, 1886-01-28

o. regard it - about the only fca-:-
lie proposition coming from lie
rrrat army of temperance rcfolmcrs
a-.dc from that # reasonably high
Hecusa. Now, each town or voting
precinct can decide for1t-elf, ny ma
i.rity vote. whether it viii grant.
licenses to sell Iiquor OF not. We DO.
rot believe that any of the principal
towns Of tie Territory viii refn=o to
grant licenses, unless i be Golden
dale. Olympia and Vancouver posi-
b'- noEc EXCEPT tie first named. T.
most all the country precincts, how
nvor, and in many small towns such
Is Ia Conner. Sumner. ChaLaIis and
others there i a probability that pro
hilition may carr Tharois noHika-
Ghool Of prohibition in Port Town
END ! large proportion Of our
ioatinE population l. made up # an
element that seeks grog shops and
the eo!acc Of strong drink for rccre-
alton. Much Of the money brought
into the town and thrown into local
circulation comes through the sd
looms. The large number Of saloons
We have in proportion TO the size cf
the town would indicate rs much.
While we have numerous. coura-
saous and active temperance element
strong enough to poll a considerable
vote. yet we have about one saloon to
very seventy CT our population,
I'D and young: population, 2,0O9:
saloons, 30. There are many TEN
perance people here who would vote
FOR granting licenses, fer several rea-
sons, TWO of which may be mention
ed: 1st, they believe prohibition
would drive a great deal OF trade 10
otAar points; Pad, they DO not be
ficye that prohibition could be en-
| forced here, but that we would have
the evil of rumselling without com
pensating revenue from ii to dcfray
expenses incident upon furnishing
crime occasiJnod by 1t. OF course
such persons would not take the high
moral and ideal ground advocated
generally by the Churches and by all
total abstinence societies; but their
basis of action would be grounded in
reason, common seuse and experience
all the same. We are not giving here
any individual WV, but rather
as it exists; personally, the editor OF
5his paper is to:a, abstainer, has
long been a temperance worker, has
always been an advocate of local op-
ton. worked hard for the adoption of
a local option measure before the
Legislature six years ago, is glad the
present law Is an accomplished fact,
and Is anxious that it may prove wise
beneficial and desirable; to that end
we hope that wherever prohibition Is
carried under this law it will be en-
forced to the letter, and not madc 4
farce. 1t would be impossible to en-
force prohibition in Port Townsend
mot because the town Is below
others in degree of depravity, but be
cause no town as large as Port Town
send and similarly situated would
rigidly respect q prohibition law
| To refuse to grant licenses here, and
then try to punish Illicit selling OF
liquor would simply bring the law
INTO contempt, reduce our municipal
and school revenues, and fail to re
duce crime or immortality. We have
the traffic with Us, on large scale
compared with cur population; it Is
reasonably law abiding and is under
heavy tribute aud wholesome re-
straint. If we Try to root it out a
one fell swoop we shall fail Il We
continue under our present mode OF
dealing with it we will be wise In
other towns and smaller communi-
ties-especially inland-it is far diff
ferent. What is true of Port Town
send is trne perhaps of every leading
town On Puget Sound. In places
where the temperance sentiment
largely predominates, and where the
people desire 10, and can, enforce
prohibition, we believe in allowing
them to do so. That is why we favor
local option. The war OF Temper
ance against Rum began many years
ago and will continue till Prohibition
Will be the rule and not the eXcep-
ton. But the effective domain of
temperance effort it still III moral
suasion, rather than in legal coer-
| cion. To educate the masses up to a
higher plane of thought and action
is tie one grand mission of the TEN
perance workers OF today. You can
not force men to be either temperate
or moral-tspecial!y in free America
where people are so sensitive about
personal liberty, and are SO prone
like wiIlful chlIdren) to set about dc
ing that which is forbidden, if for
nothing else than to demonstrate
their Independence. SO that any at
.empt 10 enforce prohibition, except
where the prohibition sentiment
targeig predominates, must neces-
sarily retard the cause of Temper
ance rather than otherwise. We are
not trying to occupy both sides of
this great question, but rather to
look existing facts squarely in the
face. If any one doubts our asser-
lion that Prohibition will finally
triumph, let him carefully note the