Show Rural America Leads New Nev Dry Trend As Nation Deserts Beer Barrel Polka Polla Dy By JAMES HARRISON by p r Union WITH the national pendulum pendu pendu- I lum swinging from tipI tippling tippling tip tip- I pling to temperance rural America is climbing back on the water wagon Theres There's little fanfare or hurrah about this new prohibition prohibition crusade The traditional traditional traditional temperance groups are apparently playing but a minor part The movement is growing in spite of campaigns campaigns campaigns cam cam- by enlightened elements elements ele ele- ele ments among the distillers urging temperance In drinking Local option Is the process which is making the wet spots dry More than communities have voted dry since prohibition was repealed 5 years ago a prominent research organization estimates The majority of these have been In rural areas Counting the districts that remained re reo cc- cc steadfastly dry In the face of repeal there are today at least communities in which beer and booze are outlawed This represents represents represents rep rep- resents about one-fourth one of all aU the townships rural precincts counties and arid villages in the United States Rapid Growth Significant An America only one fourth dry might not be regarded as ominous to the wets when compared with the situation preceding the adoption adoption tion of the Eighteenth amendment At that time 90 per cent of all townships townships town town- ships and rural precincts 85 per pcr percent percent cent of all counties and 75 per cent of all the villages In the United States had their own form of I But the rapidity with which the new dry movement Is gaining ground today Is i. significant of a changing public sentiment Thousands Thousands Thou Thou- sands of local option elections are scheduled for ballot this fall In Pennsylvania alone precincts will hold wet-dry wet contests Some ardent drys predict that when the votes are counted this autumn autumn autumn au au- au- au at least communities will have entered the dry belt since repeal This may be overoptimistic but it is I. not being entirely laughed out of court by impartial observers Dries Win 80 Ier Per Cent How the dry forces have triumphed tri trl so far this year Is indicated by results in Illinois Out of local option contests last April the drys dry won or 80 per cent accordIng according accord accord- ing to a survey by the American Business Mens Men's Research tion Illinois now has dry areas of which about represent communities communities communities that have voted that way since repeal It is estimated that there people people- in Illinois living in areas made dry by local option votes says an official cial bulletin of the foundation If the results elsewhere are similar it s lt i c I U AUF TO PROSIT PROSIT PROSIT-ln In 1933 1931 it was teas believed return of 0 legal beer would conquer conf the nations nation's taste for Jar hard liquor lif Strangest feature of oJ today's dry surge is that beer consumption consumption tion has dropped Meanwhile more hard liard liquor lif i. i is being consumed would mean that more than Americans now reside in territory terri tern tory from which liquor is barred Why has the dry movement spread so rapidly in the farming districts The answers range all the way from the rural accident problem caused by drunken drivers and tipsy pedestrians to increases in crime and rising juvenile delinquency But that doesn't tell teU the entire story Follows Tradition Says Authority One of the most plausible explanations lions was given by Martin Nelson secretary of the Keeley institute of Dwight II sanitarium for the treatment of alcoholism Rural America is simply running true to form he says and he bases his statement on the year 60 experience of the institute in observing the ebb ebband ebband ebband and flow of temperance In banning Intoxicants Mr Nelson Nel Nd- son declared farming areas and smaller towns are for the most part returning to the status they occupied pied before have been traditionally dry for a century It is i. only natural they should lead the parade today That rural America is dry in practice as well as theory is indicated indi by the records of patients treated for alcoholism at the Keeley Institute A recent survey showed that only 16 per cent of the habitual drinkers come from farms and country towns And although farmers farm farm- ers ens rank near the top numerically among our patients this can be explained explained ex ex- by the fact that farmers as asa asa asa a class far outnumber any other single occupation or group of pa lions Cites Public Disgust But while white the country districts are following their normal disposition disposition tion on the wet-dry wet issue it cannot be denied that one of the major factors fac fac- tors tons encouraging the spread of prohibition prohibition pro pro- in rural areas as well as asin asIn asin in cities is public disgust over the way drinking establishments are op op- crated People were told that with repeal the saloon was never coming back But it did come back in many states and in a form far more vicious vi vicious vi vi- cious than ever before Whether big cities will follow the rural districts in going dry depends to a good extent on whether the growing resentment of law-abiding law citizens against rowdy saloon operation opera tion can be stemmed Apparently the saloonkeepers are like the old Bourbon kings of France who never learned a new thing nor forgot an old one for even the Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi- Chi cago Tribune enemy arch-enemy of prohibition recently barked The cause of temperance will be served if the saloonkeepers saloonkeeper are given a kicking around They have learned nothing and presume too much The Tribune Trib une was angered when the tavern owners and politicians of Chicago connived to legalize a later closing hour in return for higher license fee Beer neer Down Hard liard Liquor Up The increase In dry sentiment throughout the country in the past year has been accompanied by a decrease decrease de de- de crease in the total of alcoholic alcoholic al ale al- al coholic beverages consumed One of the of this situation however is that while beer drinking has registered a marked decline the consumption of hard liquor has actually shown a rise Beer consumption consumption con con- tell fell off oft gallons in the 11 months ending May 31 1939 compared with the corresponding correspond correspond- ing period of 1938 At the same time hard liquor consumption Increased by gallons The net decline in all alcoholic beverages consumed amounted to gallons Fading popularity of beer is one of the tragic jokes of repeal said saida a leading dry official When the agitation for the repeal of the Vol stead act was at its height a few years ago the wets argued that if beer and light wine were restored Americas America's thirst for hard liquor would vanish They said people would drink more beer and less whiskey But the fact Is that AmerIcans Americans Amer Amer- leans prefer booze to beer But even with the inroads of prohibition pro past and imminent the liquor industry is definitely to be con con- In its the ranks of big business A statistician has figured that six times more money jingles across bars or is rung up in liquor store cash registers annually than Is Js dropped into the Sunday collection plates of Americas America's churches Uncle Sams Sam's yearly liquor bill Is At the same time Americans contribute about to the support of churches It is JI estimated that there are places in the United States where liquor beer ar aid ard d wine can be bought including taverns cocktail lounges retail liquor stores and hotels |