, while the traffic has been kept in
responsible hands and the revenue from
licenses is large.
We realize that this is one of the most
difficult problems to solve. The evil is
beyond doubt great one and all exper-
fence shows that it cannot be extermi.
mated. It must therefore be controlled
and regulated. The wholesale state
ments made by radical temperance re.
formers are we'll enough in temperance
lectures, but are no nearer the trutl,
than the awful pictures drawn by the
Calvins and Edwardses To brighten
men into being good church mem.
bers.
So far as preventing crime is con-
cerned, it is shown that prohibition in
Maine is failure. The n. Y. Sun re.
Gently contained the following article
Oh this subject:
We reprint letter from Judge God.
dard OF Portland, which exhibits III cold
figures the astonishing degradation of
the standard ut morals in (. New Eng.
laid State. In less than thirty Years
the number of comvicts in the Maine
State prison has increased more than
two hundred per cent, while the pop.
ulatlon outside Of the prison walls has
Increased only fourteen per cent. II.
respect to some of the more heinous
crimes the percentage of increase is
much greater. Nor is this moral deter.
ioratiOn due to foreign elements in the
population. Less than one-fifth Of til.
convlcts now serving terms 1T Thomas
ton are foreigners. Almost two.thirds
Of these convicts are not only natives
of the United States, but also natives
of Maine.
What does this import? Maine is the
State where the policy of prohibiting
by law the sale of Intoxicating liquors
has had the fairest and fullest trial that
it has ever had in the world. From time
to time, more than twenty. five wears.
the prohibltory statutes have been re-.
modelled and renewed. but never repeal.
ed-severe 1T their mildest and almost
intolerable in their strictest forms.
The one great argument in favor of
probibitory legislation has been that
drink is the fountain head of crime. and
that if it be made difficult or impossible.
to procure alcohol. crime will be dimin-
ished and society benefited.
Only from this poi 1t of view can pro.
hibitory enactments be justified at all
in \ country where sumptuary laws are
held to be odious, and where any re.
straint upon the personal freedom If