The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-01


And as the evening twllgh fades away,
Tho sky is filled with stars, invisible by
day. 3s3 S5is
AZ -----=--== "a "A
The Temperance Movement.
In tho January number Of tho Atlantic
Monthly Mr.. Frank Toxcroft shows tll Mt
during the past several years there has
been d drift away from prohibition.
Maine led the way for prohlb ton LIN Il. Y
1896 Probationary laws were enacted q
in Massachusetts and Vermont in 1852
nnd In New Hampshire in q $50 and FrN
Rhode Island, Connecticut, I Delaware. M n
diana Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan, 1lli-5
ilois, Iowa and North and South Dakota i
at different times and for varying Pc
RODS adopted the same system. But OIL =
these fifteen States, which nt8one time
or another have tried state prohibit o Ion,
all but tErec--N1aine, Kansas and North
Dakota have abandoned II, . 4 s8
That statement by itself would be dis
couluging to tcmperanccBadvo ties. ;8yy'1'lf 4.
tho abandonment of prohibition, says
Mr.. Toxcroft, ''had been tended by
an increase Of drunkenness, both might,
bc attributed to a lowered moral tone
In the populations, but tho reverse r''t IS
true. Whatever fluctuations may appear
In short periods 81 Of time or In some
localities "A hero can be no doubt that
during tic last half century there has
been "a grcnt Improvement In the habits
OF the American people q t large In tom
perancc The excessive use OF intoXicat-
ing liquors Is not so common as It 4Nyus
fifty years ago. I t carries with IT a
deeper social stigmn;&it is taken into
account In lifo insurance tables and pre-
MUM rates; and to an increasing "a X-a;
tont&itGis discouraged ma highly piAc-
teal way blythe regulations Of corpo rn--
tons ana other large employ en- which.
require strict temperance, mot total
abstinence, of4theirs employ cs.8s5NVc have,
therefore, to cxplnlnsa change from y
moro rigorous to q less rigorous form
or legislation against the 5llGuor traffic
which is #coincldcnt with q deepening de-
|
Improvement in sobrlety."
1T will be observed that Mr.. Foxcroft
speaks of State prohibition, which means
THAT the drift has boon way from gem
eral laws applying the J, whole State to
locnlE option. Local option does not mean
prohibition as SO many people seem to
Think. Local option means simply that
each and every locality is left free to
settle the liquor question for itself. Some
times local option decides for the license
system ana sometimes for prohibition.
But each and every community under
the local option system is a law unto
| itself on this subject. Its at last con-
| coded that Il prohibition law cannot be
successfully enforced unless backed by
strong political sentiment. There may
be u majority in tho State at large in
| favor of$prohibition. and yet in the same
state there may be localities here and
i there in which "a large minority of&thc
]. people arc opposed to prohibition, IN such
d ficult, If not Impossible, to enforce u
general law nSthc opposition sections.
A 1T is in recognition or this fact that the
drift has been of late from State pro-
4 hibition to local option, and real pro-
4 hibit;on has actually grown under the
4 local option system. ls III t Il.
4 Mr.. Foxcroft says IN thls connection
i thut not only has local option been
adopted in 80 of the 10 States, but that
1 1.-THE no-liccnse area under It's operations
us is especially true In the Southern
\ states AT last accounts, lie says, Ala
bnm;l had 20 prohibition counties, II undel
Z the dlspensaiy system Stnnd 50 undcl
license; Arkansas had l3t prohibition
counties, 30 license and 2 divided; Florida
had 80 prohibition counties and - under
partial prohibitions; Gcorgin had 1O4 pro
hibition counties and 33 license and dis
!, peEsnry; Kentucky had prohibition
!, coa,ties. So With one license each, i
4 with two licenses each and IS under
Z license Louisiana had 20 prohibition coun
titles and 80 license; Maryland had Il
4 prohibition and license countless; Mis-
Il sissppl had Go prohibition and 10 liccnst
, countless; Missouri, u prohibition coun
ties out Of ll5; Tennessee, 81 prohibition
and u license counties; Texas, 1856 pro
!, hibltlon, 4G license and g. under partia
/, prohibitions; West Virginia mad Az pro
:. hbition and IA license counties,
In Virginia, under the operation of Tn
Mann law, 70 counties out Of 100 and
cities are without II single license saloon
I 7A' OF the l,l0s saloons in the State arr
In the cities and ia in the tcriitor!