The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-05-26

caught the fever, and it is confidently |
asserted that Utah will before long
swing in with the local option column.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey are
to be the hardest nuts to
crack in the matter of getting laws
that will permit the voters 10 say
whether or not they wish to keep the
saloon in the townships, counties and
cities of the commonwealth.
1t is asserted by the officers Of the
National Anti-Saloon League that in
two years eleven more states will
enact constitutional prohibitory laws,
and that in thirteen others similar
statutes will be declared in the leg
islatures, with every indication of
speedy adoption.
With the same confidence 1t Is de.
clared by the leaders in the temper.
ances movement that county option
bills will be adopted in eleven states in
the next two years, and that not only
will Pennsylvania and New Jersey he
well speckled with "dry" territory By
that time, but that great invasion of
the wet" territory west of the Missis-
sippi will be made by the local option
revolution. Arizona, California, Ore
gon, Colorado, Montana, Idaho and
Washington have local option laws.
and the only states in the west COM
pletely under license rule are New
Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Wyoming.
The battle has been delayed in the lat
ter territory, 1t is stated, because Of
the comparatively small population in
the great section.
While the battle of the bottle has
been waged at the ballotbox and in
legislative halls, war has been con-
Quoted with equal vigor in the en-
forcement of the license laws in many
of the large cities, so that Sunday
closing ofthe saloons is in full force
in nearly all of the large cities of the
union. The chief exceptions are New
York, Chicago, San Francisco and Mil
waukee.
Despite the great growth in temper
ance sentiment, the statistics of the
United States commissioner of inter
nal revenue do not show that there
has been any great decrease in tn,
liquor traffic in prohibition states. II
Maine and Kansas. the states longes
under prohibition rule, the law has al
ways been more or less openly vic
lated. In many Kansas towns. nots
bly, Wichita, Leavenworth and Pitts
burg, the saloons have been operated
except during periodical crusades, wit
as little restraint as in license state!
The jug business and mail orde
whisky trade has served to mitigat
the aridity of those sections where tn
| law has been enforced.
: In Georgia, the last state to CON
: under the prohibition regime, the Il
J ternal revenue officials have sold man
f more retail ciluor licenses than wei
/, disposed of during the same peric
Y last year, before prohibition BEGAN
2 effective, and from present appea
ances it is likely that fully four time
i is many licenses will be disposed
this year. The answer to this is inca
Y beer"
II "Near-beer" is an imitation of Il
foaming lager, containing less than
per cent. alcohol, and its manufactu
has already become profitable /
dustry for the breweries which can !
i longer manufacture the real article.
II is a real Temperance beverage" ina
much as no person of ordinary C
n pacity han hold enough of it to b
+ come "soused," but it has already
come highly popular in Georgia. U
3 der the United States revenue regul
! lions, the dispensers of this beverai
are required to take out retail liqu
/! licenses, and this will add to the
d come of Uncle Sam. In addition to t
near Saloons" which have been {
tablished TO dispense the .''near-beel
nearly all soda fountains and DIR
RI drug stores and many country MI
chants have taken out licenses
handle the beverage. Reports sh'
II that the Georgia breweries are turni
d out more of the ."near-beer" this ye
= than they did of real beer, and I
4 profit, both for the brewer and the
taller, is larger than is the case W
the real article.
While some Of the Anti-Salc
League workers are anxious to s.
press the manufacture of "near-bee
there are others who believe that
II c,nnIf1c a so tfo % ntnrxr solution, ~