Graham guardian., 1914-11-13
WHY ARIZONA WENT DRY

inquire what forces brought about
a result, a prediction of which six
months ago excited ridicule.
For many years there had been a
latent sentiment and disorganized
sentiment in favor of prohibition in
almost every county in Arizona. 1t
was especially strong in the agricuI
tural districts of the Salt RIVER and
the Upper Gila valleys. For some
years Graham county and Maricopa,
outside of Phoenix, have been dry.
There were also dry districts in sew
eraI of the other counties, embrac-
ing, however, only sparse p3puIa.
tions.
Under the segregation feature OF
the local option law, the towns had
withstood the assaults of the prohi-
bitionists and probably could have
done so indefinitely. Though Phoe-
nix cast majority in favor of State
wide prohibition, it would not likely
have cast a majority in favor of
local option.
Also the prohibition campaign just
closed is the first that has been
Systematically conducted in Arizona.
Though the sentiment was here, it
remained for the Temperance Feder-
alton, under expert management, to
give it direction. Also. the candi-
dacy of Eugene W. Chain, though
hopeless in itself. gave great impetus
to the prohibition campaign.
When the campaign was well un-
der way the forces were drawn up
in this wise: First. the liquor in
terests within the State, embracing
SIC saloons and two breweries, and
outside liquor interests and brew
cries. A very large majority of the
business men in all the larger towns
opposed prohibition for purely eco
nomic reasons. Such a change as
was proposed, whatever the ultimate
result, would necessarily be disturb
ing for some time after it was eff
fected. Later, the opposition to the
amendment was augmented by the
influence of the Catholic Church,
which believed that it saw in the
drastic amendment an interference
with the celebration of one of its
rites.
On the side of prohibition, occupy
ing, as it always does in such con-
tests, the center of the battle line,
was the Evangelical Church. There
was also the Mormon Church, which
in Arizona, both as a Territory and
State, has always stood for prohi-
bition. Another strong element was
the socialist party, and still another
was an unauthorized representation
from organized labor which took
part in the formation of the temper.
ance federation and which added to
its strength throughout the cam
paign.
There was also that strong anti.
saloon sentiment in every community
which had lacked motion and cohe-
siveness. There were, of course, the
women's organizations, especially
the w. c. T. U. A surprisingly
large number of men given to ex-
cessive intoxication at once joined
the movement, they said, for self
protection and for protection against
themselves. Less worthy allies in
large groups, here and there, were
men who had a spite against the
saloons. In one town the saloon
keepers had incurred the displeasure
of a large class by putting their
business on a cash basis. In many
of the towns there was large dry
element which became so as a protest
against the increase of the price of
beer from 5 cents a glass to 10 cents.
Then, there was another prohibition
force created in a curious and unex-
pected way. The American party,
as it is known in the southern part
of the State, of A. P. A. sentiment,
was solidified for the dry amendment
by the action of the Catholic Church
in declaring against it,
The two foregoing lists include,
we believe, all the forces that were
for or against prohibition. And,
after all, the new woman vote was,
perhaps, the determining factor