The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-17
The Linaor QuestIon.


friends and opponents Of the anti-bar-
room bill have had few harsh words.
1t would have been rather remarkable if
the bin had been disposed Of 10y the legis-
. lature without "A display of temper and
I charges Of some sort. As the matter
now stands the impression is that both
! the friends and opponents of the bin have
collected money 10 be used legitimately
/ in connection with the bin. 1t is doubt
/ fuI if it viii be shown there has been, or
is now. an intention to attempt 10 use
| the money Improperly
/ IT would Zee q good thing for the state
| if the sale of into2icauts as beverages
could be prevented in every county. EX-
porencc shows. however. that their sale
cannot be prevented in communities in
which public sentiment favors their sale.
The whole matter was thoroughly dis
cussed when the present local option law
was discussed. and il was thought the
prohibiuonists had accepted that law as
settlement Of the liquor controversy in
this state. 1t seems. however. that that
understanding was mistake.
The prohib.uonists now say that tho
liquor mcn opposed the local option law.
We do not remember whether they did
or not. II is only natural that they
should. since their business is
legitimate ore but if that reason had not
existed they may have suspected that it
was the purpose of the prohibiuonists to
have a general prohibition law enacted
just as soon as they had secured enough
counties by means of "a local option to
do so. The prohibitionists have got con-
troll of about two-thirds of the counties
and now they propose controlling the
other third. not by means Of local op-
ton. but by general law.
There would be some justification for
their policy if they could show satisfac-
torily that a prohibitive law could be en-
forced in the counties which have not been
converted to prohibition. This they
cannot do. Therefore. they practically
admit that they are willing to plunge
the counties which have not been
converted to prohibition into troubles of
a disastrous Observation-Disclosures to bus
mess, to peace and morals-for the mere
satisfaction Of saying that they have tri-
umphed in their efforts TO have prohibi-
tion throughout the state.
The counties which have not adopted
prohibition have not intorfered with those
that have. They have assumed that those
counties know what they want and what
is best for them. Why then should the
prohibition counties undertake to dictate
to the counties which have not adopted
prohibition? Surely the counties which
are against prohibition are as well quail
flied to say what they want and what is
best for them as those which have prohi-
bition They certainly ought to be. They
have the better schools and pay the bulk
of the taxes.
We are so confident that the local OPP
ton law is the best solution OF the liquor
question that we cannot help urging that
that law be not iuterfered with. By means
of it the prohibitionists will get control of
the whole state in the course Of time-and
the time may not be very long. Prohibi-
ton by means of local option will be pro-
hibition in fact, not in theory,
as it is in Maine. 1t is bet
ter to go a little slow, and acquire some
thing substantial, than to adopt a pol
icy of haste and accomplish nothing.
When it is seen how badly compulsory
prohibition works in Maine and how well
voluntary prohibition works in the nine
ty-eight counties of Georgia we cannot
understand why the Georgia prohibition
lists are so anxious to abandon voluntary
prohibition and resort to compulsory pro-
hibition. They should be thankful they
have accomplished so much and that their
prospects under the local option law are
so good.
Georgia to-day has less trouble with
the liquor question than almost any other
| state. In Pennsylvania 1t is being dealt
with by means of high license, and is the
source Of almost endless trouble. 1t is so
| troublesome in New York state that the
venerable Bishop Doane, in an address
/ to the Episcopal diocesan convention at
Albany, N. y, last Tuesday, advised as
a solution Of it, that the state should leave
the sale of liquor to be governed by the
law of supply and demand" and should
not undertake to exercise any special
control over the liquor traffic" 1t is ap-
parent that in his opinion it is impossi-
bic to prevent the sale of liquor in com
munities in which public sentiment is
against prohibition. Prohibition in such
communities is productive of greater evils
flowing from liquor than already exist in
/ them.