The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-07-21
AN ANALYSIS OF
THE CONDITION
Special to The Journal.

Special TO ne JOurnai
Milton. July 20.--The spirit of tenn
pcrauce is abroad in the land. The
great state of Georgia has practically
said through her legislature now in
session look not on the wine when
il is red'-not in Georgia. The SEN
ate OF that state by a decisive major
itv has voted for state prohibition
and within the next few days the
house will vote for the same bill,
and GeOrgia's reform governor, the
Honorable HOke Smith, will sign the
Hill when il gets to his desk. In Ala
hama the Legislature is in session
also and daily the papers report the
Introduction of some new temperance
measure; a favorable report from the
committee follows without delay and
the yea and nay vote on The passage
Of all such bills invariably disclose
a long list of yeas and few scatter
ing NAYS If one keeps up with the
rde of public opinion on this Sreac
question he is f0rcibly reminded OF
the rag-time song entitled, Goodbye,
Booze"
Florida Sentiment.
Here in Florida the same spirit OF
temperance permeates the atmos-
phere. More than Seventy-five per
cont of the counties of this state are
drv under the provisions of the local
option laws of the state. Under the
law now it is a misdemeanor for any
one 20 sell any intOXicants or TO SOlic-
l. take. receive or accept an order
for the sale or delivery of any intoxi-
eating liquor in any dry county or
precinct in the state. Each succeed
ina legislature passes batch of bills
on this subject and the effect of each
hill IS to further restrain the tratilc
in liquor.
Down the Line.
\ few years ago one could boar
the east bound train at Pensacola for
Jacksonville and at every town al
most while the train paused to take
on or discharge passengers or bag
gage. could get tOddy, a high-ball or
a cold bottle of beer to quench his
thirst but not so now. When you
cross the Blackwater river at Milton
going east YOU pass through eleven
counties and travel distance of more
than three hundred and fifty miles
before YOU again come to the once
familiar and frequent sign Saloon"
Santa Rosa is the only county on
the railroad between Pensacola and
Jacksonville where linuCr is sold and
Rosa county will hold a local option
'.''ti"u for The purpose of determin-
-H~ whether or not liquor shall be
500 IN that county and the contest
t'5N""n the vets and dryS will be
:" interesting one, with the probabilt-
! NrS N favor of Santa Rosa joining
IN majority and going dry.
At Milton.
~ NIfHl0
are tire" saloons and the saloon men
are putting MP an earnest fight to
E"tp IN" county wet and are citing
'Ae tact that twenty years ago the
county went dry and are claiming
.'a' local option was not success
l'"h ana that Il will not he d success
I"W- ne drys meet that argument
y 'e.hnG them that twenty years
4 sEo the local option provision had
!4S' been adopted into the constitu-
"o1 and that we were practically
Nrh"ni statutes to put the law into
&c nut now after twenty years of
o-Sence en- the part of the temper
e"'' people Of the state that the laws
e. ample to keep down the blind
Means Of reinforcement.
s. -, LoE instance, now any peace officer
"a arrest on suspicion and without
rant II he has reason to believe
person is violating the local
,l-oA law. likewise he can search
business house if he has reason
'oiere that LIQUOR is being sold
e or kept there for sale.
49, found intoxicated can be forced to
"nore and from whom he pro-
"a ms liquor: a single sale con-
Er1'e5 ono dealer, and there are a
Continued on Page FIVe.)