The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-12-11
The WARFARE AGAINST DRINK
TEMPERANCE BATTLE GATHERS
STRENGTH EVERY DAY.
One Of the Marvels of the Age is Elk
pressed in the Phrase, "Kentucky
is Going Dry"-The State May
Rocome Prohibition.

is Going Dry"-The State May
Become Prohibition.
"Whisky, whisky, all around; but
not one drop to drink" The words
of the Ancient Mariner, thus para.
phrased, are appropriate to-day. If
100 Of the 119 counties Of Kentucky.
Strange as 1t may seem to a public
educated in it's notions of the Blue
Grass State by the testers of. the
comic press Kentucky, the home OF
fine whisky, is in imminent Danger OF
becoming a prohibition State.
At the present time, d;-pite heI
253 distilleries, turning out thou
sands of barrels Of the fluid to fill the
"cup that cheers" Kentucky has but
four counties sufficiently irrigated tc
be classed as really "wet" counties
Prohibition leaders say that Appel.
late Court decision in pending cases
will make entirely dry the four OF
the counties now classed as partially
wet.
Even in the nineteen where liquor
Is sold it is in most Eases in but one
or two precincts. Anomalous though
it may seem, Bourbon, the county
from which one variety takes its
name, has but one place-Paris-
within it's limits where whisky may
be purchased.
The four counties which are large
ly wet are Jefferson, Kenton, Camp.
bell and Meade. All, with the ex.
ception of Meade, are still wet be-
cause they contain large cities. JET.
ferson has Louisville, Kenton has
Covington and Campbell has New.
port. The latter two are directly
across from Cincinnati, with its Ger.
man beer drinking population, and
possibly, it sets the example.
While the an%ti-saloon forces have
been making a steady fight for over
thirty years, it is within recent years
only that rapid progress has been
made. The passage Of the County
Unit law by the Legislature last win
ter put the most formidable weapon
in their hands. With this they have
been able to carry county after coun-
ty. Their efforts have to this time
been confined to counties having nc
large cities because of a compromise
amendment of the law excepting from
its provisions all counties containing
cities Of the first, second and third
classes.
The prohibition leaders already
have given notice that at the next
session of the Legislature, next win
ter, they will seek the amendment
OF the law, so as to cover all coun'
ties. They will then invade some OF
the counties containing larger cities.
among them Fayette in which is Lex.
ington.
Though they have given this city
little attention, the Prohibitionists
call attention to the fact that there
are ven two dry precincts in Louis
Vile itself.
The sweeping change which has
come over Kentucky on the liquor
question first came home to most Of
the peoNle during the recent Demo
cratic Senatorial primary. Both
Beckham and McCreary made their
fights on the Prohibition platform.
The move was a shrewd one, II
proved, for the vote Of the country
lSlo Ill IhS SIolC j ofCl "hCilliAS
compared with the city vote, which
might be expected to be against pro-
hibition.
The campaign was a novelty for
Kentucky, where, according to ira
iition, candidates in the olden days
were in the habit of knocking in the
heads of barrels of whisky and al
lowing voters to help themselves with
tin cups.
With 100 of the 119 counties in the
State dry, and 253 distilleries turn
ing out their endless stream of
whisky, the question naturally occurs
where all this product Is going. Ken
lucky is rapidly putting herself in a
queer, position. She is forbidding her
own SONS to drink that which she is
manufacturing for the rest of the
world.-St. Louis Dispatch.