Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/323

 a law prohibiting the importation or use of intoxicating liquors. The Provisional Legislature in its session in 1844 enacted a law prohibiting the sale of ardent liquors, but in 1845 it amended the organic law?? to provide for the regulation of such traffic, because the Hudson Bay Company permitted the use of intozicanto by its employees. At that tmie the Oregon Country was an independent region* hat was hampered in the enforcement of its own laws* The change in the law providing merely for regulation wae carried hy a vote of the people by the email majority of 203 on July 26, 1645. The next year a license law was passed over the veto of Governor Abemethy.

The passage of the prohibition law in Maine in 1851 renewed an interest in the question in Oregon, and during the years 1653-54 it was an important factor in Territorial political campaigns. At intervals in succeeding years it was revived, and in the 60*8 was the basts for the organization of the Prohibition party, which for several years was an active factor in the State elections. In November, 1887, a special election was held on a constitutional amendment which had };ecn suhnntted by the legislature in order that the question might be considered and passed upon by the people, uninfluenced by a political campaign; but after a spirited contest it was defeated by a large majority. From that time until the effort was successful in November, 1914, the movement toward prohibition was before the people in one form and another* uniformly gaining in public support, its advocates never abandoning its discussion where there was a possibility for its consideration. The amendment adopted in November, 1914, by a vote of 1 36,842 for and 100,362 against, provided for absolute prohibition of the manufacture, importation or sale of all forms of intoxicating liquors and every saloon in the state was closed, according to the terms of the act, on January It 1916.