130 PERILS. — l^'TEMPKKAXCE. 



region of the West has by far the driest atuiosphere of 

 any portion of the country. The writer has often seen 

 Long's Peak by moonhght at a distance of eighty miles. 

 The wonderful transpai-ency of that mountain air i-s due 

 to the absence of moisture. Such a climate is itself a 

 wine, and life in it is greatly intensified, with corre- 

 sponding results in the nervous system. We should, 

 accordingly, expect to find a marked increase of intem- 

 perance. And such is the case. In the Mississippi Valley, 

 where the altitude is low, and the atmosphere moist 

 there is much less intemperance than in the mountains, 

 as appears from tlie ratio of voters to saloons. Take the 

 tier of states and territories next east of the Rocky 

 Mountain range. In 3880, Dakota had 95 voters to every 

 saloon ; 1 Nebraska, 133 ; Kansas, 224 ; and Texas, 136. 

 But notice the change as soon as we reach the high alti- 

 tudes. Montana had only 28 voters to each saloon ; Wy- 

 oming, 43; Colorado, 37; New Mexico, 2G; Arizona, 25; 

 Utah, 84; Idaho, 35; Washington, 68; Oregon, 58; Cali- 

 fornia, 37 ; and Nevada, 32. The average for the states 

 between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains was 

 one saloon to every 112.5 voters. In the eleven moun 

 tain states and territories, the average was one saloon to 

 every 43 voters. East of the Mississippi, the average 

 was one saloon to every 107.7 voters. If our assumption 

 that the ratio of saloons to voters correctly measures in- 

 temperance, is just, the people in the western third of 

 the United States are two and one-half times as intem- 

 perate as those in the eastern two-thirds. There are 

 several causes for this, some of which are more or less 

 temporary ; but one- of the chief influences is climatic, 

 which will continue operative. 

 We have seen that the progress of civilization brings 



1 statistics compiled from Census of 1880, and Internal Revenue of same 

 year. For this comparison the statistics of 1880 are preferable to those of 

 1890, because during this interval prohibitory laws have been adopted in 

 several of these states. The number of saloons was doubtless much larger 

 than was reported by the Census; but for comparison between the East and 

 West, or the city and country, the Census statistics answer every purpose. 



