The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-12-13
ANT|-SAL0DN LEAGUE ACTIVE.
DELEGATION OF 6.OOO PRESENT
PETITION TO PRESIDENT
WILSON.
Demand Constitutional Amendment
Prohibiting Sale Of LiquOr--Spcakcr
Points out Harmful Effects of Sa-
looms.

Washington, Dec. 10.-A petition
demanding national prohibition by
constitutional amendment, was today
presented to President Wilson and to
congress by committee of 1000 in
dividuals, representing various social
and anti-liQuor organizations through
out the country.
The demonstration against
the liquor traffic in the United States
was organized under the direction OF
the Anti-Saloon League of America,
and the principal speaker at the af-
fair was Ernest II. Cherrington, edi-
tor Of the American Issue, the official
organ Of the Anti-Saloon League Mr..
5Cherrington represented the United
States at the international Congress
Against Alcoholism, held at Milan,
Italy, this year, having been appoint
dent Wilson.
In his speech Mr.. Cherrington bit
terly denounced the liquor traffic and
said:
THE voice of the courts, the re-
ports of the statistical departments
Of the several States and of the Unit
ed States Census Bureau, the record
OF every community. county, city or
State, where both the prohibition and
license policies have been given fair
trials, all bear unimpeachable testi-
mony to the fact that the prohibition
of the liquor traffic reduces crime
pauperism and insanity, increases
legitimate business, tends to clean
politics, elevates public morality and
promotes the general welfare
THE Supreme Court of the United
States is authority for the declara-
tion that "the statistics of every State
sh0w Q greater amount of crime and
Inissry attribntaIle 70 The :.ise of arr
y 8 these sfstail
hquor saloons than to any other
source. ~
mo State Of the Union has given
prohibition SO fair a trial as has The
State Of Kansas. Today that State
presents the unparalleled record of
almost two-thirds of the counties Of
the State without a single prisoner
serving sentence for crime, while in
some Of the counties jury TO try a
criminal case has not been called in
ten years.
THE federal census reports for
1910 show that the number of pAl-
pers in almshouses per 100000 popu-
lation, in the prohibition States, eight
Of which were under prohibition in
1910 is &c; in the seventeen near
prohibition States, 54; in the thirteen
partially license States, 1913, and III
the nine license States, 129.
The relation of the liquor traffic to
the alarming growth of insanity
among our people is engaging the in
best scientists. The United States
census reports for 1910 show the
number of insane in hospitals per
100000 population in the nine pro-
hibition States to be 119; in the
seventeen ncar-prohibition States,
$50; in the thirteen partially license
States, 2i2, and in the nine license
States, 276."
Mr.. CherrintOn also brought atten-
lion to the fact that at the present
time more than 41000, 600 of the
population Of the United States live
under prohibition and more than -
per cent of the area Of the country is
by federal, state, county or municipal
decree, prohibition territory.
Continuing Mr.. Cherrington said
that the main portion of the liquor
problem was ccntcred in the large
cities, where the increase in popula-
ton, especially in the immigration
from countries, whore the average OF
liquor consumption was higher than
it is in this country, made the ques-
ton particularly complex.