The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-29
CANADA'S MIND
Is Made Up to Vote on PrOhibi-
tiOn.
The Entire Northern Half of
the Continent
MAY BE UNDER RULE
Of the Temperance Element
Pretty Soon.
One Province Has Already
Given $4,000 Majority.

Ottawa, Ont, May 29.-The new lib
era1 government of the Dominion went
into office last July with the distinct
pledge to give to the people of Canada
total prohibition against the manufac.
ture and sale of Intoxicating liquors in
the country if they desired it. Upon the
first opportunity the government pro-
poses to fulfill that pledge and has now
prepared a bill to submit to parliament.
which provides for the taking of a
plebiscite on the prohibition question.
1t was intended several weeks ago to
adopt a policy resembling that of the
Swiss referendum, to pass a prOhibitive
law, and then invite the people to pass
their opinion upon it. Such bill, if
submitted to- the electorate, might car
ry, and there would be no alternative
but to put a prOhibitOry law into oper-
alton and grapple with the problem of
making up the loss of revenue that
would Immediately rise. The govern
ment, therefore, came to the conclusion
to nave the plebiscite first, and to be
guided in its subsequent policy by the
result of the vote.
Two questions, and probably a third
are now to be put to the people. The
electorate will be asked, in the first
place, whether they favor prohibition
and next, whether they approve of di-
rect taxation, which, the government
has decided, the adoption of prohibition
will involve. 1t is quite possible also
that the popular opinion upon compen-
satiOn to the liquor trade will be sought.
The date when the plebiscite will be
taken is still open to debate, but will
probably be within a few months. Ger
tain it is that if the people We're asked
to vote merely upon the first question
prOpounded, the measure would carry
in the whole dominion by an over
Whelming majority. Were it not for
the element of direct taxation which
must be imported into the election con-
test, the plebiscite would sweep the
country.
Ontario has already declared for pro
hibttIon by 1000 plurality, and Nova
Scotia, N. Brunswick, Prince Edward Is
and Manitoba have passed in it's favor
by correspondingly large majorities
Yet equally certain it is that the horror
with Which the idea of direct taxation
seems to inspire the masses of the peo-
pie viii render the outcome of the sub
mission of the pIebiscite questions to
the people as anything other than a
foregOne conclusion.
If prohibition were now applied to- this
country the revenue of the dominion to
the amount of IS, ,000, 900 would be wiped
out at once, and would have to be made
up by direct taxation. The usual
source of revenue by customs duties
of last year, less the revenue from Ii
quors and wines, was not quite SIS, ,0OO.-
600, making the average rate of duty 50
per cent. Now, if it is proposed to
make up for the loss on liquors by high
er duties on all of the other impOrta-
tiOns, the custom houses would have to
yield about SIG, ,OO0, 000 which would
raise the average scale of duty to 48 per
cent.
Compensation would have to be made
for the destruction of the immense bus
mess and property interests at present
embraced in the liquor trade. There
are now $50 brewing and mailing estab-
lishments in Canada, which represent
an invested capital of $40 900, 900. There
are also eight distilIeries and Al wine
makink esta bIshnents having a cant
tai of S7,500,000. These industries en-
ploy in the neighborhood of 5000 per-
sons and pay in wages over 81, 500 900
per annum.
On taking this plebiscfte the govern
ment had decided that a bare majority
at the polls will be insufficient to justf-
fy the enacting of a prohibitory law
There must be a clear majority of the
total voting strength of the country's
electorate. - -