Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1889-06-28
"A Significant Reaction.

From the Pioneer Eflss. y r.
And now little Rhode Island has risen in her
might aud thrown OF the yoke Of prohibition
Three years, ago prohibition amendment. was
adopted in that state By majority Of 6ooa and II
is now repealed By q majority Of 1860. 1t VS.
repealed because prohibition had pIoycd an un
mitigated curse. Its practical effect was to re.
oylDTery restrietion ftom the sale OF intoxicat
ing1iquors and deliver over every city III the safe
to the reign Of free ram, The people Of Rhode
Island have had enough Of prohibition aud they
voted 1t down last Thursday by over three times
the majority which they gave three years ago i'll
favor OF the experiment. Following close ui.'n
the tremendous defeat Of prohibition IN PENN.
sylvanis two days before. 1t Is significant OF the
Increasing energy OF the reaction against prohi-
bition which has been illustrated By its rejection
In every state where prohibiso,y amendments
have been submitted to the popular vets during
the last two years During this period nine
states have refused to adopt prohibition amend
nlents by the following mijorities
Michigau......... .....:.6!5 " Hhmpshire."..5.000
Texas...........y266! Massachusetts. .....4t ,552
Tennessee ...G' S9S rsnns!isania isS' e e0e
Oregon ..........7.9St Rhode Island ......is, 596
West Virginia. .....355H
The only states In which state prohibition
and the pureIyrural states Of Iowa and Kansas
There are few cities Of any considerable size In
either of these states but il. every such city in
all the three prohibition states it has been prac'
t;csily dead letter, except for brief periods OF
time, since the policy was adopted. 1t cannot
be long before 1t Is abandoned even in these its
first and las! stronsholds for the same reasons
which have induced its rejection elsewhere.
The prohibition policy is not III favor With
ito practical common sonsc Of the American
people, because their practical cornmon scnse
hah found Il tar moro etlicacious way OF dealing
with the liquor question. Experience has
demonstrated that prohibition can easily be en-
forced III small rnrel communities where public
sentiment is Overwhelmingly or largely IN favor
oft. 1t has demonstrated with equal certainty
that 1t cannot be enforced in large centers Of
population, and that In such places prohibition
means simply frae rum. Hence the general mp
proval Of tho policy which prevails in Minneso-
Ia and several other states. and which Is en-
bodied In the phrase High license aud local
option Local option means prohibition In
places where public sentiment Is strong enough
to enforce It, and the stringent forms OF re.
strctiou and regulation in places where 1t can-
not be enforced. This plan has recently been
adopted 10 Pcnnsy lrAniu and 1t Is the popular
approval OF this common sense mctllad OF deal
Ing with the liquor traffic which accounts for
the overwhelming defeat Of the state prohib tion
humbug In that state. high license itself oper-
ates IS form OF prohibition In many localities
where public sentiment IS not strong enough to
sustain no-llcense policy. Many a county
cross. roads saloon has been driven out of the
business By the inability OF its proprietor TO pay
the high license fixed by the law Hundreds of
low doggeries the favorite resort OF the vicious
and dsorderly element. and the viles. nurseries
Of vice and crime. have been compelled to 20
out OF the business. The saloonkecpers that are
able 10 continue In the business are un der severe
restrictions In the interest Of public order and
pIhiI morals. and they obliged to pay such
heavy contributions into the Golfers OF the
municipality rs constitute q sensible relief to
the taxpayer. There can be ~ doubt that this
policy Of high license and local option Is the
most sensible and feasible means of dealing
with the liquor question which has ever boon
tried In this country. It is very likely before
many years to be adopted in every state of the
Cnion, and with Its general adoption 1t csnnot
fail to tell powerfully in the diminuton Of the
evils OF intemperanCe.