Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-03-31
Oklahoma Cities Feeling
Pinch of Prohibition.

IBY PRESS COMMITTEE OF THE
ANTI LEAGUE.I
That Oklahoma's troubles from the
adoption of prohibition policy are
just beginning is brought out in the
following editorial in a recent issue
Of the Shawnee (Okla.) Herald:
Our neighboring cities of Oklahoma
City and Guthrie are face to face with
the unpleasant proposition of an occu-
patton tax, and the temper of the bus
mess interests affected thereby is any
thing but cheerful and optimistic. We
do not blame the merchant or profess
sional man for objecting to this special
tax on enterprise and industry, for
the levy of an onerous burden of this
character is not only an unjust dis
elimination against the activity, en-
ergy and progressive business spirit
| of the town and in favor of the nom
resident property holder, corporations,
| Office holders, the idle rich and the
shiftless poor, but it is a fiat confes-
sion of failure on the part of cities to
govern themselves under the present
lextravagant system Of administration"
Had the cities in question the pow
er to raise revenue from the saloons,
an occupation tax, and it is certain
that no more liquor would have been
sold than is now without paying any
license, and that in clahdestine form
and of an inferior and adulterated
quality. The cities have nothing to
gain by adopting prohibition, and in
variably stand to lose. 1t is the PEN
atty of violating the principle of home
rule and of the fruitless attempt to
govern them from outside authority.
The time will assuredly come that a
reaction of feeling will set in and the
people of the cities will endeavor to
throw off the yoke imposed by rural
prohibitionists.
| Anomalous State of Affairs.
1t is a curious fact that, notwith-
Lstanding the great flourish of trum-
Ipets by the anti-saloonists as to their
victories, up to the present time there
has been no falling off in the revenue
derived from the manufacture of dis.
titled spirits and fermented liquors.
lon the other hand, the receipts from
these sources were larger during the
last fiscal year than ever before. The
total government receipts for the year
were $665,306,1 1874, of which $19S,976,-
I2s7 was the tax collected from dis
titled spirits and fermented liquors.
This can be accounted for only on the
hypothesis that these facts confirm
that prohibition does not prohibit.
The Prohibition Party In Politics.
The New York Times of Oct. 3 had
Ian editorial entitled New Light on
Prohibition" and quoted M. H. Steven
lson, the prohibition candidate for
Estate treasurer in Pennsylvania, as
Saying that the prohibition party is
mot church or a total abstinence so
lciety. but a political body. working
latter the manner of such bodies
The editor of the Times says: "Whilt
we agree with Mr.. Stevenson in The
statement that his party should recog
lnize as a member in full party stand
ling any drinking man or even an!
drunkard who votes the prohibition
ticket in the hope of freeing himself
from temptation, We doubt the accur
lacy of his assertion that there arr
imany such men. For they are tn,
men who know better than anybod.
else that, whether real prohibition il
ANYWHERE attainable or not, it neve
!has been obtained except in narrowi,
limited areas, and that the state o
iaffairs which the thing called prohib
ton usually brings about makes large
rather than smalle5f temptations 70