Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-12-13
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1907.
The Onward Sweep Of Temper

We recently reproduced in these col
umns batch of statistics showing the
wonderful progress made by the prohi-
bition movement in the various States
Of the South. This showing is now sup
plemented in an interesting manner by
Mr.. G. F. Carter in an article in Harper's
Weekly summarizing the results accom-
plished by prohibition in the remarkable
effect on public opinion throughout the
United States.
According to this excellent authority
the liquor traffic is prohibited by law in
one-half the territory of the United
States. Montana, Idaho, Wyoming. Utah,
and Nevada constitute the only undisput-
ed territory possessed by the licensed
saloon to-day. Even there the liquor in
terests are by no means secure. The
Mormon Church sternly opposes the use
of intoxicants. In Idaho the entering
wedge for prohibition has already been
driven in the form of a Sunday closing
law enacted in 1906. In all the surround
ing States the Anti-Saloon League is &C
tive and is making progress In Califor-
MIA there are already four dry counties
and much dry territory in other counties.
Oregon has made much greater progress
toward the suppression of the liquor
traffic. Twelve counties and 10 munich
palities in the remaining p counties are
dry. Washington has made beginning
with 80 dry towns. Encouraged by the
local option law secured the present
year, the Anti-Saloon League in Colo
RADIO is beginning vigorous campaign.
The same agency is also active in New
Mexico and Arizona.
East of the Montana and Colorado line
prohibition sentiment is spreading like
wild fire. North Dakota has State pro-
hibition law so vigorously supported by
public opinion that the "bootleggers"
have become discouraged and have prac-
tically abandoned all statements to carry
on their illicit trade. A railroad station
was recently ordered closed by the courts
because it was proved that "blind pig"
was conducted on the premises. News
papers may not publish liquor advertise
ments, because they come under the
head of soliciting for the traffic" which
is prohibited by law. Mr.. Carter shows
that in Texas, not only is the sale of
liquor on dining-cars prohibited, but
traveller may not even take drink from
his own flask on the train unless he can
show by physicians certificate that the
liquor is for medicinal purposes.
Even in Kentucky, famous for its
whiskey, with $1OO,OOO,OOO invested in
distilling plants, 81 out of 119 counties
are "dry."
The National Temperance society has
distributed prohibition literature aggre-
gregating one billion two hundred million
pages of printed matter advocating total
abstinence for the individual and the
entire suppression of the liquor traffic in
the United States.
1t is evident that the cause of temper
ance never had such hold on the Amer
lean people as at the present time, and
the facts and figures summarized in Mr..
Carter's article would indicate that the
work as exemplified by this new move
ment had only fairly begun. Under
these circumstances Vermont in her pro-
longed struggle for prohibition may have
builded even better than some of our own
people suspected Press.