The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-15
HOW PROHIBITION WORKS.

In prohibition paper published in
New York, called The Voice, we find
nearly page devoted to Utah affairs,
with portraits of prominent citizens.
but it is not that which has attracted
our attention, although the marked
copy sent to us was intended TO do so.
We find some frank admissions on
the prohibition question which will be
of interest to the delegates to the con-
stitutional convention and others who
have to consider the question of pro-
Inhibition just now.
First, the Voice endorses the Nichol-
son bill in Indiana, particulars of
which have been given in these COL
unlns, and which is really a local OPP
ton law on the principle advocated
by The Herald. And it appears by
what the Voice says, to be regarded
with great favor by a great many tenn
perance advocates.
Next, the Voice contains a commu-
nication from Cortland, New York,
which gives particulars of the work
ing of a mo license" law in that town.
1t is written by prohibitionist, so
the admissions may be regarded as
correct, because the writer is in favor
of the mo license plan. He says:
At the town elections for the
past four years mo license"
has carried by decisive ma
jorities, and as a result there
have been no licenses granted for two
years. For a little time after the old
licenses had expired the rummies We're
very shy about selling 1iquor-in fact,
one or two moved their business to
Homer; but they soon began to sell
more or less openly. and before year
Rad passed were all openly and def
antly plying their devilish trade.
About the time the excise board
passed under the control of the tenn
perance element Acknowledgement
league was formed, funds were raised,
and the prosecution of lawbreakers
was placed in the hands of an execu-
tive committee, which employed de-
tectives to get evidence, which 1T did
in abundance, and quite a number OF
arrests were made. W. Martin Jones,
of Rochester, was engaged ito conduct
the prosecutions, and big results We're
lesser rummies followed and fines
were imposed.
Then came the arrest Of one a little
more ''tony," against whom the evil
dence of the detectives was so very
damaging he had to call on his friends
to help him out. Bankers and busi-
ness men were brought into court,
who deliberately swore they would not
believe the detectives under oath, al
though they did not know them and
had never seen them until they We're
placed on the witness stand. The case
was tried in police court before a ju-
ry, which failed to agree, there being
one man on the Jury who evidently
was favorable to "the trade" and he
stood out against the rest Of
the jury, who were all for
conviction, thus causing a mis-
trial. Whether it was owing to a lack
of funds or of sand ON the part of
the committee that the prosecutions
collapsed at this point does not APP
pear, but from that time to the pres
ent no attempt has been made to
check the sale of liquor.
This goes to show that prohibition
does not prohibit where there is not a
very large majority of the people
not merely theoretically,
in favor Of it. But the strongest evf-
dence in this regard is given given by
the great Prohibitionist. General Neal
Dow himself. 1t is in response to some
comments of the Portland, Maine,
Press, and tells how prohibition works