Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-10-22
BY BISHOP
w. 4. GAMBLER
A WILD WASTE AND THE
TWO WAYS OF STOPPING 1T

of the liquor traffic-a cause which
must be promoted by all means. Much
is said to the effect that "prohibi
tion does not prohibit" ETC.; but the
fact remains that a prohibition law is
the form of statute which has done
most to suppress the evils of intern
perance. A prohibition law, like the
statutes against stealing and murder,
is often violated; but after all, it is
more effective than any form of the
license system, high or low. And the
longer a prohibition law stays on the
statute-book the more effective it be-
comes, whereas the longer the Ii
cense system IS conducted the more
rapid and widespread runs the
stream of intemperance.
Here is the case of Kansas, for
example In a statement recently
published the Attorney-G General OF
that State, Hon. John s. Dawson,
says that in thirty years the prohi-
billion law in Kansas has reduced
drinking in Kansas so greatly that
now the per capita consumption OF
intoXicants in the commonwealth Is
only $1.4S annually, as compared
with S24 per capita in the adjoining
State of Missouri In the prohibit
ton state of Maine the per capita
consumption of liquors annually is
$1.49, a considerable part Of which
is consumed by SUMMER tourists
not citizens of Maine.
The Attorney General of Kansas
says further: The test value of
prohibition is the net result for
Kansas in thirty years. Almost one
third of the population is enrolled
in the schools of the state. Hitter
acy has been reduced from forty
nine per cent to less than two per
cent, and that trifling amount is
almost entirely among the foreign
element. With 105 counties in the
state, 81 of them have no insane;
SO have no inebriates, and the few
we 10 have come from the cities
which defied the law to the very
last. Thirty-eight county poor
farms have no inmates, There is
only one pauper to every 5000 pop
ulation. IE July, 1911, fifty-three
county jails were empty. and sixty
five counties had no prisoners serv-
ing sentences. Some counties have
not called a jury to try a criminal
case in ten years, and grand jury
is so uncommon that half of our
people WOulu not KNOW what II Is
In my home county in Western
Kansas, there has been but one
grand jury, and that was twenty
five years ago"
The facts in Maine are equally
striking and quite similar The real
explanation of why the Democrats
lost Maine in the recent election
was that they showed a disposition
to undo the prohibition law. No
party can win in Maine which pro-
poses to bring back to the State the
licensed saloon.
Now. with such facts known and
read of all men. it is worse than
idle to continue the silly cry. pro
hibition does not prohibit" The
moral and religious people know the
statement is false; the immoral ele-
ments do not believe 1t; and the
liquor dealers themselves are per-
fectly aware of the falseness of the
cry which they thus raise. Prohi-
bition is as easy of enforcement as
any other criminal statute, and the
appalling facts of intemperance in
the United States demand that pro-
hibition shall be adapted and en-
forced in all the States of the Union.
1t will be sooner or later,-and
much sooner than some suppose
Mark the prediction.