Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-08-01
Progress Of Prohibition IN the South.

| A State Senator OF Iowa, the lion
p. NJ. Sutton, has been investigating
for the Chicago Tribune the condi-
ton of the States of Kentucky and
West Virginia in regard of the Pro
hibition movement. His inquiry
has evidently been above the grade
of merely perfunctory journalistic
examination. Prohibition is one Of
the living topics in Iowa, where the
Prohibitionists have got the liquor
sellers down and are havinga a hard
fight to keep them down. Senator
Sutton finds that local option is es-
tablished in both Kentucky and
West Virginia, and that the traffic is
absolutely prohibited in 81 out of117
counties in Kentucky and in 40
counties out of 54 in West Virginia.
In West Virginia the option is vested
in the county court, and that body
can refuse license even after the
common council of a town has as
sented to It's issue, if the court thinks
the common welfare of the people of
the locality requires refusal. In
Kentucky the Legislature has
granted special acts establishing Pro-
hibition in counties asking for it,
and there is u general law under
which any civil district or town or
city can vote Prohibition at special
election. A large number of towns
have Prohibition, and in many cases
Prohibition is established within a
specified distance of church.
In Louisiana, Mississippi and
Texas local option is authorized by
law, and obtains in many parishes
and counties.
1t is to be observed that in these
States Prohibition is the work of the
Democratic party, which has the
enthusiastic support OF the Republi-
cans; consequently the matter takes
on a non-partisan aspect to certain
extent. What is known as the Pro-
hibition party in the Northern States
does not exist in the South, and the
work of Prohibition does not in any
respect interfere with entire freedom
of party action on political topics.
The Prohibition movement may
be called movement for the repres-
sion of crime its origin in Kentucky
was distinctly Of that character, and
it is regarded more as a measure of
criminal legislation than as meas
ure in aid of morality. In other
words, it is not directed against
liquor because liquor is intoxicating,
but against liquor because intoxica-
ton is cause of crime. To state it
differently, it is not legislative at
tempt to bring the power of statutory
obligation to the assistance of moral
suasion, but merely an effort to re-
strict the danger, damage and ex-
pense of crime by uprooting its most
fruitful source. 1t is in this aspect
that the success of Prohibition is
furnishing another Illustration Of the
truth of the adage that nothing sue
ceeds like success, the movement is
so rapidly growing that it is likely
to conquer the entire South, except
the large cities.
1t is to be expected that those
Southern States which have not al
ready provided general local option
laws will soon fall into line with the
great movement; and possibly an
Improvement on the form of such
laws usually enacted could be effect
ed by taking hint from the remark
able law of West Virginia. Reverse
the ordinary process, let the election
be for license instead of for Prohibi-
ton, and if the votes for license are
not an absolute majority of the reg
istration, let license be refused; un-
der such a rigid law Prohibition
would Immediately be established in
most of the agricultural counties and
probably in many towns also.
Prohibition is now established in
more than half the counties Of Mary
land, and in many counties of North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana,
Texas and Missouri. In Tennessee
and Arkansas useful provision ex-
lists whereby liquor cannot be sold
within certain distance of an edu-
cational institution; in Tennessee
the distance is four miles, but the
law does not apply to towns. This
has led to the curious spectacle of
towns surrendering their charters In
order to bring their territory under
the prohibitory operation of the stat
ute. New Orleans Picayune.