St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-07-28

vast proportion of the crime with which
every community has to deal, and that
it increases taxes enormously, were
facts universally known, and the long
crusade against intemperance and
liquor selling is familiar. The Maine
law, the local option law, various
forms of prOhibitory and license laws,
have been adopted in various parts of
the country. Reports of their etficien-
CIV have differed, and the debate has
been constantly renewed, stimulated
by "praying bands" and damage acts.
1t has been very difficult to estimate
accurately the effect of this various
agitation upon public opinion. But
the recent vote in Iowa shows how
profoundly the public mind, III that
State at least, has been stirred, and the
result is unquestiOnably the most i'm
portant event i'll the history of the
temperance agitation.
The amendment is an absolute pro-
hibitiOn both of the manufacture and
sale of all spirituous and malt liquors.
1t fOrbids not only the sale of glass
of whiskey over the counter, but box
of claret at the store. 1t closes the
lager beer saloon, as well as the Office
of the wholesale dealer. 1t is IA meas
ure more complete and radical than
the most teetOtal prohibitiOnist proba-
| bly, believed to be possible, and the
majority is reported to be very large,
so that there is no doubt of the public
determination. The population of Iowa
| is ,624,6l of which only POI $50 are
of foreign birth. OF the foreign born
| 50 .26S are Germans and 44,06l are
Irish. The number of men of voting
age in the State is 4l6 ,95S, and of these
there are l26, lob who are foreign born.
Iowa is essentially a rural State. Its
three largest cities have an aggregate
population of less than 10000. These
facts and figures largely explain the
result. The cities, excepting Des
Moines, voted against the amendment.
But the country voted for it. The Ii
quor interest is understood to have
struggled strenuously against the meas
ure, but it is the deliberate opinion of
one of the most intelligent of American
communities that the traffic in intOX-
icating liquors should be abolished.
1t now remains for the Legislature
to pass laws to carry the amendment
into effect, and it is here that an effort
will be probably made to mOllity in
some way the stringency of the prohi-
bitiOn. But the decided feeling that
has been shown will affect the election
of members of the Legislature, and I'M
less there should be some reaction from
the very completeness of the present
success, the sentiment of the state will
he so strongly represented in the Leg
islature that the trial of prohibition
will be made. 1t will be watched with
universal interest throughout the coun-
try, and the result in Iowa gives new
interest to the election in Ohio, which
will turn largely upon the temperance
question. A glance ut the figures
shows that in Ohio, of il total popula-
ton of J, I9S, 062, only 394 ,943 are for
eign born and that of this number
1872, 597 are Germans, and 1927 are
Irish. The men of voting age are
500, 577, of whom 1911 $50 are foreign
born. Upon these figures, and cOnsid-
ering the force of the temperance feel
ing in Ohio, Republican success might
be confidently anticipated i'll that state
if the native Democrat vote, which i.
large, were not always to be reckoneC
against what is known as temperance
policy. The result in Iowa and Kan
sas, however, and the situation il
Ohio, show that the question has now
become one of political Importance.