Demonstration for Local Option Vote, Toronto, 1909.
By the close of the nineteenth century, a majority of Canadians was convinced of the need for prohibition. Provincial and federal plebiscites of the 1890s usually showed clear majorities for prohibition. But politicians were reluctant to respond. At most they offered local option. That is, cities, towns, and counties were given the right to prohibit the retail sale of liquor within their own boundaries. Manufacture, importation, and the right to drink liquor were untouched. The most important of such local option laws was the Canada Temperance Act of 1878. It was difficult to enforce and had little effect on drinking.
In this picture, the "Vote For Us" sign is carried by a wagon of women and children, stressing the theme that liquor was a threat to the home.
