The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-06-18

During the colonial days nearly all Of the
colonies from Maine to Georgia enacted, at differ
ent times laws prohibiting, in various ways, the
manufacture and sale Of liquors. and in some in
stances Of tobacco al These laws were uni
furmly disregarded an I ere productive OF numer-
GUS evil consequences. b impossible was IL to
enforce them. aud great were the abuses grow
ing out Of them, that they rarely remained upon
the statute books. more than few years. Such
experiments were repeated from time 10 time
always with like results, until towards the Revo-
luton when they were given up.
The colonial experience with prohbitory
laws so impressed the people that during the first
seventy years of independence little effort
made In the direction of prohibition
Between 1859 aud 1860 however, there was
revival of prohibtory efforts and laws were enac
ted in variois States forbdding the manufacture
and sale OF intoxicating liquors
Maine adopted prohibition IN 1851 and still
has it on her books, bnt Il has never been en-.
forced, and in tho towns and cities of that State
the open saloon is as familiar and public in
any state In TIA, Union.
Vermont followed Maine in 1862 by the adop.
ton OF prohibitory laws and kept them continu-
ally on her statute books for half century In
the effort to enforce these laws and unusual
punishments, search without warrant aud denial
OF trial by jury were resorted TO, the accused was
for2ed to testify against himself, the courts be-
came prosecuting officers and a process of in
junction adopted ruinous to innocent parties.
Three convictions We're allowed for a single
ofense. and informers stimulated by fees
and shares of fnes--and all to no purpose. lntem-
perance and contemp, of law steadily increased.
In 1902 at the end of fifty years the report Of the
United States Commissioner of Internal Revenue
showed that United States license to sell
liquor Issued for every 1aS voters in the
state In the fall of 1902 movement inaugu-
rated looking to the adortion Of license system.
The campaign which terminated in the overthrow
of prohibition was IN many ways remarkable. Ar
rayed the side of license were the progressive
elements OF the State, SUPPORTED By men in all
walks of life of the best thought and highest
morals-men profoundly impressed with the
futility and bad results of the lhw Arrayed
with the prohibtiOnists We're the Illicit liquor sell
lers, who preferred the unrestricted sale under
prohibition to a regulated trade under license.
On four separate occasions during the sam-
pagn the voters of the State showed their disap-
prevail OF prohbition-in the caucuses, in the Leg
isature. in the election when they voted on the
question direct and finally when the towns voted
on license March 3, 1903 On the last occasion
eiehty-seven ownsa In the state OF any size
declared for license.
New Hampshire adopted statutory prohibition
in 1855. For thirty-fogr years every effort was
made TO enforce il, with results far from salts
factory and injurious that at popular cleo
tion for the adoption prohibory amendment
to the State Constitution held April ~, 1899, the
amendment was defeated by an enormous ma
jorty Two counties only in the entire State
On March IS. 1908, the lower house of the
Legislature passed a license bill by vote of PA
to 1G7. few days later the bill passed the Sen
ate by a vote of three to one, and on March 2I
received the executive approval and license be-
came the law of the State The cities Of the
State stood Overwhelmingly for license their vote
in the Legislature being 12l TO in its favor.
More noteworthy is ~the fact that tbs rural mem
hers, taken separately, voted for license in the
proportion OF 81 to 76 Representatives Of both
political parties we've also in majority IN favor
OF license.
Massachusetts tried prohibition from 1855 to
1870 She found the law vain and injurious and,
upon ths testimony Of her governors and pest cit
izens fatally hurtful to the cause of temperance.
After fifteen years Of earnest trial she also repudi-
ated the law, and when in April, 1882, strenuous
effort made to again engraft prohibition upon
the Constitution of the State it failed The farm
ing population threw its weight with that Of the
cities against the amendment. One town only in
tho Commonwealth gave II a majority.
The campaign one of exceptional interest
The terms and time OF the fight were dictated by
the Prohibitionsts They were ably led and their
cause was advocated by hundreds of speakers.
They demged the State with literature and
. brought into action an army of workers remark
n able for its members. No method known to the
IA politician was left mtried in the efforts TO carry
Wprohibltion
A AS elsewhere the prohbitonist tried TO make
TX appear that all morality was ON their side al
wmmorality opposed to them. This assumption
hailed OF its purpose
Elnit against the amendment, exposed the fallacl
Va threw their influence in behalf Of License
UDftine BY past experience, they fought Win
Nor born of conviction. The religious papers
Ned hands with the powerful dailies. and max
conscience OF the fight the Christian Union
III CongregatiOnalis and the Christian Registe
tWeO tnel tnuhuSi dAdiH0t ih' dNDHhp' " W
Wndment.
IhNor was the-press unsupported by the church
score Of the most eminent clergymen OF IN
Maonwealsh. comprising the brains, the die
Xnd the worth Of the ministry OF the state
VI in remonstrances against the adoption o
Walton Among the ministers 80 femonstrat
&c such men as Rev. Dr.. phillips Brooks
Savage Rev Dr. Brooks Herford. Rev
VI Bartol Rev. Or. Peabody and the Rev
ing kDnaty, the President Of the Natholl
nhs erotal Abstinence Society OF America
teflau others OF celehrity-men reyered fo
Nd purity OF motive Many of thes
Nv. ~ preached from their pulpts agalns
1htre United with them IN the crlsad
s.tenu A. Jon were FIVE Of the seven college
% master president Eliot, Of Harvard
1"'n' sndemned the effort TO make me
Judge 81. \, ,o tba amendment was non
PIE among the lawyers, eithf
- cter Of those opposed pr
N"y ly five hunderd OF the able'
N o. including such names
lk@ hs r r. Hoar. exGoYefEs
nI Weodore Russell exGoyern,
Hh1H Rice Patrick Collins. aI