The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-30

declare GENERALIZATION Va siic 60 A'S -
forces complete. thus in effect repeal
ing it.
War time prohibition today means:
The closing OF $4,000 saloons.
principally in big cities.
The closing of 1,247 breweries
Q917 fgures).
i Practical Abandonment of GAS dis
tilleries, already closed as a war
measure.
Loss TO the government of about
1856, 0O0.0 900 annually in internal
revenue, and the loss of several hun
bred millions to municipalities for
Licenses.
Diversion of $4,000 900, 000-the
nations liquor bill-to other pnr-
poses, with greatly increased sales of
soft drinks and ice cream expected
! Hundreds of thousands OF men,
employed in the liquor business, must
/ find other work.
| One million habitual drunkards-
Anu-Saloon league igures-must find
some other pastime.
! The productive wealth and eff
cheney OF the country will be in
creased fifteen percent. dry" leaders
claim, basing this on reports from
prohibition states.
/ Fifty thousand druggists will be
put under strict license not TO sell
liquor except for medicinal or scieR-
tiic purposes.
Enforcement of prohibition, even
dry leaders admit, viii be big prob
lem for some time. Even with con-
gress designating a definite agency
for the work and clearly defining
how much alcohol makes liquor in
.toHcating, the task seems stupen-
dous.
The work of governpent agents
means. if bone dry prohibition is to
be strictly enforced, the elimination
of a per capita consumption of 1874
gallons a year from the American
people Latest figures show the con-
sumption of malt liquors In the
United States as 2053, 457 900 gal
Ions; wines, 52,41S.00 gallons, and
alcohol, 146,397,000 gallons. These
figures probably have been reduced
during the last year because of the
rapid advance of prohibition.
Achievement of national prohibi-
ton has been one of the most spec
tacular. as well as one of the longest
reform movements, in American his
tory Prohibition gained little ground
until the present movement started
about fifteen years ago. Then there
were only three dry states: Maine,
Kansas. and North Dakota, although
many counties in the south had
voted local option.
Maine was the first state to adopt
prohibition. restriction being placed
on the sale of liquor there in 1916.
Real prohibition was enacted in 1851
there, but was repealed in 1856.
Then again in 1858 il was re-enacted
by a ) 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 lax enforcement started Car
RE Nation. noted prohibition advo-
cate. on her famous saloon smashing
career. Armed with an axe. she de-
molished the fixtures OF several Kan
sas saloons running wide open in
violation OF the state law. Her suc-
cess at breaking up Kansas saloons,
with an extensive propaganda cam
paign, caused her to continue Ter
bar smashing In other states.
North Dakota followed Kansas,
adopting prohibition in 1889, and was
the first state TO call a special ses-
sion of the legislature for the iatlfi-
cation of the federal amendment
The scattering prohibition efforts
had little effect on the consumpti IN
of liquor. Served as a part If the
government ration to soldiers Iurirg
the civil war, the annual per ,a2ita
consumption gradually climbed from
about 6.5 gallons in 1860, until it
reached almost twenty-three gallons
in 1906 This figure was only sligauy
reduced until 1915, since when the
consumption has dropped to 1914 gal
/ Ions.
After a 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
amendment in the senate, and Repre-
sentative Edwin Y Webb. North
I Carolina, in the house. The same
/ resolution was presented to the
sixty fifth congress in December
1915. On December IA, 1916, the
house judiciary committee reported
: it out. Finally the prohibition amend.
ment was passed by the senate, Aug
ust 1, 1917. by a vote of 65 to 90
and In the house, December II, by a
vote of 282 to 1913.
7 War time prohibition was first IN.
troduoed by Representative Barley
Kentucky, in the house April 26
1918, and was adopted by both houses
as rider TO the agricultural app:o.
priation bill.
The effect of the act will be felt
principally in the following stales,
which have the following perc sntage
of their population in wet territory
according TO Anti-Saloon league
figures:
California, 1871; Connecticut, So;
Delaware. sos; Florida. SO; Illinois,
l574: Kentucky, 1872; Louisiana, A9.7;
Maryland, 500; Massachusetts, Gal;
Mississippi. 3s.s; Missouri. AZ; Ne,
vada, SIG; New Jersey, 94.6; New
Vork % paOnSylvapia 81 Q.