Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-02-10
THE REsueMlssloN QUESTION.

The resubmission bill has been
killed in the house. and h matter
will probably not come up again at
this session. Had the resubmisslon
bill passed and did it pass again two
years hence. and go to the people, it is
more than likely it would be voted to
continue the present prohibition law.
unless a bill should be so framed
and provided that the temperance men
in the state would themselves agree
to a method of local option. with
stringent enforcement of provisions
for the regulation of the liquor traffic,
Resubmission will come, in the
opinion of the Tribune. from the tenn
perance element itself. and not from
the saloon element. To the readmis-
sion of the open n u~nregulated
saloon to the state there is and will
continue to be an unalterable oppOsi-
tien. But when the majority is con
WINGED, as it will be in the future, that
there is a better way to regulate the
liquor traffic and minimize the re-
sultant evil. the present prohibitory
system will be abolished and a system
giving better results. from the stand
selves. will be adopted.
There is a very sensible presentation
of the whole matter in Sundays Pho
neer Press which is worthy the care
full reading of every advocate of either
resubmission or prohibition. as fol-
lows:
The question of state prohibition or
local option. submitted to the people
of Vermont after half a century of
experience under a prohibition law.
has been decided. by a small major
ity. against prohibition. The outcome
must not. however. be looked upon as
a victory for the liquor traffic. Rather
it means that the people of Vermont,
dissatisfied with the results Of state
prohibition in suppressing the evils Of
the traffic. have turned 20 a stringent
local option law as likely to be more
effective and as doing away with the
hooh VI OAuSAui IL pull 10y uiiNCi WIiSh
an ~unregulated traffic in intoxicants
prevailed in many localities. particu-
larly in the large cities. to the mani
fest lowering of public morality and
reverence for law. The change is the
work of temperance men rather thar
of "rummies." And the conviction
which is coming to multitudes Of such
men. where not blinded by devotion to
an impracticable ideal. that the ends,
of temperance reform NAV be better
achieved by other means than by an
attempt to enforce prohibition in I'M
willing communities. is not unlikely
to bring about similar changes in the
few states still adhering t the gospel
of Neal Dow
~'"Prohibiti0n prohibits, in every To-
calitv where the preponderant public
sentiment condemns the use of intoX-
icants as a beverage. That is. while
it will not prevent the man determined
on such use from gratifying his anpe-
tite at least occasionally, it will and
does make any attempt to carry on
LIQUOR selling so p~erilous and SO tn
profitable that there is small induce
ment to violate the law. Prohibition
does not prohibit on the contrary,
where the use of intoxicants is looked
unon az one of the rights of man with
which the state cannot properly inter
fere so long as its indulgence is kent
within bounds not inconsistent with
public order. In such localities. then
experience recommends other methods
of preventing abuses and other meth
DDS Of winning men TO habits Of absti
hence. These statements constitute
the groundwork of the local option
idea, which in Massachusetts, has &c
complished far more for temperance
than prohibition has accomplished II
any state where tried. and which i;
now given the preference over rrohi
bition in Vermont.
''Vermont's new law doe not ALLOW
unrestricted traffic in liquors. even il
localities which favor liquor-sellins
The number of licenses which may b
issued is limited. The licenses com
high: one permitting the sale of al
kinds OF liquors costing 81 200 per an
nun. a beer license something less
and a drug store license, permittin.
the sale on prescriptions only. 500
year. Strict police control over q
saloons is a feature of the law. Con
muuities which desire no saloons ar
free 10 prohibit them. IT is believe
that in Vermont as elsewhere the col
trast afforded by the superior ordo
cleanliness m prosperity OF no
cense towns as compared with thos
fayo-ing the saloon will @ tn
steady increase of the dry localities
as in Massachusetts and in Ceorgi
And in wet localities the police reg
lations under the new law are locke
upon as tending to a great improv
ment in conditions prevailing und'
ihe old mixed regime of prohih'''