The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-05-04

Q
some 5000 of them, many of them
with families"
The Prohibition Defeat in Massachu-
sets.
Baltimore Sun.
The defeat of the proposed
prohibitory amendment to the
constitution Of the State of Massa-
chusetts by majority of 1852 is
an event of no. little Importance for
the future of prohibition. 1t is a
deliberate and very emphatic declar-
alton on the part of the most pro
gressivc and influential of the New
England States that, as regards the
liquor question, regulation by a
proper system of licenses is prefera.
BILE to attempted prohibition. The
people of the Bay State decide to re-
tain their local-option law, which
allows every town and city to regu-
late the sale of lntoxicNnts within
its own territory, and not to expert
ment with more ambitious but
less efficient weapon. The experience
of Maine, as related not long since by
Gen. Neal Dow, is anything but en-
couraging. In the rural districts of
Maine, prohibition prohibits fairly
well, but in the larger towns and
cities, the liquor traffic and dram
drinking are carried on openly.
Where the local sentiment favors a
rigid enforcement Of the prohibitory
law there it succeeds, but where the
majority is against it the local au-
thorities chosen by the people ap-
point policemen who allow the sa-
loon keepers to do pretty much as
they please. The existence of a
constitutional provision prohibiting
the regulation of the traffic by
licenses becomes under circumstan-
ces, it is found, great obstacle. In
Ohio, for example, there was for
years no restriction on saloon keep
ers, and drunkenness increased
beyond all bounds, because the Leg
islature was forbidden by the consti-
tuition to recognize the legality OF
the traffic in liquor by licensing
it. Absolute prohibition having
been found by experience, to be
impracticable, the growing senti-
ment of the country appears to favor
singh license and local option as
the best means of restricting the IL
quor evil. High license, besides re-
stricting the evil, has the merit of
tightening to very great extent the
burdens of Taxpayers capital
recommendation. The excellent re-
suits of the local option system are
illustrated in this State, where every
county that desires prohibition has
it and enforces it. The result in
Massachusetts, indicates the prevail
ence of the local option sentiment in
that State, not as might be supposed,
a complete change of views on the
temperance question. Other States
have recently by their votes shown
that the tendency of the times is
toward severe regulation rather than
the more extreme program. Should
the vote in Pennsylvania in June
next be unfavorable to the prohibit
tory amendment then to be voted on,
the event would 60 far to indicate
that this tendency is general. A
notable circumstance of Massachu-
sets, vote is the practical unanimity
with which the cities pronounce
against prohibition. But one of the
twenty-five cities of the State voted
"yes." Places which not long since
gave good majorities for local option
stood out strongly against making
the prohibition general. Cider, it
appears, was potent factor in de-
Gliding the votes of the farmers, de-
spite the entreaties of members of the
Women's Christian Temperance I'm
ion, and they voted freely against re-
stricting their production and con
sumption of that rather dangerous
beverage. The result is that every
Congressional district but one went
"wet." The political consequences
of this Waterloo for the Massachu-
sets prohibitionists may turn out
to be very considerable. 1t prom
Uses large losses to the Republicans
in future elections, the threat of the
third party men being that they will
next fall "knife" any sslicense" candi-
dates the Republican party may
nominate.
Oklahoma exceeds the widest ex-
pectations for-bloodshed, suffering
and being crowded beyond it's ca
pacity and many boomers have re-
traced their footsteps, vowing never
to return. This is wise. Though
the country is a fine one, peaceful
man could never combat with the
wild and woody" element. Luckily,
the number of West Viroinians