The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-01-28
THE DAY OF THE "DRYs."

is sweeping the country; we are not
going to try and point out the individ-
uals or tne societies to whom credit
is due for the victories over King AL
cohol: neither are we going to at
tempt to predict where the reform
movement will stop nor how lasting
it's effect will be. We are just simply
going to present some of the remark
able facts as they actually exist, and
tell as interesting a story as is pos
sible concerning the present condi
tions of this temperance movement
AS the temperance workers would put
it, they are cleaning up the map of
the United States and making it look
white. There are five great big white
spots which stand out like beacon
lights North Dakota, Kansas, Okla
homa, Georgia and Maine are wholly
within the prohibition camp, and all
the rest of the states except a west
ern tier-Moltana on the north and
Arizona and New Mexico on the south,
with Idano and Wyoming, Nevada,
| Jill anu SOIOI duO SelIiu iClCu III oC-
tween-afe marching under some
form of local option banner which
means that these states are more or
less dry, in many cases more rather
than less. In fact, in the south, the
local option standard means practi.
cally prohibition in most of the states.
In the South, where prohibition has
spread like tidal wave, the chief
reason has been the determination of
the whites to suppress negro lawless-
ness. A majority of the crimes of vio-
lence which nave resulted in lynch
ings have been induced by drink, and
it was argued that if liquor be placed
beyond the reach of the negro it
would be a more effective way of re-
straining his brutal instincts than
any number of lynchilgs.,
There are now five prohibition
states-Maine, Georgia, North Dal<o-
ta, Kansas and Oklahoma. In eight
states and Observation-Disclosures, Ida
no, Woming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado,
Arizona aad New Mexico-saloons
are licensed with virtually no restric-
tions. although some of these have
recently passed Sunday closing laws.
In all the other states there is some
form of local option. In nearly all
these local option states the dry"
territory has been steadily increasing
for the last ten years. In the South
as a whole it has doubled; in Texas
it has tripled; in Kentucky it has
spread so widely that the prediction
is confidently made that within three
years the state will take its place be-
side Georgia in the prohibition col
umn. Today 81 out of the 119 counties
of Kentucky are wholly dry" and
of the remainder only four are wholly
wet This seems an extraordinary
condition for Kentucky, the home of
bluegrass whisky, the state in which
es10O, ,000,0 invested in distilleries.
Georgia became a prohibition state
on New Y ears day, and the law is
so drastic that wine cannot be used
at communion services in churches,
nor can druggists sell any form of
liquor except pure alcohol.
In Alabama Is per cent of the state
is dry under county option law.
n Mississippi 6S out of rs counties
are already dry, and a state prohibi-
ton campaign is being waged with
every prospect of success.
Florida has "a out of it's At coun-
ties dry and Governor Broward is
actively leading a campaign for state
prohibition.
South Carolina recently repealed
| tuted local option by counties. A
movement for state prohibition has
| just started, and IL out of Al coun-
| ties have voted for no saloons. A
large percentage of North Carolina
has no saloons and the prohibition
campaign is active
| Virginia has - dry counties out of
11S West Virginia has 80 out of So,
and Governor Dawson is actively
fighting the liquor traffic.
Fourteen of Maryland's % counties
are dry; in Delaware the election last
month resulted in about half the
towns going dry.
Louisiana has Is dry parishes and
parts of others are also dry, and ii
is Illegal to solicit orders for liquor
in any of the dry districts.
Missouri's local option law mas
made A out of her lis counties abol
lish saloons. Sunday closing even in
St Louis is vigorously enforced
/ Texas is oae of the most notable
Examples of the revolution, for Ia
lcounties are absolutely dry, So are