The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-02-05
POLITICAL ADVERTISING.
West Virginia, the Banner Prohibition
State.


II is with unspeakable pride and joy
that the writer can truthfully annonnc,
TO the many readers OF The Times that
his native West Virginia is the banner
prohibition state in the American union
/ to-day.
1t is not widely known by readers Of
the northern press that at a special elee.
/ ton in the fall of 1914 the voters OF
West Virginia ratified statewide pro.
I hibition amendment TO her constitution
| by the splendid majority of more than
/ % 600 votesl The state had tried So
called ''local option" for a period OF years
and proved it TO be the worst mockery
as temperance measure" that was ever
born in the selfish brain of the liquor
traffic.
The writer's native county of Harrison
is composed of 10 townships, including
the city OF Clarksburg, the county seat.
The nine towns outside of the city were
strongly opposed to the licensing OF an
unmitigated curse, while the crafty liq
nor traffic always managed to carry
Clarksburg for license by small maiori-
ties. thus overriding, overlooking and
multiplying the choice OF the nine other
towns, whose territory was constantly
flooded by the wholesale and retail sa
looms of Clarksburg, resulting in "hold-
ups" robberies, murders and the shutting
down of the coal mines and other indus
trial plants for want of sober men TO
keep them running. Such conditions
were not confined to the ono county but
generally prevailed throughout the 9th
er "a counties of the state. And thus
local option" became the most Justly
hated words that were ever coined to de-
eeive brave and honest citizenship, and
were directly responsible for the might
est avalanche of statewide prohibition
votes that was ever cast in any state in
the union according to the number of
citizens engaged in that notable battle
of ballots. And it may be of special in
terest to many readers of The Times to
note the fact that so far as known not
one minister of the gospel OF any denom
nation, not one church member, not a
state official of either party, not an edi- |
tor of any note or judge of county or |
state court voted on the side OF local
option with the brazen liquor traffic and 1
its hired and degraded henchmen. OF I
course, in that mighty but largely one
sided contest. the good old state of /
Maine, the most supremely hated state +
by the sorely offended Liquor traffic in
the whole union, came in for highly ex-
lggerated accounts of non-enforcement
Of the prohibtory law, dark propheses
If financial and industrial ruin were
freely INDUCED in by those who opposed
.he irresistible tide of prohibition in
West Virginia; black hand letters and
threats of bloodshed were freely INDUCED
n against any and all who attempted to
'nforce the law, but all TO no effect.
The good citizens of all parties and
reeds accepted the challenge and pledged
he special officer appointed in every
ounty to enforce the law, their full sup
'ort at the cost OF life, if need be. The
owerful influence of the railroads and
mighty industries Of the state declared
or statewide prohibition as the only
against the business and in
ustrial setbacks they had experienced
nder local option until conditions were I
o longer bearable. After years of ex-
erience they declared that local option
rotects licensed saloons in making
of drunkards of their hired /
-orkmcn and therefore inhicts untold 9
ijury upon the industrial prosperity Of {
he state, while statewide prohibition
roteets all classes of the people, in all
realities, against industrial paralysis {
nd moral blight aud insures peace and Z
lenty in every home. Since West Nir- [
mia has emerged from the dark and J
.ormy night Of her justly despised local r
ption into the light aud peace OF a pro- :
ibition that splendidly prohibits, she d
A. profound pity for her sister states Q
rat still persist in legaliziug an outlaw a
'aiiic. IN
/. 7. Fortney.
Plaiufeld. VI. Jan. %. 1916. g
Advertisement. a