The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-23
Il prohihit,on losing Ground2

4
The immense majority against constitu-
tional prohibition in the Pennsylvania cleo
ton last Tuesday suggests the inquiry
/ whether the sentiment in favor CT constitu-
tional prohibition is not on the decline.
Such an inquiry does not admit Of an in
! ference that the sentiment in favor Of tenn
perance is on the decline The sentiment in
favor Of TEMPERANCE is stronger now
throughout the entire country than ever
before. There appears to be a growing
conviction. however, that constitutional, or
even statutory, prohibition is not the best
means for promoting the cause Of temper
ance. This conviction is based upon facts
gathered in states in which prohibition has
been, or is being, tried.
In the Pennsylvania election a strong
prohibition vote was cast in the rural dis
tricts, but in the cities the prohibition vote
YVES remarkably light. In p ailadelphia. for
instance, p. 900 voted for prohibition and
5000 against it. 1t is safe to say that at
least half of those who voted against it
would like to see every dram shop
closed. They voted against pro-
hibition, however, because they
believed that q prohibitory law could not
be inforced in Philadelphia, or any other
large city, and that the evils which flow
from strong drink would be far greater
under prohibition than under high licen,e
system. Philadelphia now has high license,
and it gives very general satisfaction in
that city.
The experience is that prohibition can be
inforced in the rural districts. and that is
the reason, doubtless. that outside of the
large towns the prohibition vots in Penn
sylvania was so large. In the rural DIS
tricts the sentiment in favor of prohibition
is SO strong that there is no difficulty in iIl-
forcing prohibitory law. The people are
temperate and there are compare
lively few dram shops The MORN
ING NEWS suggested some time ago
that it would be advisable for every
state TO have local option law, in order
that the counties in which prohi ition can
be inforced might have prohibition. The
cities should be encouraged to adopt high
license. With local option and high license
it would not be long before the entire coun-
try would be pretty close to prohibition.
AT least drunkenness, and crimes which are
directly .traceable to strong drink, would
be greatly diminished.
The prohibition movement began to at
tract attention eight OF nine years ago.
Within that period fourteen states and one
territory have votei on the question of con-
stitutional prohibition. In six of them,
including the territory, there were maj ,ri.
In Of u -
force, viz: Kansas and Maine. 1t was in
force in Rhode Island until lst Wednesday,
when it was annulled by far larger ma
jority than that by which it was adopted.
1t was found impossible to inforce it in that
state.
In Kansas there is still a very strong SEN
timent in favor Of it, Notwithstanding the
assertion that in large towns, like Atcliso
and Wichita, it is a total failure. 1t an
swerS admirably there in the rural districts.
The results Of its workings in Maine are
about the same as those in Kansas
No doubt the prohibition question will be
submitted to the people of other states. In
deed, in several states preparations are
now being made to test pub
lie sentiment with regard to it.
The present outlook, however, is that in
none of them will it be adopted 1t is
probable that prohibition will be abandoned
in the states in which it exists before it is
adopted by any other. Its signal defeat in
Pennsylvania and its repeal in Rhode
Island indicate that the prohibition move
mentis losing ground. The tendency of the
friends of temperance is to advocate nigh
license for cities and local option for the
rural districts.