Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-02-06
The Temperance Belt.

nearly coincide with the centre of
the most determined temperance
movement of the present time. The
four states, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas
and Missouri, forming a solid block
at the very heart of the United
States, are the ones that have un-
doubtedly made the most stable adj
vance toward the control of the liq-
uor traffic.
To Kansas undoubtedly belongs
the Leadership in the movements, she
being the only state that has car
ried constitutional prohibition of the
liquor traffic. OF the enforcement
of the law the New York Times
says: To-day in Kansas there
are violations of the prohibitory law,
but these violations are the eXcep-
tons and not the rule, and in that
respect prohibition is about as effec-
tive as capital punishment. 1t reach
es further than the latter, however,
it keeps the curse out of the hands
of the young, and the child cannot
be corrupted before it learns to rea-
son. 1t is easier to escape punish
ment for murder in Kansas than it
is to escape the penalty of selling
Intoxicating liquors, and the man
ufacture of them has entirely ceas-
ed"
The Slocum law under which Ne
braska regulates the liquor trade is,
according to the Times, a combina-
ton of nearly all temperance laws
in existence The chief feature of
this law is the clause which prohib-
its the use of screens or distractions
of any nature to free view from
the outside. The law further pro-
hibits the use of tables or seats of
any kind in barroom or tipping
shop. This law is said to be least
effective in it's results of the four.
Ample means for avoiding this law
have been found in the establish
ment of so-called clubrooms and
lunchrooms. 1t is confidently ex-
pected, however, that such further
restrictions as will put an end to
these circumventions will speedily
be passed.
In Iowa the law which regulates
the sale of liquor has placed the
trade almost entirely in the hands
of the druggists. The theory of the
law is that by increasing the price of
cases of actual need for stlmulants
as medicine. A threefold change is
consequently made on all sales-one
for the prescription, one for the rec
ord and third for the liquor itself.
Although this system imposes
hard-ships in certain cases, its gen
eral effect has proved to be salutary.
The laws of Missouri provide for
local option throughout the state,
but such local option is to be always
subject to high license restrictions
OF the operation of the high license
law in that state the Times says ::
"Under the Downing high license
law of three years ago the rate was
placed on population basis and
elevate d to a degree for city, coun-
try, state aud school purposes, which
was almost equivalent to prohibition.
The effect was to drive out great
many of the low groggeries' and
place the dram shop business in the
hands of better class of men. A
personal liability clause for selling
to habitual drunkards and a strict
Sunday law, rigidly enforced outside
of the city of st. Louis, which OPP
crates under a special Sunday enact
ment, almost revolutionized the traf-
fc in that state" The local option
law is an enactment of last winter, at
which time the druggists and mer-
chants license laws were so amend
ed as to prohibit sales in less guam
titles than five gallons.