The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-02-25
STATEWIDE PROHIBITION


Ocala may be considered the opening
gun in Marion county in the campaign
Tor statewide prohibition, which will
probably last until the general cleo
ton in 1916. The legislature will be
d led on to frame prohibition
amendment to the state constitution,
10 be voted on in the next general
election, and there is not much doubt
that the request viii be granted, tho
bitter fight is sure to be made on it.
III IL not 50 certain that the people
will vote in favor Of the amendment,
though the probability is in its favor.
When prohibition amendment was
submitted IN 1910, it was defeated by
almost 5000 votes. The voting popu
lati0n OF Florida has increased con-
siderably since that time, and prohi-
bition sentiment has increased also,
but whether it has increased enough
in proportion to overcome 5000 ma
jority remains to be seen.
Florida is almost dry now; more
consistently dry, in fact, than prohi-
bition Georgia. where bling tigers and
near-beer saloons are thicker than
fieas on dog, and where liquor is
sold openly and without paying license
IN some Of the principal cities. Only
seven Or eight Of Florida's AZ counties
are wet. Beginning at wet bunch
OF three Nassau, Duval and st.
Johns--in the northeast corner of the
state, dry territory stretches almost
unbroken south and west. From st.
Augustine to Key West on the east
coast, there is no saloon, another arid
route runs from Jacksonville to Tam
pa via Palatka, Orlando and Lake
land, and Ocala il the only oasis in
the desert from Jacksonville to Tam
pa on this side of the peninsula. In
the north and west of the state, there
liz not q saloon from Baldwin to PEN
sncola. AS ii is against the law to
drink, even from ones own flask, on a
Florida train, the condition of some
travellers in this state reaches the
pitiful Oh long journeys.
In spite Of the great preponderance
of dry counties, statewide prohibition
will have d hard fight. To begin with,
many men who will help vote their
own counties dry, balk when it comes
to putting in the constitution an
amendment that will clamp the lid
down on the state. BY just what pro-
cess Of reasoning, they find the roads
fork at state and county dryness, the
Star is at loss to know, but neverthe-
less many of them honestly do so, and
It's more than likely that the votes
Of this element decided the contest in
1910
The population of the larger cities
ia overwhelmingly wet, and since pro-
hIbition went IN force in Georgia and
Alabama il Is wetter The liquor
houses Of Jacksonville and Pensacola
viii pour out money like water to re-
tain their present very profitable bus
mess.
There is also large foreign ele-
ment in Tampa and Key West to reck-
on with. These people are temper
ate more temperate in the average,
probably, than the natives, but they
have been brought up to drink light
wines and beer, and would as soon try
to do without it as the average Am
erican would try to do without coffee.
Notwithstanding all these wet ele-
ments, the state would 90 dry if il
wasn't for the negro vote. Nine-tenths
of the negroes vote wet, and unless
the legislature passes some law that
viii greatly reduce their voting pow
Ell, the weight of their ballots will
probably turn the scale.
Compared with the other wet coun-
ties, Marion is practically dry. There
are only Ave saloons in the county,
and they are managed IN as orderly a
manner Is ii il. possible for a saloon
to be conducted. IF the liquor men in
other cities conducted their business
as well as it is conducted in Ocala,
there would not be so much temper
ance agitation, and it would not have
such chance Of success. In Jackson
vile, Tampa, Key West and Pensa-
cola, however, the liquor business is as
rank and saloon politics as rotten as
anywhere In the country, and the
better element in those cities is con-
sequently appealing to the country
people to put in force the only meas
urs they can hope any relief from
and that is q statewide amendment
Governor Glenn's Address
The meeting at the Methodist
church Wednesday night in the inter
sst III statewide prohibition was vel
attended. Rev. ]. M. Gross opened
ths meeting with prayer. after
which Rev. Crook, president Of the
sfa Anti-Saloon League, introduc.
IA the speaker Of the evening, ex.
Governor Glenn Of North Carolina.
Ir. Glenn handled his subject in 8
naar that III no way offended tbs
BIT left nothing 70 b
sgS M hoNt Elis views on tbs