The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-21
"DRY" STATISTICS.
Mathematical Reflect ions Suggested 10y
Man Of prohibition

To THE EDITOR or THE SUN--Str: AZ
the hearing in Washington on the pro-
posed prohibition amendment Mrs. Mar
garet ID. Ellis submitted a map showing
that $1,000. 900 persons are now living
under prohibition laws In this country.
I present herewith the prohibition mind
at work in mathematics and the rea-
sons offered for advancing the holy war;
Nine prohibition states. total pop
ulation ................... .lo'oVv'vVo
Thirty-one other States. total pop
uIation dry" areas........,...26.5 600
Total .........+..''.'' '''' '''fi'oVV'VV'
Add the would-be dry population In
wet States and 1t follows irresistlbly,
to the prohibition mind, that more than
half the people of the United States
wish prohibition. Now look over that
table again. Everybody. man. woman
and child, in the mine prohibition
States is counted prohibitionlst. In
those nine states there Is not single
solitary advocate OF license. Tho whole
population OF 100000 Is unanimous for
prohibition. In like manner the entire
population of the dry" areas OF thirty
one other States, namely. 26.500,000 peo-
pie is counted for prohibition. every
man, woman and child. There Is not a
single solitary friend of license among all
these 26.50O.00o OF the dry" areas. And
u1ter counting cNtTNDpuys Nllilout 'NNtB-
ton. In "dry" states and places. as
dry" they claim IN addition every dry"
person In the wet States and places
Anybody but a prohibtionist would
say that II everybody In a dry section
IL to be counted dry" { en- everybody
in wet" section ought to be counted
wet" though either performance Is a
Joke But not 80 the prohibition mind
In wet places only those are to be
counted wet" who actually are wet" ,
the "drys" there are reserved for the
column which foots up a grand prohibit
ton majority
For example, as we all know. Maine a
year ago was almost evenly divided be-
tween prohibition and license. IL took
over n month to show that the prohi-
bi,ionists were "A few hundred ahead. Yet
it's entire population of 1891 is counted
dry" But are the Object population
OF New York state counted wet? Not
at all. First, all the dry areas are
cut out. Then every "wet' person in
the dry" areas Is counted n prohi-
btionist. And finally all the dry in
dividuals in the wet areas are claimed
for prohibition.
on November 4. 1918. the people OF
Ohio voted on a bill submitted to them
through referendum which sought to pro-
hibit liquor shipments and carriage into
dry" territory. with two exceptions
shipments 10 regular druggists and car
riage by "a person who carries or other
wise personally conveys not to exceed one
quart OF intoxicating liquor FOR his own
private use" The voters returned
majority Of 9A.565 against the bill. which
further procla-ns the anti-prohibition
sentiment In the Buckeye state. GU; Of
forty-hve dry counties In Ohio thirty
five returned majorities aggregatng 1894
against the bill. why agitate absolute
national prohibition when the people liv-
ing In supposedly dry" local or;ion com
munities denouEce limited state prohi-
bi;ion?
OF course the prohibition mind Will tell
YOU that all the people living in these
dry counties of ohio are prohibition
lists. J. ALEXANDER ROBINSON.
NEWARK, y. J., April 20.