Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-03-11
SALOONS ARE ION THE RUN.

In the March American Magazine.
William Allen White. writing Of vart-
Gus reforms of the past few years, sums
up the progress made by the temperance
movement as follows:
I'm spite OF the fourteenth amendment
to the Constitution OF the United States,
persons and corporations having mil
lions Of dollars invested in many Of the
States. are being deprived of their pro-
perty without due process OF Jaw. Tho
closing Of the race tracks in Missouri
and New York. which has been followed
BY slump in race-track gambling all
over the country. has deprived thous-
aDds OF people Of property which they
considered just az sacred as do the rail-
road holders OF coal mines in Pennsyl-
vania, and probably with about as
much equity. And when one estimates
the amount OF property destroyed by
the growing sentiment against gambling
In every American State during the ten
years now passing. II Is hard to realize
that the fourteenth amendment should
| stand idly by and see all this wrong
| done, while It Is so active in behalf Of
| the public service corporations. But the
| greatest destruction OF property In the
| country without due process OF law has
been done In the brewery and saloon
business.
The anti-saioon sentiment OF the ma
ton seems to have gone to work about
ten years ago. and worked without
much result for half n decade. But since
1901 results have been coming regularly.
ate-wide prohibition now prevails in
! Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi. North
Carolina. North Dakota. Oklahoma.
Kansas adopted prohibition in 1880 but
dc not enforce 1t rigidly in the larger
cities until 1905. and Maine has gal
vanixed her old law into new efficiency.
| Prohibition now has abolished the So
! loon in a majority OF the counties in
Arkansas. Missouri. Texas. Connecticut.
Delaware. Florida. Illinois. Indiana,
Iowa, Kentucky. Louisiana, Nebraska.
New Hampshire. Ohio. Oregon. South
Carolina. Tennessee. Virginia and West
Virginia. And in every one Of these
States excepting New Hampshire md
Iowa. where prohfbttory laws we're re-
penied In 1909. there Is a strong move
ment for Statewide prohibition. en-
dorsed moro or less definitely by one OF
the two ruling parties. In the election
Of 1903 tho Anti-Saoon League made
gains In New York, Illinois, South Car
DINA. Washington. Idaho and Ohio. The
movement is strong IN southern Califor.
MIA. and Is moving rapidly UP the coast.
| In Colorado the saloon has been abol-
ished from % towns within the past
two years. In Massachusetts, In Ave
years there has been . gain Of 10
towns for the anti-saloon territory. and
Worcester Is said to be the largest pro-
hibition town in the world In Nichi-
gan there are now II prohibition coun-
ties and 700 prohibition towns. As
against counties and w towns I'VE
years ago. In Minnesota FIVE years have
seen the prohibition towns grow from
40 to l.61l, In New Jersey. where there
has been a warm contest for four years.
the temperance people have secured
Sunday closing. And . Statewide cam
paign for county prohibition is waging
In Pennsylvania.
The movement against the saloon Is
gaining Roadway in every American
State. And sentiment now differs from
sentiment thirty years ago; there Is lit
tie emotionaiism In this movement 1t
is subject 20 no reactions. The people
seem to feel that the saloon Is a law
breaker: that is business extrava-
eance. and that It corrupts politics, and
keeps the people from accomplishing
their ends. Hence capital invested In
| the liquor business is not restricted. as
capital invested In public service cor
pora lions, not divided as all capital Is
divided through tho tax-laws OF the
State. but destroyed without due pro-
cess Of law, and without recourse OF
damage from tho State"