The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-01
APPLIED PROHIBITION

The Courier-Journals Cadiz critic says that Cadiz is progressing nicely as a dry town, and that his observation has been that towns like this all down through this end of the state and west Tennessee are satisfied with existing conditions.
 It is to be hoped that Cadiz and other small towns in Kentucky which are dry will find 1t possible so to regulate their affairs as to demonstrate the value of local f-government, as expressed in the existing local option law. But there is all of the difference in the world between a local option law which permits small communities. or thinly populated counties, to say whether or not trey will have licensed saloons, and a prohibition law which seeks to prevent the sale of whisky within state, and which, as his- tory proves, never meets with success
 There are small communities in which local option proves effective to such an extent that most of the whisky con- sumed within the dry territory is bought outside of 1t. There are others in which local option merely diverts the liquor traffic from licensed, and fairly respectable, saloons to unlicensed, and wholly disreputable, saloons. When the state, instead of the country, or precinct, is made the unit for purposes of liquor legislation, the liquor traffic continues in the state, just as 1t continues under local option in many communities. It may be possible for Trigg county to keep fairly dry under local option, but majority Of the counties in Kentucky would not be free from the liquor evil under state Wide prohibition law. Local option, and improved license laws, are therefore the measures best calculated to deal with the whisky problem. The effect of both is to secure freedom from disorder rather than to reduce the consumption ot in- toxicating beverages and the sum of drunkenness
 Just as it is impossible to prevent vice by legislation, it is impossible to pre- vent intemperance by that means it is unfortunate that the weak cannot be saved from temptation and dissipation by the law, but it is nevertheless true It is only by the development of moral strength In the individual that he is armored against the attack of temptation to com init acts, or form habits, violatfve of moral laws, and entailng, automatically. penalties proportionate to the transgres- sion.
 Parents who would place dependence upon laws, however rigid to mold the moral characters of their sons and daugh- ters, would be fit subjects for a lunacy inquest. It is by bringing up the child in the way it should go, according to the formula of Holy Writ. that the effort to guard against pitfalls Is made. No set of laws that could be fashioned by the wise men of the east and the wise men of the west, .n convention, could keep the feet or one girl In the narrow path of recti- tude, but home influences and education prevent vast majority of the daughters Of the world from going to the bow VOWS. The same rule may be applied to drink. If there were no intoxtcants made, and no stimulating or narcotic drugs, there would be no drunkenness. While there are intoxicating beverages and drugs, there will be dissipation de- spite law. Regulation of the liquor traf- hc may make 1t more respectable and less injurious to the public health. Edu- cation to awaken the mind of youth to the evils of intemperance and moral deyelop- ment saves many young men from dissi- patton. But legislation has little effect upon morals. and does not solve the drink problem. which Is at last personal eoua- tion-