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Show PRESENT STATUS OF THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES. Forthy-three million people under absolute prohibition. Eight states In which the sale of liquor is absolutely prohibited. Thirty states in which the sale of liquor Is carefully restricted by legislation. legis-lation. Only ten states and territories without with-out prohibition. Three hundred prohibition cities In the United States, having a population of more than 5,000 each. Nearly two-thirds of the entire United States under some form of prohibition. -- Such is the present status of tho I prohibition movement in the United StateB. These facts are startling to many who have not been in touch with the prohibition movement during tho last five years, for nearly all of this transformation has taken place during dur-ing that time. Five years ago only two states Maine and Kansas were under state-wide prohibition laws. Since 1904 North Dakota, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ok-lahoma, Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina have been added to tne list of dry states. During this period pe-riod 20,000,000 people have been added ad-ded to the territory which has outlawed out-lawed the saloon. This Includes many cities hundreds of new brohlbltlon counties, and thousands of new prohibition pro-hibition towns and villages In all parts of the country. Five years ago 17,000,000 people In the south were under un-der prohibition. Today the prohibition prohibi-tion ranks have been swelled to 25,-000,000 25,-000,000 people In the same district. This transformation has not been brought about by the prohibition party, although lis lnfluonce in that direction has been of much assistance to the movement, but, rather, It has beon brought about by the Anti-Saloon league and its scientific methods of attack on the liquor interests. I I The Anil-Saloon league has so cn- ducted Its movement that during the recent campaign, for the first time In many years, tho liquor problem held the center of the stage as a state issue. is-sue. Public men were made and unmade un-made In many states over this very problem of the liquor traffic. So successful have the workers been that the rural districts and many of the city precincts over the entire country have gone dry. Their method of campaign Is one of simplicity but of effectiveness. Take, for instance, the campalngn In a city. The first movement is to secure prohibition In the rural districts surrounding the city. Then the outlying precincts of the city are attacked and the residence resi-dence district's almost invariably fall in line with the rural districts. As soon as the movement has gained sufficient suf-ficient momentum the business districts dis-tricts of the city are attacked and very frequently with the most gratifying grat-ifying success to the campaign managers. man-agers. Dr. Ferdinand C. Inglehart is at present leading the fight in New York City. He states with the utmost assurance as-surance that twenty-five years at the outside will be all that Is required to make New York City as dry as an Arizona Ar-izona dosert. This does not mean regulation reg-ulation or discrimination, but absolute prohibition. Dr. James Albert Patterson is conducting con-ducting the fight In the state of New York. He will carry It to Harlem bridge, where Dr. Inglehart will take It up and continue It in the five boroughs. bor-oughs. Dr. Inglehart is authority for tho i statement that during the present year fights will be waged In the legislatures of nine additional states for state-wide prohibition. He states definitely that Washington and Idaho, both now marked "wet," will go for local option. He Is very sanguine of success In Tennessee Ten-nessee when It is put up to the people over the governor's veto. He aya that in Ohio the oanrpalgn haa caused tho failure of more than a dozen breweries, brewer-ies, something never heard of before. It Is a well known fact that the brewing brew-ing interests realize the strength of the movement and are actively organizing organ-izing to combat this. Systematic campaigns cam-paigns in favor of the" sale of liquor are now being waged This will be a fight to the finish and one In which the majority are going to dictate tho policy of the minority. The liquor traffic has been the source of much state and city Income, and ono of the big questions Is whether wheth-er the people will be willing to pay the additional taxes necessltatod by the cutting off of this source of revenue. rev-enue. The dry states and dry districts, dis-tricts, are the ones to whom the balance bal-ance of the United States is looking for information In this line. If, after a period of trial In the eight states In which 6tate-wlde prohibition now exists, ex-ists, find that their states have prospered pros-pered under the prohibition law antl that the taxes Incurred by tho cut-' ting off nf the liquor revenue have not materially harmed the states, It will bo a great talking point In favor of prohibition, for many a buslnet man Is holding hlmpelf aloof from tho prohibition movement on this ground alone whether the ground be right or wrong. It la a fact. The liquor Interests feel thnt time will prove the "fallacy of absolute prohibition, pro-hibition, Just as sangulnely ob do th? prohibitionists that time will prove th wisdom of absolute prohibition. And it is therefore an assured fact that the next five years will either prove the downfall of tho brewlDg interests or the downfall of the prohibition movement. |