The sun., 1909-01-17
SOUTH SWEPTBY ADRY VAVE
SALOONS CLOSED FROM VIR-
GINA TO THE MISSISSIPPI.

Texas Next 10 Vote fer Statewide Pro
hibltiOn ?--TwO-thirds ef Louisisn'
Already Won and the Rest Btrus
Cling With y Drastic License Law
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. I5.-Statewidt
prohibition went into effect In Alabams
and Mississippi on January 4. Thii
gives a practically solid prohibition ol
dry country from the Virginia line to the
Mississippi River. with large portion o.
Virginia also dry.
Nor Is the temperance wave TO stop al
the great river. The question was fought
out In Texas at the late Democratic pi
mary which renominated Bailey for the
Senate and the Democratic State ticket
and after one OF the hottest and bitteres
campaigns ever witnessed there the
Democratic voters by a small majority
ordered the Legislature to submit TO the
voters at the next election constitu.
tional amendment prohibiting the manu-
facture and sale throughout the State
OF Texas Of alcoholic or malt liquors.
The result seems certain. A majority
OF the Democratic voters are already OF
record In the primary as favoring prohibi'
ton. The Republicans have always beer
stronger for prohibition than their OPP
ponents, and unless they seok to use the
issue for political advantage to win the
support OF the liquor interests and the
saloon vote no one can doubt the result
As for the saloon people, they seem tc
realize the situation. They made the
best fight they could in the Democratic
primary. and having lost that II will be
difficult II not impossible TO arouse them
10 any enthusiasm in the campaign soon
to come over the Constitutional amend
ment.
This will leave Louisiana the only
State from Virginia to the Rio Grande
that is not in the prohibition ranks. and
It's escape Is due wholly to the political
influence OF New Orleans. As IL Is the
linuor fight Is under way In the State,
with the saloon forces losing battle after
battle and with the gloomest Of pros
poets ahead. On January I. the same day
that Mississippi and Alabama went under
the prohibition law. eight Of the largest
parishes On Louisiana. With a population
Oh 3u,U,p, Onc-lli VII ti0 tOeoi VI VIC oeaeV
closed their 400 saloons and joined the
ranks of prohibition, 80 that to-day two
thirds Of ouisiana outside Of New Orleans
Is dry.
And this escape from Statewide pro-
hihtion was a very narrow one. A con-
stitutional amendment similar to that
proposed In Texas submitting to the
voters the question Of licensing or pro-
hibiting the manufacture and sale oi
liquor was defeated by very slim major
ty and in the hope OF checking the prohi-
bition wave a stringent saloon law was
passed. the Shattuck bill. which will
Immediately close half the saloons in
the State. and in the opinion Of the New
Orleans liquor interests will put most
Of the others out OF business in a year or
so.
These interests are nov hercely de-
nouncing this new law and seeking TO
defeat or avoid II and calling on the Gov
ernor to convene an extra session Of the
Legislature to repeal or modify ii. Gov.
Sanders has declined TO do so. The law
is his own suggestion. and when 1t was
passed he warned the saloon men. who
unanimously supported him in the Demo
cratic primary. that it was either regula-
ton or prohibition.
The law may be oppressive say those
who passed 1t. but IL was the only way to
stem the fast rising tide. IL does not
seem to have done this as thoroughly al
was hoped for. The saloon men do not
accept IL In good faith, and the Anti-Sa loon
League. the louisiana Methodist Confer
ence and in some cities and parishes
a league Of all the Protestant churches
have declared their purpose to keep up
the fight for straight prohibition as giving
the only assurance Of regulation.
The only way to regulate the saloons
is TO close them" IL the watohword OF
the new movement. II is the old frontier
doctrine that the only good Indian is a
dead Indian"
have only themselves to thank They
seem to have gained no wisdom from a
constant succession of defeats and have
continued to repeat the same follies from
year TO year.
The Prohibitionists in tho South have
never had much sire agth. The movement
against the saloons had the support at
the start only OF the women and the
preachers, and even the latter were to a
large extent opposed to prohibition,
which they deemed impractcable. and in
favor OF regulation.
The licensing law Of Caddo parish and
Shreveport had the Endorsement and
backing Of the united ministers Of that
parish OF all denominations, and the re-
form regulations proposed for New
Orleans were submitted by the saloon
people Of this city to Archbishop Blenk
and leading Protestant ministers before
being introduced in the City Council.
Unfortunately for themselves the saloon
them. have shown no inclination at any
time to obey the laws. and they have
thrown their influence and support %
those politicians who were willing to
ignore the law in return for the political
advantage they gained thereby. The case
is we'll illustrated in Shreveport. the SEQ
ond city OF Louisiana, where the liquor
fight has been steadily under way for
several years.
The retail liquor license for saloons
in that city few years ago cost only Si00
with the result that so many saloons
sprang up-one to every 100 Of popula-
tion-that the license was raised TO $500
This not having the effect hoped for. II
was still further raised in 1904 to 81 900
high license for town the size Of Shreve-
port.
The saloons continued to give trouble
especially those that catered to the large
negro population Of the town. In 1905 a