The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-10-18
THE GROWTH OF TEMPERANCE.
Due in Large Measure to Spread OF
Local Option Law.

There was never the slightest ground for
the assumption that because the political
prohibition movement failed in the moe
populous part of the country, the tenn.
peranoe sentiment ol the people was IN 4
period OF decline, Attention is being con.
stantly called TO the signs OF a strengthen.
lng feeling Tor temperance, especially IN
the south, where 80 many state prohibi.
tory laws have been enacted. Recently,
the fact that the state OF Missouri had
become no-license in half OF its counties
served to remind us OF the sustained mo-
mentum OF the movement in the south
west Evidence comes in daily from either
localities showing powerful trend OF
popular sentiment. On Wednesday, the
no-llcense advocates carried Asheville, n.
e., by nearly 1000 majority. North Caro-
lima has few saloons, under present con
ditions OF local option, and state pro-
hlbitory law is not improbable result IN
the near future.
These results are not being brought
about by the organized third party OF
prohibition, which for 20 years and more
has sought political favor in order TO
make prohibitory legislation completely
national in its scope. In that effort, pro.
hibitionists have entirely failed. The le'
gal foundation of the present marked adj
vance toward the abolition OF the saloon
has been, in the main, the system of To-
cal option which now prevails over one
half OF the area OF the United States. IL
is not merely in the south that very sub.
stantial changes have been wrought.
Very many northern and western states
are covered with network OF dry coun'
ties or towns in which the saloon is out
lawed. Precise information on this point
is gathered by the national temperance
society whose headquarters are in New
York, and which has branches in most OF
the states of the Union, An exhaustive
statement of the territorial partition OF
the United States between license and
nolicense would oyerwhelm an article OF
this character, but certain states may be
referred to for illustrative purposes. OHIO
has lli0 dry towns out OF total OF
1876. Massachusetts has $50 dry out OF
$50. Vermont Is wholly dry, except "a
towns and cities. Kentucky, the home OF
whiskey distilling, has 81 dry counties out
of ll9. Connecticut has 90 dry to u wet,
or did have prior to the latest town elee-
tions. There are 200 dry towns in Hi
nois, and in Iowa 65 out OF 90 counties
are without saloons. Maryland has II
counties dry out of %. There are 300 dry
towns in New York state Indiana, out
of 1916 townships, has 40 on the arid
list. Passing to the Pacific coast one
finds four dry counties in California and
much dry territory in other counties"
while Oregon reports II dry counties ana
10 dry towns and cities in other coun.
ties. These exhibits from different sec
tions demonstrate that the local option
sy stem has banished the public saloon
from large afeas in all parts of the. Unit
ed States. And the movement IN tins d.
rection has plainly been accelerated during
the past decade. -,
1t has certainly been a decade in which
the prohibition party, as a state or ma.
tional political organization, has gained
no ground. In 1888, Gen. Fisk polled. for
president. 249,907 votes; and, in 1872,
John Bidwell carried the prohibition pres
idcntial vote to its high tide-264, 1873. In
1904. the presidential vote Of the party
had fallen to 25S,S47 Tribune almanac
fguresD, notwithstanding the great in
crease in population since 1892. it Is also
TO be observed that in those southern
states which have adopted prohibition IN
the completest sense, the result was not
achieved through the rise to power oil an
organized prohibition party. That organ
ization should not be denied much credit
for the exercise OF distinct ana per,
vasive moral influence, both in general
prohibitory legislation and in local option
elections throughout the country, but the
PEOPLE in reaching actual results have
clearly preferred to use the republican or
democratic parties whenever party as
sistance was needed for the enforcement
of the popular will. This has been not
able experience in both the north and the
south Vermont has forced the repubh-
can party to repeal state prohibltory
law and enact a local option law, whlle
Georgia has driven the democratic party
to enact state prohibition. D.,
Nor have the years during winch the
local option system has conquered one
half the area of the republic for no-ilcense
been notable for temperance agitation OF
the old-fashioned sort. The popular meth
DDS of retaining the drunkard and warn
ing youth against the use of alcoholic
drinks. which were in such vogue be-
tween 1870 and 1880, have lately dlsap-
peared to a large extent. Formerly, tenn
perance agitation mainly followed the
methods of the old religious REVEALS.
Temperance orators abounded and went
from city to city and from town to town
to deliver their somewhat dramatic and
emotional appeals to young and old lie
form clubs" existed in most communities
The public schools were often INVADED ny
the agents OF temperance societies IN Or
der to induce the school children TO sign
the pledge. Many mlddle-aged man Oh
today can remember those Impressive DC,
casions and can tell extraordinary stores
os TO the number of times that the
pledge was solemnly taken in his child,
hood wears. All that seems to have passed
away, We have no John b. Cough nor
Francis Murphy now Reform clubs are
NOT much in evidence. The pledge is not
annually taken by school children of ten
der years. And sometimes, in rejecting
uDon these changes, one is inclined TO
believe that the temperance cause mas
lost vigor and prestige, and that soclety
is the worse for the disappearance OF Ihe
old ways. III. 49,,
Yet the fact is that more people are
now living in an atmosphere from Whlcn
the saloon is outlawed than IN any Prev
on, neriod of American history. Relative
" as well as absolutely, this must be
fine, The real, solid enduring sentiment
for temperance has not shrunken; on the
contrary, it seems to have increased. III
We consider certain other countries, also,
thn same conclusion is forced. Englandc!
has for centuries been a hard drinking
nation vet since 1900, in England, the
annual consumption of spirits. per head
has declined % per cent, and the con-
sumption of beer IA per cent.
The chief causes OF the progress III
these countries may, perhaps, be summed
up in the convenient phrase, advancing
Civilization" The wage earners now are
SMILED with more healthful sources OF
recreation reng through parks, Libraries, ath-
Ie lett sports (in themselves an immense in n
Auence for temperance), societies, clups
and raiD social settlements. At the same time,
no doubt, the power of our great modern e
Corporations, such as the railroads, has
been cast heavily on the side. of temper
ance among their employees. And, finally,