Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-01-09
BITTER FIGHT IN
WYOMING ON THE
L|QUORQUEST|0N
Effort Will Be Made to En-
act Prohibition Law at
the Present Session Of the
Legislature.

Cheyenne, Wyo., Jan. "a strenuous
battle to make Wyoming dry is fore
cast for the state legislature which
convened today. The significance OF
Wyoming's decision is that this state,
as long as it remains wet. supplies the
operating base for mail order sales OF
liquor into seven dry states surround
ing it.
OF the overwhelming sentiment in
Wyoming for prohibition, there appears
to be little question. Neither is there
a great deal of doubt as to whether
the legislature will vote Wyoming dry
by statute. There appears t. re at
least a good chance FOR the Submission
of a constitutional amendment for Pro-
hibition, and the fight 20 block or de-
lay it, according to indications. will be
made in the state senate. The liquor
trade Wyoming stands tn gain as II
lone dry state is estimated It $4,000
600 annually.
Wyoming has been Nude by develop
ments in neighboring states the scene
of liquors last stand in the northern
and central Rocky mountain region
with population of onlp $4,000 and
a liquor consumption correspondingly
small, the state has assumed an i'm
portance to the liquor industry utterly
disproportionate to It's population.
OASIS IN DESERT.
More than a year ago Colorado and
Idaho, bordering states, We're voted dry
At the election last November South
Dakota, Montana and Nebraska, other
bordering states, were voted dry, and
Utah. the only other bordering state,
elected legislature pledged to prohi-
bition by statutory enactment. There
fore it is of tremendous Importance to
the liquo: interests that Wyoming
shall continue wet.
1t is estimated that IS p IT ,nt of the
Wyoming electorate would vote for the
prohibition amendment were it sub
mitted. Approximately 10000 of the
49,400 electors who voted II Novem-
Der are women. The prohibition
amendment would have the virtually
undivided support of this body of vot-
ing women. Merely majority of the
votes cast would be necessary to write
it into the constitution. which means
that il only 20 per cent Of the male
voting population voted for it it would
be adopted.
CONTEST IN SENATE.
1t is thought that the contest over
the measure Will De staged III the sen
ate because that body contains but ~
members and a two-thirds majority Is
necessary to pass constitutional
amendment. The men therefore could
defeat the amendment. The lower
house contains 81 members. Before
the last election at which Il of the S4
members of the new legislature We're
named, the Wyoming anti-saloon
league claimed to have obtained from
two thirds of all the candidates for
the legislature a pledge that they
would vote for the submission of a
state wide constitutional amendment.
The 10 members of the legislature not
accounted for in this claim are the
senators who hold over from the last
legislature.
The w. C. 7. u, the Anti-saloon
league and other prohibit n and tenn
perance organizations appear confident
that the submission bill will be passed
without difficulty. For more than a
month these organizations have con-
Quoted rallies in all parts Of the state,
while in Cheyenne a big demonstration
is being planned as a reminder to the
legislators who pledged themselves to
support the bill, that they are to be
held to close accountability