214 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 1 



I do not think there is any danger now of our losing any temper- 

 ance laws we already have on the statute-books. 



You doubtless noticed that counties are going dry in Indiana in 

 lots of fives and tens. The legislature is disposed to repeal the 

 county-option law of that State, and the House has already voted 

 to do so. 1 can hardly think that they will attempt to repeat the 

 action in the Senate; and if they do, it will be a big overturning 

 of political leaders in Indiana two years hence. E. R. R. 



Later. — The Senate refused to concur, so that the Indiana 

 county-option law stands, and will stand, as the liquor people 

 will never be aole to muster up strength enough to defeat it aft- 

 er three-fourths of the counties go dry. E. R. R. 



Mr. Root: — Permit me to submit herewith the annual report for 

 the Ohio Anti-saloon League. The year 1908 was one of the 

 most rffective, inspiring, and successful in the League's history. 

 It started with the great legislative contest for the enactment of 

 the county-option law. The liquor interests, realizing the inju- 

 ry whiih such a measure would bring to their traffic, fought it 

 with the energy of despair; but the legislature listened to the 

 people rather than to the brewers' lobby, and enacted the law. 



Four other measures were enacted at this same session of the 

 General Assembly: 1. The bill preventing C. O. D. sales of 

 liquor in dry territory, and the operation of clubs in dry territory 

 where liquor was kept in private lockers; 2. A measure which 

 prohibits any person under sixteen years of age from working in 

 a brewery, distillery, saloon, or other place where intoxicating 

 liquor is sold for beverage purposes; 3. The law known as the 

 " Nuisance Act." It provides that, upon a second conviction, a 

 p'ace where liquor is sold shall be abated as a nuisance; 4. A 

 law to prevent dairy milch cows from being fed from distillery 

 slops and starch waste. It was of especial interest to Cincinnati. 



PREPARATION FOR THE CONFLICT. 



Following the adjournment of the legislature until Sept. 1, 

 when the county-option law went into effect, every effort was 

 put forth to organize the counties for the vote. The first elec- 

 tions were held Sept. 26 in Meigs and Warren counties. They 

 voted dry by substantial majorities. Since then elections have 

 been held in rapid succession until we now have 57 dry under 

 the county-option law and 5 under other laws, making a total of 

 62 dry counties. We consider this the best " Christmas present" 

 which the League could present to the people of Ohio. 



Over hal f of the territory in the 26 counties that have not voted, 

 or failed to vote dry under the county-option law, is dry under the 

 municipil, township, or residence-district option law. Adding 

 together all of the dry territory under these four laws we now 

 have over 85 per cent of the geographical territory of the State 

 without saloons, and over 60 per cent of the population. 



FINANCIAL REPORT. 



A great financial burden was placed upon the League by these 

 local-option, legislative, and legal contests. The crisis was 

 upon us, and we had to meet it, even though it was necessary at 

 times to draw on the future. We believed that the people 

 would respond if we did our part. The results show that we did 

 what any sane leader ought to have done under the circum- 

 stances. 



The amount raised for the League up to Dec. 1 was over 

 $80,000. The expense is within this limit. This is a substan- 

 tial gain. In addition to this the tmpetance people have raised 

 several thousand dollars for local work in these county cam- 

 paigns. The public accountants will make their report on the 

 books the first of the year, and we will mail a copy of the same.* 



NEEDS FOR THE COMINf; YEAR. 



Each year the needs of the League have grown with the prog- 

 ress of the work. We need two or three more m^n in the field 

 at once — one more attorney and at least one more campaign 

 speaker. During these contests we had to call to our aid men 

 from other States, at considerable cost and inconvenience to the 

 work. We are now coming to the countif s witb the large cities. 

 That means we must have more workers, mote literature, and a 

 longer campaign of education. The same hard work that has 

 won the elections in these 62 counties will win it in others; but 

 we must have literature that can be read by foreigners, who thus 

 far have not been reached by our present methods. With the 

 experience which we have had, we believe a goodly percentage 

 of this class of peonle can be educated to see the advantages of a 

 no-saloon policy; but we must have the men, the literature, and 

 the organization with which to do it. This means more money 

 to carry on the work. We ought to have $100,000 this next 

 year for the aggressive campaign that has been mapped out. It 

 is essential if we measure up to the possibilities before us. Your 

 contribution made possible many of these victories, and we trust 

 you will continue your partnership in and support of the work 

 which it so rapidly redeeming Ohio from the curse of the liquor- 

 traffic. W. B. Wheeler, 

 Superintendent and Attorney. 



* This has now been done, and the audited accounts are now 

 in print, and available to any one. 



