PROHIBITION, legislation forbidding the manufacture of and trade in alco holic liquors, or even, in some cases, ren dering the private possession of such liquors illegal. Though the use of spir ituous liquors is as ancient as history, the idea of checking their use by legis lation is of comparatively recent origin. It has required the investigations of modern medical science to show the tre mendous harm done to human well-being and physical health by the unrestrained use of alcoholic beverages. With this knowledge, there has been a general awakening on the part of all peoples to a realization of this evil as preventable, and it may now be said that the senti ment for prohibition is as widespread as civilization itself.
In this country there was already a prohibition movement before the Civil War, which took concrete form in the heavy licensing of saloons, with local op tion legislation in many small communi ties. The first legislation of more than local character, however, was undoubt edly the laws forbidding the sale of liquors to the Indians. The first State to take action was Maine. Here the evil results of drunkenness was especially obvious, on account of the large quanti ties of rum brought into the state by the traders sailing between Maine ports and the West Indies. A strong agitation for legislation began in 1846, with the re sult that in 1851 a law was passed pro hibiting the manufacture of and traffic in all intoxicating liquors. This law was later incorporated into the state consti tution by amendment. In 1852 Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont also passed prohibition laws, but these were soon after repealed by the two latter states. Beginning in the early eighties, a strong movement for prohibition be gan to make headway in the Middle West, and during the next few years laws were passed in Kansas, Iowa, North and South Dakota. Iowa later modified her legi in lation, through the Mulct Law, passed n 1894, which sought to institute a system of heavy licensing, instead of pure pro hibition. The two Dakotas later com
pletely repealed their prohibition laws, but North Dakota again passed over to the "dry" States in 1914. Oklahoma went dry in 1907, and Idaho in 1915.
Shortly after 1900 a growing sentiment against the liquor traffic became mani fest in the South. While moral consid erations undoubtedly had their influence, this sentiment was also influenced by the fact that it was becoming obvious to the Southerners that the Negro problem was becoming more difficult on account of the growing intemperance of the Negroes. In 1907 Georgia passed a law for prohi bition, and a few months later Alabama followed her example. Alabama, how ever, virtually repealed her law in 1911, only to re-enact it again in 1915. Then followed Mississippi and North Carolina, in 1908; West Virginia, in 1912; Vir ginia, in 1914; Arkansas and South Car olina, in 1915. Meanwhile, in the West, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Wash ington joined the prohibition States in 1914.
Behind this growing popular senti ment pushed the propaganda of two strong organizations; the Prohibition party, which carried on an intensive agi tation during all the elections; and the Anti-Saloon League. Of the two the latter undoubtedly made the stronger ap peal, especially to the women, who, bet ter than the men, perhaps, understood the demoralizing influence of the saloon on American youth, and on American politics. As one State after another passed laws granting suffrage to women, the political power of the Prohibition movement also grew.
To the above States, which had passed prohibition laws, should be added those which passed local option laws; legisla tion allowing each community to decide for itself the question of whether prohi bition should prevail in its own domain. These were Delaware, Alabama and Kentucky. Altogether there were in 1915 only three States which had not passed some kind of legislation against intoxicating liquors, these three being Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.