The daily morning oasis., 1919-07-01
! DDITIONAL LEGISLATION BY THE
! CONGRESS- WILL BE NECESSARY TO


scientific purposts.
Enforcement Of prohibition, even
cry leaders admit, mill b. a big pro-
blem for some time. Even with Con-
gress designating a definite agency
for the work and clearly defining how
much alcohol makes liquor intoxict-
ing, the task seems stupendous.
The work of government agents
means, if bone dry prohibition is to
be strictly enforced, the elimination
of per capita consumption of 1914
gallons a year from the American
people. Latest figures show the
consumption of malt liquors in the
United States as 2,O53, ,457, 900 gal
Ions; wines, 52,41s, 900 gallons and
alcohol, 146,397,OO0 gallons. These
figures probably have been reduced
during the last year because of the
rapid advan.. of prohibition.
Achievement Of national prohibi-
tion has been one of the most
spectacular, as well as one of the
longest reform movements, in Amer
lean history. Prohibition gained lit
tie ground until the present move
ment started about fifteen years ago.
Then there were only three states;
Maine, Kansas and North Dakota, al
though many counties in the South
had voted local option.
Maine was the first state To
adopt prohibition, restriction being
placed on the sale of liSuor there in
1916. Real prohibition was enacted
in 1851 there, but was repealed in
1856. Then again in 1858 it was re.
enacted by 5 to vote.
Kansas was the second state to
fall into the dry column, the vote
being taken in 1881. The law, how
ever, was laxly enforced until about
fifteen years ago.
This TX enforcement started Carrie
Nation, noted prohibition advocate. on
her Fam, us saloon smashing career
Armed with an axe, she demolished
the fixtures of several Kansas
saloons running wide open in viola
tion of the state law. Her success
at breaking up Kansas saloons, with
an extensive propaganda campaign,
caused her to continue her bar
smashing in other staes.
North Dakota followed Kansas,
adopting prohibition in 1889, and
was the first state to call special
session of the legislature for the
ratification of the Federal amend
ment.
The scattering prohibition efforts
had little effect on the consumption
of liquor. Served as a pat of the
government ration to soldiers during
the Civil War, the annual per capita
consumption gradually climbed from
about 6.5 gallons in 1860, until it
reached almost twenty-three gallons
in 1906. The figur was only
slightly reduced until 1915, since
when the consumption has drocped
to 1914 gallons.
After long fight in Congress, led
by Richmond P. Hobson, Alabama,
hero of the Merrimac, first action on
the National prohibition amendment
was obtained in committees of the
Sixty-fourth Congress, neither the
Senate or the House approving the
plan at the time. Senator Morris
Sheppard, Texas, introduced the
amendments in the Senate, and Rep.
Edwin Y. Webb, North Carolina, in
the House. The same resolution was
presented to the Sixty-fifth Con-
gress in December, 1915. On De.
cember IA, 1916, the House judiciary
committee reported it out. Finally
the prohibition amendment was pass
ed by the Senate, August 1, 1917 by
a vote of 65 to 20, and in the House
December II, by vote of 282 to
1923.
War time prohibition was first In.