The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-07-04
PROHIBITION IN AMERICA.


With bone-dry United States today, even the most
optimistic prohibtonsts little dazed. Few of the
pioneers in the temperance movement expected such
consummation in this generation Three great religions
long ago began enforcement of prohibition, Buddhism,
Hinduism and Mohammedanism. China early 459
B. c. prohibited the sale of ntoxcants beheading liquor
sellers While the English word teetotas dates from
1888 when Richard Turner who suffered declared at
temperance meeting that it must stop short of "te
te-tota" total abstinence preached and practiced
long before the dsting Of spirits known, Amen-em
Egyptian in 1000 B. G. having left record of his
teachings. Demosthenes abstainer, and Romuus
reputed to be- Greek and Roman laws for time fol
lowed Plato's suggestion that under 80 years of
age should be allowed to drink liquor.
But agitation for temperance, with its genealogical
Of moderation" began in this country in the first
quarter of the nineteenth century Among the agtaors
of yellow ribbons, denong that they drank
moderately John c. Calhoun, secretary of war, for
babe the sale of ardent spirits in the United States army
in 1918, and eghyone years later the law against sale
Of beer in canteens passed 1t took but little
tme after the organization Of the American Temperance
Union in 1885, to transform the meaning Of temperance
to abstinence. Moral suasion was first used. Franc
Murphy began crusade in 1870, which resulted in 10,
100000 persons taking the pledge John B. Cough did
similar work Ether Theobad Mathew had used the
methods getting millions of converts and organizing So
ciees that are still vigorous Numerous temperance So
cetes with sepcia aims sprang up in this country and
England, the "Band of Hope Union" being one of the
most celebrated
Following the campaign for moral suasion, various
kinds of legislation tried Substitution of light
wines for beer and ale anreating laws state dspen
saries sale of liquor only prescriptions block, city
and county option laws, state prohibition supplemented
by federal aid and almost every conceivable form Of
regulation have been tried in this country or elsewhere
In England at time only clergymeu could tend bar
Federal prohibition has been in force in what was old In
dian Territory eastern Oklahoma, for generation
1t has been recently enforced in the District of Coum
ba.
At the time of the adoption of the federal constitu-
ton nearly everybody had his own brandy STILL the only
large distilleres being those making rum in Masgechu
sets. Liquor part of the stipulated wages for
aborers The first federal excise taxes not only provoked
the whiskey rebellion but furnished an effective cam
oagn cry against the Federalists "They have taxed the
common drink of the country" The Methodsts, Qual
and Presbyterians early took pronounced stand
against the the manufacture sale of inoxcan
but cergymen of some other denominations hooted at
such position, and less than hundred years ago some
clergymen kept whskey TASKS on the pulps from VIII
they took liberal draughts often as they felt the need
of inspiration But since Neal Dows Maine law the trend
has been steadily toward prohibition although the Proh
lever won single prohibition victory. The w. C. T. L
founded after the womens whskey in Southern Ohio
IN the early 70s did great work along many lines, cu-
minatng in 1902 with compulsory teaching in the public
the Antsaloon League, nonpartisan opportunisc
yanizaton pledged to no ultimate aim but pushing every
advantage in every section of every state and supporting
every national movement that squnted at national
although the political conduct of the wholesale and retail
eaers in ntoxcants and the failure vigorously to en-
force the laws against drunkness and the sale of liquor
to drunken rendered great aid An interesting book
present stage of feeling unbiased story wuod be re-
iectede by both sides with equal vehemence
Work is said to be the greatest sedatve and aneesthe
However the conviction neither general nor thorough
that that the purpose for which the eatrh peoped