The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1909-07-15
IS PROHIBITION
A failure?
how The EXPERIMENT WORKED IN new
ENGLAND ARGUMENT ADDUCED
AGAINST NO-IICENSE SYSTEM.
Concluded from ia,t wees. ,

were the low saloon and dive keepers
of the State. aud these Strove for
prohibition with zeal worthy OF a
higher motive and better cause.
They worked for prohibition in or
der that there might be no license,
and that under prohibition they
might have an opportunity of con-
ductiug an illegal and surreptitious
traffic. They could not conduct such
illegal business while other men
held license, because no man would
sneak through alleys and ways to
patronize them. This fact convinced
earnest and conservative people that
prohibition meant unrestricted traf-
fc. And the amendment was defeat
ed by 44,552 majority.
In 1853 Rhode Island adopted pro-
hioition and for ten years cit the
fairess trial possible. In 1863 the re-
suits had been so injurious that the
law was repealed. Not satisfied with
the first experience, she again adopt
ed prohibition in 1886. The second
experiment proved far more disas.
trous than the first, and in June,
1889, the people of the State repu-
dated prohibition at the polls by the
enormous majority of 1881 out of
total vote of less than 3S, 900, the
vote cast against prohibition being
nearly three to every one in its favor.
When the law was adopted in 1886
it had majority of 1888. Three
years of experience had, therefore,
changed the views of more than
our.ffths of the voters of the State
on this subject. History does not
present a more striking change of
public opinion upon any subject.
As early as 1854 Connecticut
placed prohibition in the organic
law of the State, aud for eighteen
years used the utmost power of the
Commonwealth for its enforcement,
and finally gave up the experiment
in 1872. In October, 1889, an effort
was made to again engraft prohibi-
tion upon the State Constitution and
resulted in an lnglorious failure,
nearly three votes to one being cast
against the measure.
New York passed prohibitory laws
in 1854, tried them two years and
gave up the experiment as hopeless.
The first attempt at prohibition in
Pennsylvania was made in June,
1889. The question was thoroughly
discussed throughout the State, and
after thorough enlightenment the
Keystone State declared by a major
ity of 1874 ,556-the greatest ever cast
by any State on any subject since
the foundation of the Union-that
the law was not suited to it or help
full to the cause of temperance.
In 1855 Maryland adopted prohib-
ition. In no State was the result so
disastrous and SO freighted with
evils. Bad results followed the law so
rapidly that after a few months
trial it was repealed, and there has
been NO disposition on the part of
the State TO repeat the severe lesson
it then received.
Ia the same year Delaware adopt
ed prohibition and tried for two
years to enforce it, hut in 1857 gave
up the effort and has since shown no
inclination to again try the expert
ment.
Ohio also repeated the bitter ex.
perieace. The law in that State,
which was adopted in 1855, was
short-lived and was wiped from the
statute books during the same year.
Among the States which persisted
in the experiment of prohibition
Michigan may be enumerated. This
State adopted the law IN 1858, and
for twenty-five years endeayorea by
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