116 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



Assembly, another prohibitory law was passed. 

 This was on trial for several years before the 

 courts, but at length its constitutionality was 

 affirmed. In 1868 this law was repealed be- 

 cause of great popular dissatisfaction with its 

 manner of working. A milder law was passed 

 in 1869, but, being even more unsatisfactory, 

 was abolished in 1875, and replaced by a 

 license law, which still exists. In Rhode 

 Island, as in Massachusetts, a law passed 

 during the excited state of public feeling in 

 1852 was declared unconstitutional the follow- 

 ing year. The law was then amended so as 

 not to conflict with the constitution, and the 

 question of its adoption being submitted to the 

 people, it was approved by a small majority. 

 In 1863, however, the law was repealed. In 

 1874 a similar law was passed, only to be 

 abolished in the next year, when a license law 

 prohibiting the sale of liquors to minors and 

 drunkards, and also on Sundays, and providing 

 for the collection of damages from the liquor 

 dealer, was passed. An amendment was offered 

 to the people in 188(5, which was not adopted, 

 but in the next year a stringent prohibitory 

 law was passed. Connecticut passed a prohibi- 

 tory law in 1854, but owing to some defect in 

 the law, or to the indifference of the people, it 

 could not be enforced, and became virtually a 

 dead letter. About 1870, therefore, it was 

 superseded by the present license law, which 

 has the local option feature. This has given 

 opportunity to a large number of towns and 

 districts to positively forbid the sale of liquor 

 in their localities, so that nearly half of the 

 State is under practical prohibition. Michi- 

 gan, in 1853, adopted a prohibitory law which 

 was repealed almost immediately. A similar 

 law, however, was adopted in 1855, which 

 continued on the statute books for about 

 twenty years. As it had become inoperative 

 through popular indifference, it was replaced 

 by a license law in 1875. This latter was 

 strengthened in 1883 by the adoption of a 

 damage clause. In 1885 New York passed a 

 prohibitory law, which shared the fate of many 

 similar enactments, being declared unconsti- 

 tutional, and was repealed the following year. 

 In 1861 efforts had been made to secure prohi- 

 bition in the Revised Constitution, but the 

 result was a failure. The extent of New Jer- 

 sey's prohibition is a law passed in 1797, and 

 still in force, forbidding the distribiition or 

 sale of liquors at a public auction. Pennsyl- 

 vania once had a prohibitory statute on its 

 books for a few months. It was adopted in 

 1855 and repealed in 1856. This law had been 

 preceded by a "no-license act " which had been 

 enacted by the Legislature in 1846, and had 

 been pronounced unconstitutional by the Su- 



preme Court. In 1872 a law was passed giving 

 local option to the counties, and sixty-seven of 

 them voted against licensing the traffic. In 

 two years that law was repealed and a license 

 law adopted, which is still in force. The pro- 

 hibition issue was squarely before the people 

 in the spring elections of this year (1889), and 

 was defeated by a large popular majority. 

 Delaware has tried prohibition twice. The 

 first law was passed in 1847, only to be re- 

 pealed in 1848. The second law was made in 

 1885 ; but it was in a few years displaced by 

 a license law, which is still in existence. Three 

 other States Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa 

 adopted prohibitory laws in 1855. That of 

 Indiana was declared void soon after, and has 

 never been reenacted. The legislative enact- 

 ment of Illinois was submitted to the people 

 and rejected by them. Since then no effort 

 has been made to make the State prohibitory, 

 but a high license law was passed by the Leg- 

 islature of 1882-'83. This law has been de- 

 clared constitutional by the courts, and has 

 been generally successful in its operation. The 

 Iowa law has stood, with some modifications, 

 and, where public opinion lias supported it, 

 has been generally executed. In 1882 a pro- 

 hibitory clause was put into the Constitution 

 by popular vote. This amendment has been 

 declared void by the Supreme Court on account 

 of certain technical errors in drawing it up. 

 In 1884 a prohibitory law was passed. Ohio 

 put a "no-license" clause in its constitution 

 in 1851, and the sale of liquors has been vir- 

 tually free throughout the State. Attempts 

 have been made at several times to regulate 

 the traffic by law, but all have failed. Two 

 of the States adopted prohibitory laws while 

 they were still under territorial organization 

 Minnesota in 1052 and Nebraska in 1855. In 

 both cases the law was modified to make it fit 

 public sentiment more nearly, and both States 

 now have high license laws. Kansas adopted 

 a modified prohibitory law in 1866. In 1880 

 the popular vote added an amendment to the 

 Constitution prohibiting the manufacture and 

 sale of intoxicating liquors in the State "ex- 

 cept for medical, scientific, and mechanical 

 purposes." In Georgia, ninety-five counties 

 have suppressed the sale of liquor through the 

 privilege of local option. Similar laws are 

 made somewhat effective, also, in Texas, 

 Arkansas, and Florida. Other States have 

 laws forbidding the sale of liquor within a cer- 

 tain distance of a school, or to minors, to 

 persons of notoriously intemperate habits, etc. 

 The t,a\v of Subscriptions. 1 . Sub- 

 scription is the placing of a siguatiire under a 

 written or printed engagement. By such an 

 act a person contracts, in writing, to pay a 



