Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-01-30

SdlIZSu pIOUlDlllOn party. l udl UT
ganiza+ion should not be denied much
credit for the exercise of a distinct
and pervasive moral influence, both in
general prohibitory legislation and in
local option elections throughout the
country, but the people in reaching
actual results have clearly preferred
to use the republican or democratic
parties whenever party assistance
was needed for the enforcement OF
the popular will. This has been
notable experience in both the north
and the south. Vermont has forced
the republican party to repeal state
prohibitory law and enact a local op.
ton law, while Georgia has driven
the democratic party to enact state
prohibition.
Nor have the years during which
the local option system has conquered
one-half Of the area of the republic
for no-Iicense been notable for tenn
perance agitation Of the old-fashioned
sort. The popular methods of reclaim
/ ing the drunkard and warning youth
against the use OF alcoholic drinks,
which were in such vogue between
I1S70 and 1880, have lately disappeared
to a large extent. Formerly, temper
ance agitation mainly followed the
methods of old religious REVEALS.
Temperance orators abounded and
went from town to town to deliver
their somewhat dramatic and emo
tionaI appeals to young and old. Re
form clubs" existed in most communt-
ties. The public schools were often
invaded by the agents of temperance
societies in order to induce the school
children to sign the pledge. Many a
middle-aged man of today can re
member those impressive occasions
and can tell extraordinary stories as
to the number of times that the
pledge was solemnly taken in his
childhood years. All that seems to
have passed away. We have no John
IB. Cough nor Francis Murphy now,
Reform clubs are not much in evil
dence. The pledge is not annually
taken by school children Of tender
years. And sometimes, in rejecting
upon these changes, one is inclined to
believe that the temperance cause
has lost vigOr and prestige, and that
society is the worse for the disappear
ance Of the old ways.
Yet the fact is that more people
are now living in an atmosphere from
which the saloon is outlaWed than III
any previous period of American his.
tory. Relatively as we'll as absolutely,
this must be true. The real, solid, en-.
during sentiment for temperance has
not shrunken; on the contrary, it
seems to have increased. If we con,
slider certain other countries, also, the
same conclusion is forced. England
has for Cenuries been hard drink
ing" nation, yet since 1900, in Eng
land, the annual consumption of spir-
it's per head has declined % per cent,
and the consumption of beer IA per
cent.
The chief causes of the progress in
these countries may, perhaps, be
summed up in the convenient phrase,
advancing civilization" The wage
earners now are supplied with more
healthful sources of recreation through
parks, libraries, athletic sports Tin
themselves an immense influence for
temperance, societies, clubs and so
cial settlements. At the same time,
no doubt, the power of our great mod
ern corporations, such as the railroads,
has been cast heavily on the side OF
temperance among their employees.
And, finally, it cannot be forgotten
what the rise of trade unionism has
accomplished in this direction. Trade
unionism realizes that intemperance
among it's members is a deadly foe to
it's influence and power 1t is another
question, however, whether temper
ance has advanced during this same
period among "the rich" Who would
dare affirm it?