The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-10-25
A "Dry" Washington Not Improbable

W "os"'"bse" WV ""P'sSopie
An Greensboro, Ky, dispatch
says that with Mclean county 60
ing dry in a local option election
by n majority l,055, only 10 Of ll9
counties in Kentucky renal II
wet" Think of the land of the
odd Bourbon" and mint being
practically a prohibition State, 100
of its l19 counties being dry
When one thinks of this the fol.
lowing Washington dispatch to the
New York World does not sound
improbable:
A dry Washington looms before
the helpless people of the capital
The prohibilionists of the country
are girding up their lions for an
assault on Congress at the forth ..
coming session, to compel it to
enact a statue forbidding the man
ufacture and and sale of intoxicai -
ing liquors in the District of Co.
lumbia, The girding has been 90.
ing on for a long time, but the
people of Washington have only
become aware of the fact within the
last ten days. When they first
heard about it they just smiled
Ridiculous, they thougot. Fur
ther thought brought the anxious
corrugated brow. 1t was easy to
remember that Congress, when the
issue was forced right up against
it, had abolished the canteen and
had driven the saloons out of the
capitol. The law makers had no
desire to do either. The prohibi-
tiontsts, however, waved the big
stick and the Congressman meekly
Obeyed.
A prohibition bill would have
been reported from the committee
on alcoholic liquor traffic last win.
ter but for the firmness OF Speaker
Cannon, VINO also swung the big
stick and intimidated the members
of that committee. But now the
prohibition folks have things in
such shape that the Speaker can
not hope to be successful again
with such tactics. Their national
the Anti Saloon
League. has got things so that il
can threaten political death to the
member whose activity blocks the
path of the bill. The people of
Washington have no say on the
subject. They can deliver no
votes anywhere. Niuety-nine per
cent of the members of the House
heretofore have meekly done the
of the league because in a
Il number Of instances it con.
trolls the balance of power between
the two parties. 1t converted n
Republican majority OF 255, 600 in
Ohio in 1904 to Democratic major
ity of 10000.
There is probably more drinking
among the fair sex in Washington
than in any other city in the
country. The influence of society
is all in favor of the drinking, the
of the diplomatic corps
and the foreigners generally being
Of the higher classes, setting the
example. The members of the
league and the w. &. 7. L. have
taken note of the fact that resorts
in and around Washington where
no liquors are sold die lingering
deaths, while resorts where liquor
is sold have fiourished.
1t is believed that President
would veto a plain pro-
hibition bill. while he would prob
ably sign an appropriation bill
on which there was a prohibition
rider, 1t is in the form of a rider
to an appropriation bill that the
matter is likely to come before him.
Representative Craig, of Selma,
Ala, one of the new class of poll
ticans in that old State, has au.
nounced that he will introduce a
prohibition bill. Congressme n
from the cities are about the only
ones who will dare vote against the
Craig bill.