The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-28
Wave of Prohibition Sentiment Leaves South Half Dry and the Rest But Half
 Wet.
NOW A POLITICAL FACTOR
North Carolina, Alabama and Misssis- sippi Prohibit Sale After Jnnu- ary l--lncrense in Bank
 Deposits,

Washington, Dec. 27.--A wave of prohibition has swept with such re- markahle effect over the south, and sentiment has SO crystallized against the saloon, that the dawn of the new year opens upon vast stretch of ter ritory bcreft of liquor, while the area where -prohihitionsts have tri- umphed, marks the battle ground for impending fights for and against the sale of intoxicants.
 Significant of the magnitude this problem has asSimed is the fact that in many states prohibition looms up as political issue of chief concern to the voters, obscurlng other munich pal and state questions Other states have disposed of tho issue. temporarily at least by the passage of statutory laws, whose efficiency must yet hn tested. In stlll other states the will of the majority expressed at local op- tion elections, has restricted the sale of liquor 10 the larger cities where the liquor men generally arc fortified against attack from the temperance folk
 Reports ronecting accurately the | present stage of the prohibition move ment in the south show that more than half the south's territory is dry absolutely, and that in the remaining area listed as wet" the sale of in- toXicants is upon restricted sale IL is evident that the cities are tho only remaining strongholds for the saloons, and it s unlikely that thlf condition win be modified, except through a radical change In political thought. through failure 10 enforce the laws against the liquor traffic failure to solve the problem growing out of deficits in county, municipal and state treasuHcs from a loss of thc whiskcy tax. or inability to cope witt the Illicit sale of whiskey, and, per. haps, other obstacles. which follows in the wake of prohibition
 Georgia for year has been expori mentng on what Is strictly "nea, prohibition law" in that it forhids tht sale of liquors containing more thar four per cent of alcohol. State wld, prohibition laws become effective or January in North Carolina, Alabam, and Mississippi. in each of which ! majority Of the counties had heretofor, prohibited the sale of liquor Pro hibition advocates in Louisiana hayt suspended their efforts to test the ncv Gay Shattuck law for the regulation Q the liquor traffic which also become operative January 1.
 The anti-saloon people say they VII he content if this law ia enforced rigid ly Tennessee Is tho chief center of in terest among the other states wher stnto wide prohibition campaigns ar in progress
 Tho prohlbtionists assert that state wide bin will pass the leglslauir which they expect to organize and con trol With tho backing of the stat machinery, the local option forces ar equally confident that such a blll wI' ] iti'' ''#l'f''a N'sil 'i' M illF Nfi' ''ll largest dlstllinR state in the Union !, with lla counties has but four in Whc tho sale of liquor Is not prohibited Nir gina presents string Of victories fo , the anti-saloon element, for pro , hibition now exists in eighty of tn states hundred counties
 In Texas, where moro than hal
 the counties have accepted prohbI
 tion the voters soon will be called up ? on to vote upon constitutions
 amondmept for prohibition, In Ar
 kansas tWn-thirds of its area, or : , counties arc dry and the questio
 of statewide prohibition will he pre- , sented to the voters for decision. Flori !. da is partially dry" through loca . option, and like some of the otho
 states, the sale of liquor is conf1nc
 chiefly 10 the cities The results q
 prohibition generally are glcaned fror ' reports indicating q great decrease i the records of arrests for drunken
 noss, an increase in the bank deposit
 of laborers, fewer cases of wife aband
 onment, and a decrease in criminalt
 generally The difficulty of enforcn
 the prohibition laws, however. is cor
 ceded to be one of the chief obstacle :. tO Its absolute success in many state 3 and this phase of the question togett
 CT with falling off in revenues. is {
 some extent haffling to the author I ties