The Alaska daily empire., 1916-04-27

constitutional or statutory, and only one. New Hampshire, has given 1t up her law having been virtually set aside so long ago as 1889.
 Vermont Is thus apparently set ting herself across the current. Or has the crest of the prohibition wave passed? Sixty years ago there was movement for prohibition which seemed like the beginning of the end. In 1850 Vermont passed a pro hibitory law and Ohio one prohibit ing the sale Of liQucr to be drunk on the premises. In 1851, Illinois initiated Ohio. and Ohio put pro- hibition amendment into her Consti- tuition. The next year Massachusetts and Rhode Island joined the process sion. and Vermont strengthened her law. In 1854, Connecticut. fell into line The following year saw great breach made in the liquor ramparts. Delaware. Indiana. Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire and even New York went "dry." No other year has witnessed SO many victor ies for the cause But defeat was only less swift. Illinois had already repealed her law Of 1851. New York's statute was declared unconstitutional the year following It's passage. Dela- ware repented in 1857; Indiana. Iowa and Nebraska in 1858 Rhode Islands excess of virtue held out until 1863, Connecticut's nine years longer. and Massachusetts and Michigan fell to- gether in 1875. or the thirteen States which. between 1850 and 1855. had adopted prohibition. only three re- tained 1t twenty years later Of these three, Ohio gave 1t up in 1888, and New Hampshire and Vermont in 1902.
 Some States seem to enjoy the process of adoption and repeal Mass achusetts had fallen from grace much earlier than 1875, but, as her repeal in 1868 was promptly followed by re-adoption next year, it appears hardly fair to date her final down fall earlier than the later year. AS if to make convincing demonstrg- ton of her uncertainty. she weaken ed the law in 1870 and strengthened 1t again three years afterwards, two years prior to wiping it off the sist ute book Even Maine went back upon prohibition after ten years os 1t. in 1856. Two years of liquor, how ever, was enough to restore her erring feet to the narrow way. Rhode Island tried prohibition three times. from 1852 to 1863, from 1874 Co 1875, and from 1886 to 1889. Two States besides Maine are enjoying their second trial of it. Alabama adopted it in 1908, repealed 1t in 1911 and re-adopted 1t In 1915. Tennessee tried it first as long ago as 1888, when three years of 1t was enough for her In 1909. she experimented with lt again. the later trial still proceeding. All of these efforts have been of the "State-wide" sort of which the Pocket Cyclopedia of Temperancer remarks:. Prohibition has been passed and repealed, enact ed by popular vote and repealed, passed as strong legislation and af- forwards so progressively weakened to license that one cannot put his finger on the exact date when prohi- ton ceased to apply" The record of towns and villages, many Of which vote upon the question every year, only emphasizes this wavering.
 The spread of prohibition presents certain peculiarities. Rural sections vote 1t upon urban. as in Maine. Citizens of one ward or county vote saloons out of their nenghborhood, but hope that the adjoining districts will be kind enough to retain them. The most recent development is the enactment of law ostenslbly for prohibition which permits the citizen to import a fixed number of gallons or quarts month. Presumably, a State SO enactiL- is a prohibition State, since lt strictly forblds the manufacture or sale of liquor within it's borders. As the limit of gallons and quarts 1t imposes, however is often higher than the average con- sumed in non-prohibition States, the net effect of its legislation is merely to alter the source of Che citizens supply. Vermont 1t may be noted, was not choosing between prohibition and license, but between prohibition and local option; that Is. between no liquor and the privilege of choosing between prohibition and license. In voting to leave 1t an open question for communities to settle for themselves, Vermont was acting in accordance with the ancient principle of local self.government. With the present opposition between town and coun- try upon the matter this would seem to be the only equitable course. - CReprinted by permission and sent out by the Publicity Department, Ma tional Wholesale Liquor Dealers As sociation Of America)