Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-04-18
NO AID FOR THE
 PROHIBITIONISTS
National Lcgi> IatUre Will Olicr No Fur- iher Assistance io the Anfi-Saloon Norkcr>-S Sentiment Took Sudden Turn.


 Washington, April t7.-Narional leg ilative aid for rhe prohibitionists is no longer probable, according to the frank admissions of Representative Sims of Tennessee, and other prohbi- tion leaders. For the first time in the many years in which they have been pulling down legislation in Wash inSton more or less favorable to the;a cause the prohibitonists have en- countered an organized opposition hat /, they never contemplated. They se- cured the abolition of the canteen in the regular army and number of years ing the canteen in the soldiers homes of the country, imposed restrictions here and there and every year found encouragement. While this was going on they encountered practically no opposition. So far as the canteen was concerned the whiskey interests
 
 the chasing out of the beer from army posts meant a larger consumption of Whiskey in saloons outside the posts. But with the victories of the prohlbi- tiOnists in various states came a com pact organization of the allied inter- ests and the arOusing of the Germans, Irish. and others who hold their per- sOnal liberty as 10 eating and drinking was being infringed upon In the past committees of congress were carried off their feet by thousands of letters and telegrams from the w C. T. |. and Anti-Sa!oon workers. They feaH- ed tremendous uprising in their dis trictS and the members fell over them selves to vote as the dry people wanted. This time the telegrams con- tinued as before, but there were tele- c1ams and letters on the other side. The California Wine growers: lhe h09 growers of the Pacific coast: grain growers of the east. machinery man". lecturers of the country: insurance 
 men carrying policies on dis5illerics and breweries; bottle manufacturers in all q irections; German. Irish and other political organizations. all made their views known in opposition by letters and telegrams. The man who had been swept off his feet before real iZed that there were two sides to the question and powerful against him either way.
 When congress opened predictions were freely made that the prohibi- tionists would get nearly everything they asked for What they wanted above everything else was legislation preventing shipments of whlSkey into prohibition communities, but the sen ate committee gave one crumb of sat isfaction by agreeing 10 report a bill providing that whiskey could not be shipped without the plain address of q anprson for whom it was intended. This put a stop to anybody calling for T package. paying the freight and get ting the goods.
 The next most important leSisla- tion asked for was prohibition for the District of Columbia, which is con- trolled by congress. I}ut the chamber of commerce, business and other bod ies of the district. including many ministers, arrayed themselves strong ly against the measure; the district commissioners refused to recommend such q. measure, and the district cOm- mittee of the House will not report the measure. Consequently the dis trict will continue to license the sale of whiskey as in the past, without aa- ditional restrictions.
 Those opposing the prohibition demands say that the high tide of prohiblllon mas at last been reached; that the tremen- dous interests opposing it have at last been thoroughly aroused, and that Ill the future their organizations will meet and defeat those of the other siGe. The prohibitionists claim that they will win some other day, and thus tie matter stands.