The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-06-27
From the Philadelphi Times OF 18th.
The Defeat of Prohibition.

prohibition met with n regular wa
terloo yesterday in both city and
State. This city does not poll more
than half the vote for the amend
ment that was conceded to it by its
opponents, and not one-fourth of
what was claimed and confidently
expected by its supporters who
should have been best advised OF
the situation. In fact, it was not
contest mt all it was n landslide
that swept everything before it, and
the large number of the most in
telligcnt and sober citizens who at
tended the polls without persuasion
or drumming, proves that the great
bulk of the friends of temperance
voluntarily opposed constitutional
prohibition. Only by the action of
such citizens could Philadelphia
have rolled up the amazing majority
of $4,000 against the prohibitory
amendment.
But the rural districts were the
hope of the earnest supporters of
prohibition. In this expectation
the supporters of the amendment
have been grievously disappointed.
Every county classed as close or
doubtful swept into the anti-prohi-
bition column one-half the coun
ties positively claimed for the
amendment have given decided ma
iorities against it the counties con-
cedcd against the amendment have
generally doubled on trebled their
expected vote, while the prohibition
strongholds have fallen down to
practically nominal maiorities. A
majority of the counties which vot-
ed in favor of local option more than
fifteen years ago, when there was
less positive temperance sentiment
in the State than there is to-day,
have declared with emphasis against
the experiment of prohibition by
constitutional amendment; and thus
the prohibitory movement has suf-
fered on every side because of the
loss of the major portion of the sin
cere temperance vote of every sec
ton of the State 1t is a Waterloo
for constitutional prohibition but
it is not Waterloo for temperance
or in any measure revulsion
against public sobriety.
This emphatic expression of the
people of Pennsylvania against con-
stitutional prohibition, must not be
misinterpreted rs II backward step
from the severe regulation of the
liquor traffic by statute. The pro
hibitory amendment was submitted
under combination of adverse cir
cumstancc. Had not the present
high license system been adopted by
the same Legislature that first pass
ed the amendment, and thus given
the people full year of trial of
greatly improved but still imperfect
license law, there would have been
tens of thousands of votes cast for
prohibition yesterday which were
east against it, The long trial of
high license the admitted benef-
cent results which followed it, and
the Judgment of several New Eng
land States which had experimental
iii prohibition, and voted against it
within the last few weeks, were
grave obstacles in the way of prohi-
bition i'll Pennsylvania and to
these must be added the general
unwillingness of the conservative
voters of the State to make the pro-
hibition experiment by constitution
al amendment that could not be re.
yised, when it might be as well done
by statute.
SO far from Pennsylvania taking Il
step backward on the great ques,
tion of public sobriety, the verdict
of yesterday was practically won by
those who took the field for better
temperance theory than prohibition
They were not enthusiastic theorists
but intelligent, practical philan
thropists, from the pulpit, from the
ranks of physicians, lawyers and
business men, and they feared re
yulsion in the now visible tide o.
temperance reform by unenforceC
Constitution and at last equal if no
increased dissipation with lawless
ness added. Full one half. an,
probably two-thirds, of the entir,
vote cast against the prohibitor,
amendment yesterday would revol
hcroically against any backwar,
step i'll the positive restraints of tn,
liquor traffic and any effort look
ing to even an approximate return
TO the old license system would onl,
call out another advance in the re
strictive features of our license laws
Let no one assume that the result
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