The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-10-29
THE DRY CAMPAIGNS IN THE
WEST.
BY William E. Johnson.

tion has ben initiated Oy the people. |
These states are Oregon. Washing
ton, California, Colorado, Ohio and
Arizona.
In each of these states, save Wash |
| ington, the issue is constitutional
amendment. In that state. the peo-
pie initiated complete statute.
There are now ten states under
statewide Prohibition Maine, Kan
sas, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi. Ok
lahoma, West Virginia. The Virginia
law, however, was enacted by the
people on September % and will not
90 into effect until next year. The
Virginia vote was about two to one
dry. West Virginia entered the dry
column last July by vote OF about
three to one.
In the six states that vote on the
question next month, all are dry in
their rural sections. the saloons be-
ing confined to the towns and cities
and, for the most part, to the large
cities.
For various reasons, the dry policy
has always been more popular In
rural sections. The lack of police
protection the larger proportion OF
home people and the more RESPONSE
BILE character Of the population has
naturally resulted in the rapid spread
of dry territory in rural districts un-
til Prohibition has become almost the
universal policy in country sections
. all over the United States.
There has been another reason for
the hostility of the farming classes
to the license policy. In almost
every case, the towns, cities and
municipalities get all Of the license
revenue while the expense OF Grim
inal courts, jails, asylums, peniten-
tiaries is assessed against the tax
: PAYERS as a whole In this way, the
, farming classes are compelled to pay
taxes to take care of the product OF
4 the saloons in the cities, which cities
a get all of the license money there
a from.
Another factor is that the farmers
sons and daughters go to the cities
for their higher education and to
enter the trades or business. This
is another reason why the rural class
er are interested in the conduct and
s welfare of the cities.
The fact that very large part OF
crime, pauperism and insanity is due
. to drink is almost universally con
ceded, the exact proportion being only
: in dispute. 1t is within the common
knowledge of all that very great
proportion of human ills is on ae-
3 count of drink. The only question al
issue is, what the people are going te
= do about it..
4 Some people regard drunkenness as
81 inevitable, that drinking intoxicantS
4 is natural and unpreventable and in
i sist that the way to deal with the
: problem is to recognize it as a per
manent factor in raising revenue
from it for public purposes
The drys believe that no vice ol
i evil is necessary or inevitable and de-
clare that the way to deal with the
problem is to fight it, prohibit the
traffic in drunkenness and do all II
= the power of the state to stamp ou
: the business.
1t is frankly admitted that the pro
= hibition policy will not wholly eradi
cate drinking and drunkenness, just
as no crime is wholly eradicated by
laws prohibiting it, Laws agains
murder have prevailed for thousands
/ of years and yet a large number o.
murders are committed in every STATE
each year in direct violation Of these
prohibition laws. The drys scout a
the idea of licensing murder.
The liquor interests raise the cam
paign cry that more liquor is sold il
dry territory than in license territor!
is not seriously considered when it il
patent that if more liquor was sold
the greater would be the profit OF thu
people engaged in the traffic A mer
), chant ordinarily will not spent
4 money to curtail his own business.
81 1t is a curious fact that no whisk,
whatever is manufactured in eithe
III lCrouon Woehip pton Colorado or ri