The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-07

league, headed by Timothy
Nicholson of Richmond, was the
strongest of dry" organizations. and
to this organization and the Women's
| Temperance Union, belongs the credit
of waging the fght In Wayne county
AS early as 1874, when the Washing
tonian Temperance Society was or
! Sanized here the struggle between the
| "Wets" and ''Drys" was carried or
eeaselessly in an uphill fight. This
society lasted by two years, but il
was the start. Previous to the form
| ing of this organization there had
| been little concentrated agitation fol
! temperance.
In those early days the hardy pho
neers thought little of taking drink
| In fact the early American was a
hard drinker. The rich man had his
side board, the poor man his little
brown jug. Nearly every one drank
| including the ministers. Church pews
| were sold by adding a quart Of whis.
| key in order to interest the prospec-
| tive buyer
Men First Agitators.
Very gradually the change came
At first only men were numbered
among the dry agitators. The Sons OF
Temperance was the next organized
body Of workers against the follow.
ers of Bacchus. Following this an or
ganization called the Daughters of
Temperance was perfected.
Other organizations taking a stand
against liquor sprung up rapidly in
Wayne county, due to the temperance
| movement that swept over the entire
Of nj ion G
were Cadets of Temperance, Temple
of Honor, Reccabites. which fourished
| until 1859. From 1857 or SO to 1874
the Good Templars was in existence.
In 1872, William Baxter, one of
! Richmond's most prominent citizens,
was elected to the legislature. He
was the author of the Baxter temper
ance law, which became known as the
Indiana temperance law.
The law was popular with the tenn
perance element, but the liquor inter
ests had it declared unconstitutional
| on the grounds that it was local op-
ton measure in that it required an ap-
plicant who wished to open saloon
| to obtain the signatures of the MAORI
! ty of the legal voters of his ward or
precinct on petition to that effect.
Held to Part OF City.
According to Timothy Nicholson
| this law, while it existed, proved eff
fective In holding the liquor traffic
! to one part of town. Only one ward
the river ward had enough legal voters
| who would sign for saloons.
| "a number of times applicants OBJ.
| tanned a sufficient number of voters
| signatures in other wards, but as soon
as the temperance forces learned OF
| it they would find out who signed
| and have them take their names off
| The temperance forces were given
sufficient time to do this as the board
of commissioners then met only every
| thre months" said Nicholson.
| Following this law, the prohibition
| work was carried on mainly by women
( who were tremendously in earnest and
out of this movement sprang the w
c. T. u 1t was not long before the
women found the liquor traffic was
thoroughly protected by law. 1t then
turned its attention to arousing and
use of liquor.
| legislator from Howard county was
author of bill entitled "The Remon
STRANGE Act" which was passed. This
bill gave the citizens of any ward OF
precinct the right to demonstrate
against any petition for the licensing
of saloon. This was found to have
an advantage over the Baxter law in
as-much as the saloon men found that
it was fore difficult to get the men
signing the remonstrance to take their