THE GREAT CITY OF CHICAGO HAS EIGHT SA- 

 LOONS TO EVERY FIVE GROCERIES. 



We clip the following from the Sunday School 

 Times: 



The annual national " drink-bill " of the United States can 

 not be accurately calculated, even on the financial side. Chica- 

 go alone spends about a hundred millions in the retail trade, and 

 has eight saloons to five groceries. The total number of gallons 

 of distilled spirits, wines, and malt liquors consumed in the 

 United States in 1906 was over two billion forty-eight million. 

 The total consumption per capita has risen from 17.12 gallons in 

 1896 to 22 27 gallons in 1905. The brutality, disease, degrada- 

 tion, misery, and death which are traceable to liquor do not ad- 

 mit of quantitative statement. 



The brewers are primarily responsible for saloon conditions. 

 Saloon-keepers are usually under such material obligations to 

 them that their dependence amounts to vassalage. They have 

 steadily glutted the market with malt liquors, the number of gal- 

 lons per capita having jumped from 8.65 gallons in 1881 to 20.21 

 gallons in 1906, while that of wine and spirits has remained al- 

 most at a standstill. Again, the hidden hand of the brewers is 

 felt in political action, not only indirectly through the power of 

 the corner saloon in ward politics, but also directly in bringing 

 to bear great accumulations of capital upon State legislation. 



High license and local option, in one form or another, are the 

 prevalent methods of control, a combination of the two systems 

 being usually employed. The working of county-option laws 

 has recently tended toward complete prohibition in several 

 States. The notable anti-liquor movement in the Souih and oth- 

 er sections of the country is rapidly increasing the prohibitive 

 area. 



Just a word in closing in regard to the respon- 

 sibility resting on editors: 



Turn to page 185, Gleanings for March 15, 

 and read. 



Now, then, are we going to continue to help a 

 periodical that " giveth his neighbor drink," or 

 shall we indorse and encourage the one that 

 stands with that old warrior and hero, Joshua.' 



While reading the Dec. 1st, 1908, issue I came to the temper- 

 ance department, and, by the way, I never miss that nor the 

 Home papers. I read personal liberty, etc, page 1451. Now, 

 don't you feel sorry for friend F.? I do. He surely is running in 

 a narrow groove. Personal liberty, indeed! Let all such prove 

 their liberty by abstaining from an occasional glass. They will 

 soon see that they have no liberty in the matter. But we do not 

 deny such as he the right to their occasional glass. But we do 

 deny that they have the right to make drunkards of our boys and 

 prostitutes of our daughters, for that is what the open saloons 

 stand for, besides the corruption of politics. Then a look in the 

 wake of the saloons. Do yousee liberty? Maybe; but not such 

 liberty as the fathers of the Revolution fought for. 



When I had read friend F.'s letter I hustled for the Dec. 15th 

 issue. Turning to " Temperance " I read, " Jug of whisky for a 

 Christmas gift." 



O how sad! for it brought to me a scene that comes within the 

 circle of kinship — a man and his family, if tbat were all. The 

 man believed in an occasional glass, however rare, hardly once 

 a month. But whisky will have its own, whether once a month 

 or once a day, and thii case proved no exception. They had 

 been to town, that happy family. The man took that one glass. 

 It made him careless and sharp with the horses. The team was 

 high-lifed, and resented his treatment of them. They ran off, 

 throwing the driver and all out. The man struck a tree and was 

 instantly killed. The mother, in her excitement and grief, 

 clisped her babe tightly to her bosom as she gathered up her oth- 

 er children, who were not hurt, and bent over the lifeless father. 



Sympathizing friends, who soon gathered, asked her what was 

 the matter wiifi her dress, the front of which was covered with 

 blood. When they looked the babe was dead. Its throat was 

 torn clear across. The mother fell senseless to 'he ground. She 

 remained in a dazed state for a long time. She never fully re- 

 covered from that heavy blow. Years after, when I was a small 

 boy, I would see her. Her old bent form, her white hair, and 

 her sad face, are still fresh in my memory. 



Friend A. I. R., my wish for you is that you may have length 

 of years and strength of mind to fight in the front ranks of this 

 great and glorious cause. My wish for myself is that I might 

 some time meet you, to clasp your hand and look in your face. 



The " Rootlets," as you call them, must be proud to have you 

 for their father and grandfather. The Temperance and Home 

 departments should never be dropped out of Gleanings. 



New Dover, O., Feb. 16. E. E. Larcomb. 



GOOD FOR INDIANA. 



We had our county election Jan. 26. It was voted dry by 



1600 maj )rity. The three other counties that had the election 

 th" <;ame d^y went d-y by a big m.jori'v. C. E. We^TuN. 



Letts, Ind. 



