New-York tribune., 1908-12-28
SOUTH OVER HALF "DRY
LIQUOR THE GREAT ISSUE.
Decrease in Crime Reported as Re
suit of Prohibition.

-,,h;r.+or Dec 27-A wave OF prohibition
-, .ort ,,I+b such remarkable effect over the
South and sentiment has so crystalnzeo ae aIiis'
the saloon and its kindred evils, tnat the u@
of the new year opens upon a vast stre'cll -
+-ito,, practically without liquor selling, while
the area where anti -prohibitlonlsts haFe
unnbed marks the battle-ground for Impending
Aebts for and against the sale of intoxicants.
In manv states prohibition looms up as 'he
ro,ttfcaI iss1e of chief concern TO the Notel0
Other states have disposed Of the ISSUE telnP'
rarily at least by the passage OF statutory low"
whose efficiency must yet be testeo' III o'
other states the will of the majority expresseo
at local option elections, has restricted the sai
Of LIQUOR TO the larger cities "here 'he ~
men generally have their strongest lnt[ellcH-
r,ants against attack by the temperance 1olA-
1,,u.s roeeo+ing accurately the present stage
of the prohibition movement in the south S"'
.hs+ more than half the South's territory Is
4.dr1,, absolutely and that in the reihaiiiiiie
area listed as wet" the sale OF intoNican'o
71non a restricted scale. 1t Is evloeht 'A@'
cities are the only remaining strohsho'uS -.
o,vs ond e is unlikely that this condlIiol
will he modified except through a raulcAI 0ise
in noliticaI thought-failure to enforce li'o 10
air.+ the 1iouor traffic, failure to solve the
,,robienn growing out of deficits IN cOui'''
nicinal and state treasures from loss u 'ii y,
whiskey tax or lnaolll'S ~ wy
sale Of whiskey. -
NCooreio now holds the centre of the stage ana
fo. q wear has been experimenting on d He
,,robibition law" which forolos Uie S
Iicuors containing more than per cen. @ %
800, state wide prohibition laws VIII oecolne
eefac+ive on January IN North Carohha' al"
hapa and Mississippi, in each or "Ilcn iii"
ioritJ of the counties had heretofore pIoiiiO'
49, colo Of uouor. Prohibition advocates IN
1ad
new Cav-Shattuck law for the regulation OF tf'e
,iot,or traffic. which will also become operative
January I The anti-saloon people say they
viii he content If this law is enforced rlsluly'
Tennessee is the chief centre Of interest among
tho ether states where state wide prohol'loh
fights are in progress. The prohlOltlOi'" a.
ser+ that state wide bill will pass the Lesls-
,+.o which they expect to organize and con-
troll With the backing of the state Inaciililei
the local option forces are equally connoeh' that
s,,cb q hill will meet defeat Kentucky the
second largest distiing state In the Union wiz.
10 counties has only four in which the sale OF
,,a,,or is not prohibited Virginia presents a
string Of victories for the anti-saloon element
orobibition now exists in eighty Of the state s
one hundred counties.
In Texas. where more than half the counties
have accepted prohibition, the voters VIII soon
he called upon to vote on a consuIutlohdi
snoendment providing for prohibition In Ar
kansas two-thirds of the states area OF seven
tv-fve counties. are dry" and the question VI
state wide prohibition will be presented TO 'he
voters for decision. Florida Is parity orS
through local option, and, in most OF the other
s+o+es the sale Of LIQUOR is principally confined
to the cities.
The results Of prohibition generaIiy are
cleaned from reports showing great decrease
IN the record of arrests for drunkenness an IN
crease in the bank deposits of laborers 1e"er
cases of wife abandonment, and a decrease III
criminality generally. The difficulty OF enIorc-
ing the prohibition laws, however. Is conceoeo
70 be one of the chief obstacles to their aosolute
success in many states, and this phase o1 'he
question together with a falling on in revenues
- - 80 ev+en+ discouraging to the authori-