Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-09-02
EFFECTIvE TEMPERANCE.


option Is but makeshift and a fail
ure as a remedy for intemperance,
the Press is not defending the saloon
man nor his business. The evil Is
with us and, like other social and
physical evils, will remain whether
we have local option or the licensed
saloon. The effort should be to min
imize an evil that cannot be eradi-
Gated and. as we have before stated,
local option or prohibition has
proven failure where tried, and
made law-breakers OF the men who
illegally sell the stun as well AZ OF
the officials who neglected to enforce
the laws, and we want 1t understood
that should the people of Kootenal
county adopt local option the law
ought to be enforced to The letter, no
matter how severe It may be, and III
will be the moral duty of local OPP
tionists to see that 1t is enforced. At
the same time we know from observ-
alton In prohibition North Dakota,
where II Is statewide. that 1t is I'M
possible TO enforce the law because
those who wish to indulge will ad-
Just themselves to conditions and
find men to supply their wants. What
Is gained by trying to evade these
facts?
A correspondent asks some pointed
questions In another column, and
while we are not lighting any battles
for the saloons, we believe that the
strict regulation OF the business.
under high license, will prove the
best method of controlling the evil,
In answer to this correspondent, as
well as to other communications COW
ering the same line. we make q gen
eral reply.
The correspondent Is referred to
government statistics to prove that
prohibition Is a failure. The internal
revenue tax for the sale of liquor has
increased with the growth of local
option aud prohibition, and shows no
falling of in prohibition states such
as North Dakota, where 1t should be
practically nothing. In 1898, the
year that the Anti-Saloon league was
organized. the per capita eonsump-
ton OF malt and splrituous liquors
In the whole country was 1915 and
1.46 gallons, respectively. In 1899,
with six million people living under
prohibition laws. there was slight
decrease. the average being 1873 OF
malt and III gallons OF spirituous
liquors; but In 1897 the statistics
show that with 100000 people
living In prohibition territory the
consumption had increased to 22.0
gallons OF malt and 1.5S of splrltu'
Gus liquor per year for each inhab.
liant In the country, which is abso
lutte proof OF the failure of prohibi
tion to decrease consumption and al
argument for strict regulation ant
limiting the number OF saloons,
The correspondent Is an extrsmis
when he assumes that because other
are not radical prohlbitionists the,
are In favor OF no laws and intemper
ance. but there are thousands OF TEN
peranee people, many OF them witt
a national reputation. who believ
that prohibition IL failure and tha
the evils OF intemperanee must b
reached largely by moral aud phys
Ical training. We name Goveruo
Cobb, OF Maine. who says, In his IL
AngaraA address Of four years as
with regard to prohibition. that III
state ought to be ashamed OF ltse
to longer permit q Law on Its statul
books that was an abomination an
laughing stock of the nation. Georgl
enacted = prohibltOry law which ha
been In force year when on
Of the leading ministers OF Atlant
the Rev. DR.. Holdberg, said
one OF his sermons: "The legisi
tare Is afraid to stand by the vel
law which II enacted twelve montl
ago. Atlanta has become the laugl
ing stock and a stencil in II
nOstrils OF the Almighty" Assistal
superintendent Richards, OF the A
lanta Anti-Saloon league says: BE,
is sold here right and left and kno
II. You can set whisky. too, Il
what does II mean when 81 CARLOAD
Of beer and whisky are shlppe
here?" II means that dry" Atlant
consumes just as much as she ev,
did. but both the dispenser and II
consumer have become sneaklng Law
breakers and criminals. The san
experience follows local option an