Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-09-24
Prohibition at the West.

A correspondent OF the New York
World has been investigating the work
ing of the prohibtory laws in the West.
ern States which have tried prohibition
lie found that in Kansas, where the law.
makes imprisonment accompany he fine
for first offence, the sale of liquor has
been driven from the saloons to the drug
stores, which are permitted to sell upon
physicians prescriptions. The wholesale
liquor dealers admit u consequent de
crease Of 20 per cent in their sales III Kan
sas. The decrease is probably lareer than
that. Five breweres still exist in Kan
SaS.
In Iowa, the large proportion of Ger
mans in the population has made it prac-
IDEALLY impossible to enforce The law in the
larger towns and cities. Thus in Daveu-
port, out of II population of $4,000, ii, 600
are Gecmans, and it is impossible TO get
any jury to convict n person for violation
OF the p"ohibltory law there. or in Du
buque. Clinton, or Burlington. To meet
ibis trouble the Clark bill provided for
the summary closing of places for manu-
featuring or selling liquor, as public nu-
sances by wit of injunction from the
courts. 1t is an open question whether
this law will stand. The federal Judges
have decided in three test cases that pro-
pr'etary rights acquired by liquor dealers
or manufacturers before the PASSAGE of
the prohbitory legislation can not be set
aside without full and adequate compen-
adt'Ou 10y The State. The United Siates
supreme Court will be asked to decide
inis pO'nt at an early day. TO pay eour
millions TOR the % breweries in operation
in Iowa and to pay saloon keepers for
their property involves burden the Iowa
people are not ready to assume Until
this question is settled nothing more will
be done in the way of stopping the manu-
facture of liquor. But the temperance
people have accomplished some things
They have broken up the saloons in all of
the small towns of the State. They have
closed open saloons in the capital of the
State. They have broken up social treat
ing in all he towns where the open So
looms have been closed They have made
ii very difficult for minor to obtain
liquor They say that they have Only be
gun to intorce the law.
Michigan bias renOunced prohibition and
adopted "A tax law. Indiana is beginning
to look toward local option law Illinois
has Il number Of local option counties
ONO has settled down to a high license
law. Missouri is nearly ready for local
option law. Minnesota has LEGAL option.
The Temperance agitation in the South is
largely a white mans movement for the
better coutrol of the negroes.
These are conclusions of "a correspondent
VINO is probably no believer in the prin-
ciple Of prohibition. One heartily in favot
OF that principle might perhaps have dis
covered more facts in its favor one thing
is clear; that the subject of temperance is
being powerfully agltated all over the
country, and that the question AS to what
sort Of legislation will most restrict the
liquor traffic, is undergoing the test of
practical experiment, in many States, with
the probable result that no absolute rule,
adaptable to all communities can be fixed
one kind of law being more effective
among one class of population and another
law to another