The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1884-04-25
"Does It Pay?"

forbearance and deal gently, but earnestly,
4 to correct the impressions that he desires to
make ON the minds of your readers, viz:
''that prohibition as an economic force in
the government does not pay" For the
consideration of ''Citizen," and his admirers,
/ will give the report of James A.
Thorton, secretary of the State Temperance
Union, of Kansas, who after thirty months
experience of prohibition in that State says:
On the 4th of December mailed series
of questions to every county attorney,
county superintendent and police Judge in
the state, for the purpose of learning the
effect and present status of prohibition.
Replies have been received from over one
third of the six hundred letters sent out
constituting full report from sixty-si of
the eighty-one organized counties of the
State, including all the populous counties.
These replies demonstrate three facts favor
able to prohibition. First, that it has de-
creased the number of saloons; second, that
an unusually large per cent of the prosecu-
tions under the law have resulted in con-
victions; third, that the principle of pro-
hibition is growing stronger
| 1t must be borne in mind that these
figures come from the officers of the State,
without reference to their views upon pro-
hibition, and are therefore not subject to
the imputa lion of being the product of
fanaticism. In our letters stated that we
wanted the facts, whether favorable or un-
| favorable to prohibition. We believe the
facts were given, and that the figures pre-
sented are as authentic as can possibly be
obtained.
In these sixtysix counties there were 7O8
saloons prior to May lst, 1881, the date
that the prohibitory law took effect There
are now, in the same territory, 3l3 saloons,
$50 or over one-half of which are in Leaven-
worth, leaving but l53 saloons IN the sixty
six counties, not including Leavenworth.
Prohibition in less than two years has
closel 395 saloons. During this time the
popu alton has increased II per cent. If
our saloons kept pace with the population,
we would now have 1872 saloons, so that in
reality prohibition has prohibited 479
Saloons IN Gne Cerr1GOry named.
Prior to May 1st, 1881, there were saloons
in every one of these sixty-six counties
To-day the 3l3 saloons in existence are con-
fined to twenty-five counties, over half the
mum Der being in q single county. Prohibi-
tion has therefore absolutely driven the
saloons out of forty-0ne counties in which
they existed under license
ssyou can't convict the saloon-keepers''
has be en- SO ufften repeated that many regard
it as an automatic truth. In the early
stages of prosecutions it was difficult to con-
vict. But the reports of the officers who
have charge of this class of cases show that,
as general proposition, it is far from the
truth. In the district courts of these
counties there have been 460 cases tried,
resulting in 35l convictions, 81 acquittals
and 81 hung juries, or seven convictions out
of every nine es tried.
In Justice courts there have been SIP cases
tried, with 37S convictions, IS acquittals,
and SO hung juries, or convictions in three
fourths If all cases tried. In these cases
the fines impos I'd amount to $95, 200. In
addition to these fines there have been 81
saloon keepers imprisoned for various
periods of time, aggregating l37 months and
| 10 days, or ii years, months and 10 days.
There has been larger proportion of con-
victions in WIN sky cases than ia any other
class of cases tried, as reference to the
criminal docket of any court in the State
will prove. There are now pending in the
district courts OF the 2lS cases, showing
vigorous determination to complete the
work so well begun.
In fifty-one of these counties the reports
all agree that the principle of prohibition is
growing stronger with the people. In seven
1t is reported weaker, while it remains the
| same in eight. This, of course, is mere
matter of Judgment. If prohibition can
| accomplish these results in thirty months,
who can say the experiment has failed
Or, how long will it be until the unyielding
sentiment of loyalty will crush out the 3l3
struggling saloons still running?
We have learned from such unimpeachable
authorities as Ex-Governor Dingley, of Lew
Cultol ol GilC SiilCl pdpcl AZ 1uC OUeseC
Of Maine,' member of Congress and sworn
enemy of the bond whisky bill, that while
! in the year 1882 only four cents per inhab-
liant were collected on the manufacture and
sale of alcoholic stimulants in Maine, one
dollar and forty cents pr inhabitant were
collected in the United States at large. So
We learn from the same authority that
though the prohibitory law was overthrown
in Maine four years after its first inactment
in 1851, the people, after two years trial of
license, returned to prohibition, and now
for twenty-six years it has been steadily
gaining until no party dares to be its enemy.
ANOTHER CITIZEN.
| LIST OF LETTERS