Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-12-13
The Temperance Wave

e;lcmrra. a. sentiment in th~
cn,.utrv >umcllul,> j.. II must hr AL
mittcd that the once hOprl'S~'y lnl-
potent party of l'ruiIhtioui~i> arr
plitin% forth vigorous growth. In
I~.H. Nrlrring. the Prohibition can
diolalr for President. received -.
uu1. out o! Il total popular vote "'
l3.9l33 31S: in lGob. Woo,lcy received
pos 9l4. from Il total Of l3.Ml .2G6.
and in 1904 Swallow : vote stood
25S. so. in a total of 13.l20.12l. This
latter result was. however, when the
stay-at- homes were largely in evil
dence: many Democrats who didn I
vote for Parker for keeping Il time
lock on his lips till after nomination.
and some others voting for Roosc-
Welt because Of his c>pou>al Of Demo
cratic doctrines. Doubtless some of
them voted. likewise for PrOhibi-
ton. 1t would seem, from these
signs that prohibition sentiment has
lately been making wonderful strides
all over the country. Who would
have supposed that in this year OF
1907, Kentucky. famous the world
over for the excellence of its corn
juice as one of the trinity of its
boastcd greatness, should have gone
dry" 1t cannot be regarded as Il
partisan issue that accomplished
this, either, for the same contention
came very near Ousting the Rcpubli-
cans in that home of the trusts. New
Jersey, from its entrenchcd power.
Statistics compiled at Washington
shows that 81, 600, 900 Of the eighty
odd million inhabitants of the United
States now live in communities in
which the law does not permit the
sale of alcoholic beverages, in other
words, considerably more than one
third of all the inhabitants of the
country cannot buy liquor in their
neighbOrhoOd at licensed bars. and
in the great majority of these dry
communities. should any of the in
habitants defy the law and spend
money to quench their thirst they
would run the imminent risk of penal
ties, and subject to condign punish
ment the persons from whom they
bought the liquor.
The bare suspicion that Vice Pres
ilent Fairbanks authorized the serv-
ing of the festive cocktail at lunch
con given by him to President Roosc-
welt in Indianapolis has cooked his
goose" as effectively for the Presi-
dental nomination, as if it had fallen
from the spit into the fire. 1t like
wise prevented his own church from
electing him delegate to the Gen
eral Conference. Only three years
ago he was unanimously elected a
delegate.
When the news was flashed over
the country that Roosevelt drank
champagne at luncheon in ST. Louis,
his little by-play of turned glass and
afterwards filling and gulping it
down, did not suit those who, all
though noted for their love of cold
water, do not carry it on both Shout
ders at the same time. As sop to the
whale, he approved the constitution
of Oklahoma, which carries prohi-
bition clause to run twenty-five
years.
1t is predicted by persons who have
watched the trend of affairs at the
National Capital, that, should a long
debate on the Hepburn bill be
brought on, the Prohibitionists will
take advantage of the opportunity to
raise the question of prohibiting the
sale of liquor in the District of Co.
lumbia, and that law to this effect
will be adopted. 1t is only four
years ago, by special enactment that
received nearly every vote in both
branches of Congress, law was
passed against the sale of alcoholic
beverages in the restaurants in the
Capitol. Congress year later, pro-
hibited the sale of all liquors at army
posts. Uncle Sans fighting men
were thus deprived of the privilege,
as old as the army itself, of purchas-
ing at post canteen allowances of
grog which, in the judgment of their
officers, they could stand without in
jury to the service. A Federal stat
ute was enacted more than fifty
years ago against the sale of liquor
to Indians on or off their reserva-
tiOns.
These instances show the attitude
of the national lawmakers toward the
temperance movement whenever they
are confronted by it. There is not
now in Congress member elected as
PrOhibitionist, and although the
majority of the States have espouscd
the prohibition cause in one form or
another, there are said to be only
twenty-five State Legislators who
were elected on the Prohibition
ticket.
In this State there are 80 so-called
dry towns. in Oregon there are II
dry counties out of 33; in California,
Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado,
the anti-Saloon League is active;
Maine, North Dakota, Oklahoma and
Kansas and Georgia after 1903. are
Prohibition States, and in all other
States except Montana, Idaho. Wy