The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-05-10

MAHN1M II, QOIQ1uR DuL dT1ulIy, WILL
AWiANVa out sign Of an oasis, will
gEfT9Ja stretch for hundreds of miles
gssa. .aAsA in every direction from
t&Ki Wayne county.
HS9S Eaton will cease to be a
mecca for thirsty Richmond
ians, and the only remaining recourse
here will be to private stock, already
sadly depleted by 9 year of prohibit
ton. 1t is predicted that motor car
wrecks on the Eaton pike will show
diminution of 100 percent.
Far more significant than these To-
cal facts, however, is the passage Of
this great state, long regarded as a
bulwark of the vets, into the dry col
umn, only six weeks before the whole
nation goes dry. With its great cities,
and many smaller industrial towns, al
ways fortresses for liquor, 1t passed
the dry bill by the efforts Of the rural
population which literally forced the
cities into prohibition.
The Effect is Problem.
Just what is going to happen, how
ever, when the prohibition amendment
to the state constitution becomes eff
fective, is a problem that is bothering
state and local officials.
The state faces the situation of hav-
ing dry constitution but no statutes
to enforce it. The general assembly
enacted enforcement measures but
| they must run the gauntlet of re-
ferendum next November before they
cen become operative and should the
voters disapprove of them there will
be no particular authority by which
to enforce prohibition, it is said. Anti
Saloon League officials say they have
not given up hope of obtaining some
legislation that will be effective
| May q.
Vets Plan Campaign.
The Ohio Home Rule association,
the wet" organization, is planning its
campaign to defeat the enforcement
bills next November. 1t has also start
ed a referendum on the resolution
ratifying the national prohibition
amendment, but this is being resisted
i in the courts by the anti-saloon league
Liquor has been sold in Ohio since
the states earliest history and when
the industry was most fourishing, al
most every tiny town and hamlet had
its saloon or store licensed to sell
| liquor. The large cities had whole
districts devoted to beer gardens, like
the "Over the Rhine" district in Gin
cinnati, and for many years there was
not much opposition to the liquor
trade.
However, as early as 1926, the state
was powerfully affected by the grea
wave of temperance reform which
swept the whole country, and reached
| it's climax in Henry Ward Beecher's
six Sermons on Intemperance," anG
the Washingtonian movement Of 184(
also had it's effect in Ohio
Attempt to Tax Trade
From that time thence there wa:
opposition to the liquor traffic. II
| 1851, the state adopted a constitution
which prohibited licensing, and fol
lowing this several fruitless effort!
were made to tax the trade These
were all without effect until in tn,
eighties, when the tax law was framed
which was held valid by the stat,
supreme court.
This law placed tax of 5000 a yea
on each saloon and this sum was in
creased year by year until in 1896 tn,
saloons had to pay $1,000 each 70
the privilege of doing a years busi
ness. The fee remained there in spit
of another constitutional amendmen
in 1913, until the present time. TIL
law made by the 1913 amendment i
the one which will be shelved whel
, the state goes dry.
The Anti-Saloon League of Obi.
. which celebrated the state victory las
, fall with a national meeting of ant
saloon workers at it's home at Westel
Vile. Ohio, was organized at Oberli
: in 1893, and under the leadership Q
Howard Russell, the founder, pu
through a local option law under whic
half the municipalities of the stat