THE AMAZING PROGRESS OF TEMPERANCE IN KENTUCKY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2598, 4 September 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE AMAZING PROGRESS OF TEMPERANCE IN KENTUCKY.

(From “Harper’s Weekly.”)

During a period of less than two years the liquor traffic has been almost wiped our of Kentucky. _lt began with the passing of the County Unit Law, a year and a half ago, whereby the people obtained the right of local option as to the existence of the saloon. Of the 119 counties in the State, fifty-eight went wholly dry. Nearly all the remainder abolished tno sale of intoxicants outside tlie limits of certain cities. Breathitt County went “dry » from the beginning, as well as a batch ol counties through the mountain regions; it then, oa everybody knew, the native moonshine industry .was merely (retting its fling against competitive manufacturers and retailers. There was a slight migration of colonels, and weeds sprang up among some of the mint fields, but most people scoffed. There were few places m the dry zone .beyond the reach of a nearby Then, one by one, the counties began to turn out the liquor traffic. Bourbon went partly “dry. Now, after twelve months of local option, ninety-three counties are wholly dry, and only four—Meade, Jefferson Kenton, and Campbell—still remain wet as before the passage of the law. Here is an interesting sequel:—The members of the General Assembly of Kentucky, in session at Frankfort, have received copies of the following letter: “The Association of Jailors of the State have oaused to be drafted certain acts for their relief, now. before the General Assembly for their consideration. These acts are intended to relieve the acute pecuniary conditions in which the Jailers have been placed by the general adoption of local option laws in.the State. : , “The office of Jailer m counties having less than 75,000 is now worthless, the fees being totally inefficient to compensate the Jailer or feed the p - soners. . . the compensation of Jailore .... less than £4u per

annum. , “The jail doors m nearly every county in which local option prevail* ore wide open and the Jailers have been compelled to engage in other pursuits for the purpose of ekmg out a scanty support for their families.’ . Tno passage of & proposed amendea. County Unit Law during the present session would result m 113 dry counties out of 119.