The Progress of Prohibition by Fannie Dickerson Chase

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 14, 1916

The Progress of Prohibition

By Fannie Dickerson Chase

PROHIBITION is fast scaling the ladder of progress. Once before it neared the topmost rung, but was forced from its high place by the Civil War. Now for more than half a century it has been endeavoring to regain and transcend its former place. Its phenomenal success in this effort is today a cause of rejoicing to all right-thinking people.

Its last masterly stroke was to fell nearly six thousand saloons at one blow, besides destroying many breweries and distilleries. This it did when Michigan, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Montana, on November 7, joined the prohibition ranks. Twenty-three of our forty-eight States have definitely decided for State-wide prohibition; and two others, Utah and Florida, have recently elected governors and legislatures committed to the passage of dry laws. With these two in the prohibition ranks, more than one half the States of the Union will have outlawed the liquor traffic. There are others following so hard and fast upon the example of these that it would seem to be but an easy task now to secure the thirty-six States necessary to ratify an amendment to the Constitution for national prohibition.

But the twenty-five States now committed to State-wide prohibition—Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, Florida, and Utah—do not represent the full strength of the prohibition movement in this country; for by means of local option, liquor is excluded from a large part of most of the other States. There are thousands of towns and villages in wet States that are dry through local option. There are but four States—Nevada, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey—that have failed to enact during the last decade advanced temperance legislation. Minnesota claims to have just elected a house committed to dry legislation; and though prohibition in Missouri lost out in the recent election, her second largest city outlawed the liquor traffic, taking to herself the honor of being the largest city in the country that has voluntarily gone dry. With Alaska also now dry, considerably more than three fourths the area of continental United States is dry territory, and sixty per cent of the population live in prohibition territory.

Nearly one half of the 2,123 newspapers listed in the American newspaper directory refuse liquor advertisements. This fact marks a significant advance in prohibition sentiment. Big business has not only espoused the prohibition cause, but is leading in the campaign against the liquor traffic. The year 1916 has done much toward completely divorcing from the traffic the press, the church, school, state, industry, big business, medicine, everything but itself and politics.

The continued victories for the prohibition cause give great inspiration to temperance workers in the effort to attain their goal—National Prohibition by 1920. The New York Times recognizes the remarkable advance of the prohibition cause in the various States, but uses this very success as an argument against national prohibition, thus: “The wonder grows why the agitation for prohibition by a federal amendment is kept up when State prohibition has made such remarkable conquests.” These very conquests prove the chief incentive to increased agitation for national prohibition. The States that have experienced remarkably beneficent results from outlawing the liquor traffic, are solicitous that the whole nation enjoy equal prosperity and happiness. There is no reason for not believing that what is good for the State is equally good for the nation.

The general optimism of the temperance forces of the world is voiced by the Hon. J. Frank Hanly, in the closing words of a recent editorial: “Nineteen sixteen will go into history marking a milepost in the progress of the American people on their journey to nationwide prohibition. There is sunlight upon the mountains! The day is about to break upon us!”

FANNIE DICKERSON CHASE.