The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1908-08-25
WOmdn'S Part In the
Prohibition Movement
1By John L. Mathews, in September Delineator.

With astonishing rapidity the fight
against the sale OF intoxicating liquor
is sweeping over the country. In the
South, State after State has enacted
laws absolutely closing all the sa-
looms within its borders. After jan
uary l, 1909, there will not Re a legal
saloon in Georgia, Alabama, Miss
issippi or Oklahoma: North Carolina
may be dry by that time; half of South
Carolina, q large portion OF Florida,
all but four cities in Tennessee, and
nearly all of Kentucky are in the
same situation. Virginia, Maryland
and Delaware are moving in the
same direction. Ohio is tenoing
toward State prohibition, Indiana has
taken steps toward it, and each new
election sees more townships in
Illinois shifted to the dry column.
In other States the struggle Is not yet
so successful, but already half the
people and two-thirds OF the territory
Of tn. United States are embraced in
the now rapidly growing prohibition
districts.
In this struggle women have taken a
remarkable part, and they are reaping
q remarkable reward. Yet this part
they have played, and this reward
they have won, are In many ways
different from those for which they
struggled in the earlier prohibition
campaigns, and from the first amol-
lions of the W. q. T. q. Previous pro-
hibition campaigns have been strug-
giles against ''the Demon Rum" That
particular demon has been exercised
by PRAYER for many y. ars. The hor-
rors of the ''drunkard's home have
been depicted by orators, by story
books and by pleading Sunday
school teachers. The Keeling drunk
ard. converted in the nick of time,
has been both q horrible example. and
q successful haranguer for the anti
LIQUOR forces. Under such auspices
Maine went prohibition, Kansas wen
the same way. and ever Iowa and
some other States tried it.
That sort of prohibition failed. or
largely failed, because it was brought
about by = somewhat historical en-
thusiasm, and was moi supported by
the majority of the people when the
wave of enthusiasm was past. AS 9
result, the Maine Law is often openly
de6ed; the Iowa law was repealed
and Kansas has seen some remarkable
struggles over the enforcement Of the
law in its cities. Yet ven then thu
law did much good, since in . majority
OF towns under its influence it made
access to liquor easy only to thos'
who we're willing to ''snesk," and KEEP
from the growing generation thu
greatest of all temptations to drink
the open saloon.
The new campaign however, hal
been something utterly different
There has been little attention paid 4
the drunkard, except in. - far - tn
drunksrd gets msudiin snd in~terfere'
With the rest of society II has beef
the effect upon the man who does no
Ret really drunk that attention ha'
been centered and upon the effect tn
waste of money and time In drinking
HIS upon the rest of' the community
The saloon in pOliticsN the drink-in
nuenced voter, and, most Of all, tn
6Afousing And uncertain workingma1
turning criminal have been determin
ing factors. The men who believe Il
clean politics, in the elimination Q
the open saloon - > vote-corruptinI
innNence, have worked through tn
Efficient organisation Of the Anti-Sa
loon League, proving to the world b
practical effort that there is IS muc
strength Of combination in the Lawful
Is In the unlawful, and the women
while uniting and cooperating wit
them have labOred for the bettermer
OF the home, for the achievement 9
economy by the prevention Of the end
less leaks which, In the household .
u the community, r inseparabl
from the use of liquor. "The Demo
Rum" has been notably absenl
Corn whisky, and especially b.
corn whiskey, and cocaine have bee
he center Of attack. "Rum'' 10 esses
tially : new England beverage, and
unpopular elsewhere. It no longt
makes an effective rallying or!
There has been little or no hysteric,
agitstion. but rather prossic compar
SON Of figures TO show how much bett'
on the dry States IRE than the wet. AT
he women, to whom prohibitiC
means than TO the men, ha'
furnished Whist excitement was q
ceseary. By Aocking about the pol
serving temperance drinks to Il
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