Smyrna times., 1886-09-22
Local Option Law in Kent.

nc ICludIh - lIcu uuCllJly uldtlC Dy
the enemies of prohibition that the
Local Option Law is failure in Mary
land-that there is as much drunken
ness there as there ever was. The fol-
lowing admission from a man who is
not a temperance man, nor never affilia-
ted with them, but all the time an un-
comprising democrat-the editor of the
Chestertown transcript ought to be
taken as good testimony in this par
ticular. The last issue of that paper
contains following editorial:
"In some of the counties of
the State where the local option
idea is just being urged for prac-
tical consideration, there is in pro-
gress the usual bitter fight between its
friends and foes. It's friends claim that
the prohibition law will anihilate
drunkenness. Its foes claim that the
prohibition law will actually increase
the sale of rum and cOrrelatively,
drunkenness. As Kent county is fire.
Quently pointed to by both sides as an
illustrative proof of both sides Of the
case, it may be we'll enough to give a
fair statement of the degrees and failure
of the local option law in this county.
The law has been in operation here
about seven years. The county en-
dOrsed local option in the election of
1878 by large popular majority, and
the next Legislature enacted prohib-
ton law for the county. At first,
great many plans were tried for evading
the law, the favorite among which was
the amateur drug store. Kent county
or n Il e1n
sitiOn TO place n strict construction up
on the law, and the more cautious
abandoned their schemes for evading
it. There were others, however, that
continued to sell in spite of the law.
Some of these have been caught at
times by grand juries, and have been
compelled to pay heavy fines and pen
alties. Others have been forced to
leave the county for fear of conse-
quences. Now there are very few,
probably not more than two or three
places in the county, that sell regularly
and Systematically. There are, of
course, parties who buy at odd times,
quantities ranging from one to five gal
Ions, and retail it from old stables and
other Out-Of-the-Way places. The
steamboat lines do very large trade
in the transportation of demijohns to
and from Baltimore. These are mostly
for private use, though of course the
retailers from demi Johns make up
some of the traffic. As to the amount
of Whiskey consumed in the county
and as to the question of increase or
decrease of drunkenness, there can be
but one opinion. Any fair-minded OBJ
server, whether he be in favor of free
Whiskey or of no whiskey, must con-
cede that there is not One-ffth the
whiskey consumed in this county, and
not One-tenth the drunkenness there
was when the sale of whiskey was
legaliZed. OF course there are still
cases of drunkenness. But are almost
exclusively confined to person who ac-
quired drinking habits fifteen or TWEEN
ty years ago. A man staggeringly in
tOxicated, instead of being common, is
now very rare sight indeed, to see
young man under twenty-five years of
age, intoxicated. The fashion setting
the drinks in a public place, has lost
all its eclat in this county. For several
passed, the whiskey men fought it bit
CCIly' GSpeCldlly III every year III
which representatives to the Legisla-
ture were elected, the whiskey ques-
ton became more or less of an issue,
both in the primaries and at the gener-
al election. The leading politicians,
however, avoided making it direct
issue. The fight against the local op-
tiOn law is continually losing force.
The whiskey question entered less into
the last legislative contest. There is a
growing sentiment throughout the
county in favor Of the law and if put to
vote this year, it would undoubtedly
be carried by a larger majority than in
1878"
Now contrast the above with the fol-
lowing from the Georgetown Democrat
Of Sussex county.
Let the Democrats then grid on
their armor and defend our state from
any sudden attack on the part of our
old foe the Republican party, the
mewling and puking infant in its
nurses arms the miscalled Temper
ance party, or any other contemplated
form of opposition which may attempt
an organization in our State"