The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-08-16
HISTORY OF PROHIBITION
'9ince the Dawn of History Men Have
Tried to Stop Others Drink
ing.
Macon Telegraph.

dawn of history. The earlv cbaI
deans, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans
all had religious festivals in which
Ine VINE played an important part.
Ihe Bacchanalia, so called from the
VINE god Bacchus, were first of the
nature OF harvest festivals, but later
became riotous orgies.
Wine is first mentioned in the Holv
Bible in connection with Noah. From
then on to the end it is Frequently
referred to-
The Chinese claim the first crusade
against alcoholic liquors. One of their
emperors as carly us the eleventh
century B. e.. ordered the use Of wine
to be forbidden in the country. r. IS
said that the opium habit finally took
its place.
Early reforms are attributed to the
priests of India and Persia; and the
early Budhists taught total absti-
nence.
The Holy Bible gives instances of
prohibition of the use of wine. The
priesthood were forbidden it when
on duty. Lev. X, 9. The Rcchabites
were commanded by their father, Jo.
nadab, to drink no wine, neither build
house nor SOW seed, nor plant vine
yards, nor have any; but to dwell in
tents and be strangers in the land.
Jer. XNXV, 2-19.
The early Greeks and Romans
seem to have had nothing in the ma
ture of prohibition, but the Cartha
gcnians, alon" with their infant sacri
fees. forbade the use Of wine to their
soldiers and civil makistrates, until
the Romans appeared on the scene.
Mohammed forbade the use of al
coholic drinks, and the use of pictor
lal designs save those purely geome-
trical lie also allowed polygamy,
and spread his religion with the
sword. 1t is said, however, that Tur-
key. the heart of Mohammedanism
is by no means dry. Some of the
church Fathers thundcrcd against
the abuses of the drinks: but wine at
that time was used extensively for
sacramcntal purposes.
King Edgar, Of England, by Il law
established near The middle of the
eleventh century. restricted the num-
Der Of taverns in London. and in 1888
tavcrns were required to close at eur
few. Parliament attempted in 1896
to restrict the use Of gin by means of
n / 70 ,,,h,
ly brought about illicit trade.
In this country, since 1889, the ma
tional government has placed inter-
nal revenue taxes and custom duties
upon liquors. Dating back as far as
April, 1908, there have been temper
ance societies in the United States.
The woman crusade led to the foun-
dation of the Woman's Confederatei
Temperance Union in 1874. In 1863
prohibition party arose in Illinois
and temperance party in Michigan,
which eliminated in the National Pro-
hibition party, organized in Chicago
in September, 1869, which has been
slowly gaining ground III various
parts Of the country
The earliest state laws were those
in Connecticut, adopted in 1889, which
left the matter to local option. New
York adopted similar laws in 1S45,
Maine passed state prohibition laws
in 1916, Massachusetts, Rhode Island
and Vermont in 1852, and New Hamp-
shire, in 1883. After these Delaware,
Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan. Hi
nois, Iowa, North and South Dakota.
Kansas introduced prohibition into
its constitution in 1880, and South
Carolint adopted the dispensary sys-
TEN in 1892.
Prohibition bills were defeated in
Texas, Oregon, Tennessee and Penn
sylvania. After varied experiences
all these state Of the union which
adopted state prohibition repealed the
law, with The exception Of Maine.
Kansas. North, Dakota and South
Carolina with the dispensary. the
greater number Of them adoptin" in
stead local option, so that at the be-
ginning Of this year there were 80
states operating under the local op-
ton laws.
1t is said that Kansas practically
has local option, no attempt being
made at conccalmcnt for over 4 dec
ade; though some claim that this is
true only in the larger cities. The
same condition is said to exist in the
othnr sfotoc boy;no ,,rohihition Tt