New Britain herald., 1927-12-08
THE NEW BRITAIN
 PROHIBITIDN GIL B

Ptohlbl ll'N Nlth
 What has become of the New Britain Prohibition club? OId-timcrs may remember the name, but 1t is certain there are thousands now living in the city who never heard of this erstwhile energetic organlza- ton which existed in this city to propagandize in favor of eliminat- ing the liquor traffic.
 It was no later than March 2, 1886, that the New Britain Observer, began to devote a half column every week to an article supplied by this club. The motto of the club, 1t was stated in the first half-Column print ed, was succinctly stated thus: "Thc liQuor traffic is wrong and. ought to be abolished; the liquor traffic is wrong and must be abolished; the liquor traffic is wrong and shall be abolished
 This motto it was stated, was "one upon which we shall urge all good citizens to stand"
 That's the plank upon which the New Britain Prohibition club reared it's edifice; and perhaps not one of ., nptirn istjp (, hprs thought that the hated liquor traffic would really be abolished through constitutional amendment less than 35 years later. But every last one of the members stoutly believed that if ever constitutional amendment rally killed the liquor traffic 1t would be really dead monster.
 Those were the days when the Prohibition party regularly put up a presidential candidate, to trail along in the voting so far behind the major candidates that few people paused to note how far in the rear the prohibition issue really landed. While this was tranepring every four years the local clubs for the aboishment of the liquor traffic continued steady barrage of principles and though slight progress seemed to be made for a long time, success finally crowned the efforts.
 How did this success come about, may well be asked, considering the inability of the prohibition clubs to make much headway for decades?
 Simply by q change of technic. Whereas no progress worth men tioning was possible so long as the prohibition issue was kept separate from the other issues, considerable progress followed when the issue was injected into the politics Of the major parties. From the no-license campaigns Of towns, 10 local option for counties, to statewide prohlhi- ton. were steps that came about fol- lowing the injection Of the prohibi- ton issue into the politics of the other parties. And it Was noticeable that the further the prohibition issu, was made a part of the other parties the less need there became for d separate prohibition party and Il practically died out altogether even before national prohibition war realized,
 It was when prohibtouists began giving their allegiance 10 the party which advocated most Of their prin- ciplcs that progress began to be made. Politicians Of inc oId-lino parties came to cater 10 the dry vote and year by year the parties competed with one another for the bloc of votes thus dangling before them. Thus the Anti Saloon League came into being, which organization made a business of hoidmg the dry vote III, as q factor in deciding cIoc- tions between the old-line parties. All Of which did not make much diff terence in Connecticut; but th'r" were a hoet ot other states where the plan worked to perfection, with the result that -E.rybody has been talking about.
 The New BriiMn Prohibition club was lost sight of wh.u thr r"d pro lihition movement got und.r way; but it was one Of tn" early vehicles of prohibition thought in this com lnunity. How much success 1t ali talned we do not know; 10 this day there seem 10 be many iu prohibition ranks who never heard of the city's one-time club that existed for the fell purpose Of propagating pro hibtion sentiment, and was intlu- ential enough to get half a column