The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-03-29

Cambridge, Mass.
Cambridge has been having an interest
ing and valuable experience in dealing
| with the saloon curse.-an experience
| which has in it a lesson for many other
places. The following is the way the
Detroit Journal tells the story:
In the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
which, besides the tudents of Harvard
college, has a population of GO, 900, the
saloon keepers got possession of the license
board, and, with their usual shortsighted-
ness and s%elfishness, proceeded to make a
farce of the high license law which in Mas
sachusetts is determined by township local
option.
Tired and disguised with this nullifica-
ton of even 4 restraining law, the MAORI
ty Of the citizens lost patience and at the
annual election voted for ono license
which meant prohibition. A league was
formed with an executive committee of
university professors, lawyers, doctors,
editors and business men, to SEQ that pro-
hibition was enforced. They had 4 con-
siderable fame to their credit and gave the
mayor and police to understand that the
law was to be executed.
Thu law was executed impartially.
Saloon keeper after saloon keeper was,
much to his surprise, convicted; the pro-
prietor of the largest hotel ran away to
avoid imprisonment; students drinking
| clubs were broken up and their members
heavily fined, until vigorous action prac-
tically ended the sale of liquor in Cam
bridge.
After a year of experiment what were
the results? The society published
them in its bulletin just previous to the
election, when the question was to come
up. Doctors, proprietors of tenement
houses and others who came in contact
with the poor were asked for their exper-
fences. The concurrent testimony showed
that houses were in better condition, chill
dren better clothed; better food Oh the
tables; better work done in the shops;
more prompt attendance at work, especial
ly after pay day; prompt payment of rents
and accounts.
An exciting campaign was begun. The
association and the saloon keepers were on
opposite sides. The campaign committee
found no trouble in getting funds, even
from those who had previously voted for
license. The clergy, including the liberal
Prof. Peabody, of the university, and the
priest of tie largest Catholic church in the
astu oh ,arA -. H. ,t-- NJ
wives of the w~orkingmen were almost
unanimously hostile to license. The city,
by a large majority, again voted ''no
license" and re elected the mayor who had
been very active in enforcing the law.
Tn saloon keepers gave up and moved
out. Sly attempts at bar-rooms in the
kitchens were made, but these were rooted
out by the police. Notwithstanding the
nearness of Boston, arrests for assaults
and other crimes growing out of liquor,
for vagabondage and for drunkenness,
have fallen off. On the other hand. sales
OF coal by the quarter ton have almost dis
placed the basketfuls that were formerly
disposed Of; milk dealers, furniture sellers
on the instaliment plan, all report an in
crease of trade. Besides the saloons the
only trades that have been depressed are
pawnbroking and second hand clothing
establishments. In the Irish quarter and
the working peoples part of the city the
increase of the vote in favor of prohibition
was larger than anywhere else. Only
forty places in the whole city are now I'M
der suspicion of selling liquor, where be-
fore there were nearly ten times that num-
Der Of open saloons.