The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-04-03

|
ative on January l, 1909. Six States
OF the Union prohibit the sale or man.
ufacture OF intoxicating drinks.
The progress of the temperance
movement in the South Is one OF the
most significant and inspiring signs
OF our times. Two States, Georgia
and Alabama, have enacted prohib,.
| tion laws. Ninety-fve per cen,. OF
! North Carolina has declared against
the saloon. Mississippi has prohibi.
tion Legislature and prohibition
Governor, and ninety per cent. of the
State has barred liquor. Tennessee
| has voted the saloon out OF all but
| four of its ninety-siX counties. Ken
tucky has nearly hundred OF its ll9
| counties entirely free from saloons.
and seyenty-five per cent. OF its pop
ulation are living in prohibition ter
ritory. Two-thirds Of Louisiana has
no saloons. In Florida three-fourths
| of the State has voted no license.
In Texas las of the 246 counties have
wiped out the saloon, while fifty-one
| other counties are partially prohibit
! tion, so that in only forty-seven coun-
ties OF the State is liquor freely sold.
In South Carolina about half the
counties have voted no license. In
| us; in West Virginia thirty out OF
! ffty-fve. and in Maryland fourteen
! out of twenty-three prohibit the sale
! OF liquor Twenty out OF twenty
seven millions OF people south OF the
Mason and Dixon line live in no liquor
territory There are more drinking
| places, legal and illegal, in New York
than in the whole South.
The temperance movement is taxi
| ing hold on the North. BY a majority
OF $4,000 out of total vote of a
! little over 100, 200, the new State OF
| Oklahoma declared for prohibition
| Maine, Kansas and North Dakota are
enforcing their prohibition laws with
new vigor. Two of the three counties
of Delaware have prohibited the sa-
loon. Fifty-two per cent. of the peo-
pie of Ohio and Indiana are living in
prohibition territory. Prohibition
claims tifty-eight of the seventy-five
counties of Arkansas. The rapid
progress of the movement may be
learned from the story OF Missouri.
ON January ] 1905, there were three
counties which prohibited the sale OF
liquor; to-day siXty-four of the -
counties OF the State prohibit the
| traffic. In nineteen other States ad-
vanced temperance legislation has
been enacted, while there has not
been a single measure adopted by any
State favorable 10 the liquor traffic
An effort is being made i'm the present
Congress 10 secure such legislation
as will respect the rights and policy
of the States which see fit TO prohibit
the liquor traffic.
There is not a single case on rec
I ns tsh hln 81
that closed its saloons has reported "A
decrease OF business. Much is being
said by the liquor interests about the
money which they and allied interests
pay TO the city, State and National
Government for taxes and licenses
and the Philadelphia Liquor Dealers
Association recently declared in reso-
luton adopted by their convention,
ITO eliminate the saloon would be TO
undermine the foundation OF the
country's revenues. This country
does not depend upon blood money
for its support. The fact is the coun-
try would be better off without the
traffic and taxation upon every other
business would be lessened. For
every dollar that the liquor interests
pay TO the country il costs the coun-
try $40 to maintain the asylums,
homes, almshouses, jails and such in
stitutiOns as are created by the liquor
habit and 10 maintain the courts and
prosecuting machinery. The saloon
is a highwayman of the baser sort
and pirate of the worst tNje. II has
simply been tolerated because II
seemed impossible 10 get rid OF il.
But now the issue is drawn, the battle
is on. The foe is adroit, cunning, re.
sourceful, INSCRIPTIONS, desperate.
1t is marshalling its forces for a con-
fict, the impact Of which will shake
the land. Christian men must meet
this foe with infexible and deter
mined purpose In facing the conflict
il should be clearly understood that
the warfare is not against legiti-
mate business, business which men
have an inherent right TO pursue.
The traffic is on a status entirely dif-
ferent from any business enterprise.
There is no inherent right to sell
liquor.
The Christian men OF America, IL
they were wise enough, could take
America for any moral issue. The
mani hood OF America can rule. But IL
must put principle above party and
conscience above compromise and
duty above ease. The manhood OF
America. united in the effort and i'm
telligently directed, can, IL it will, put
an end 10 the greatest economic and
moral plague OF the age by outlawing
the saloon.
There are signs OF progress-a rad
ical demand for the play OF honesty
in business life, a new movement for
the abolition OF gambling In all
places, determined purpose TO abol-
ish the saloon. These movements
are in harmony with the Divine econ
omy and purpose and that is the as
surance OF their triumph. God is in
His world and God is working. There
never was an age In which so many
people we're working for the better
ment OF life. With an all-controlling
purpose, begotten OF faith ! IN God and
nurtured In love OF man, multitudes
are working 10 better the conditions
Of life, and that Christ. in whom God
is reconciling the world unto Himself,
rs drawing men into the circla NJ HE