Show HOW PROHIBITION WORKS Illicit Traffic Is Investigated I if iE MANY WET SPOTS FOUND Interesting Facts Showing Operation of Law Gathered Gath I ered Over Country I I The eighteenth amendment to the constitution of the United States prohibiting prohibiting prohibiting pro pro- the manufacture sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors became effective two years ago tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row January 16 1920 I For Tor two years therefore national prohibition has been the law ot of the theland theland land the amendment having withstood all attacks upon It and the various enI enforcement enforcement en en- acts national and state haying having having hav hay I ing likewise survived long costly and bitterly fought litigation Claims and counter claims as to the I effectiveness effectiveness- or of the law assertions that it is of great benefit benefit benefit ben ben- I. I to the public charges that it is working great harm to the country allegations allegations al- al j legations that it has no public support and will never be a success have I f I abou abounded ded since first the law went into into I effect and continue today There is is the utmost confusion as to whether I I prohibition actually prohibits prohibit or is merely a costly nuisance The simple claim that there Is less drinking of alcoholic al- al I aI-I j coholic liquors than there was before January 16 1920 i is il disputed I MANY FACTS GATHERED What are aro the facts I In an effort to lay the facts as the they nr q a J I e Telegram haS haS' gathered from evor vr 8 section of the he count country through gh its correspondents otherwise ft a amass mass mass of f data and statistics as as to the conditions which prevail at the present present present pres pres- ent time and which show whether th the prohibition law has d decreased creased the consumption consumption consumption con con- of ot intoxicating liquor whether the law is being enforced whether the law Is a benefit to tb the various communities and whether tb the whole situation today is an Improvement improvement Improve improve- ment meat over the situation p prevailing two years ago In compiling and presenting the material material material ma ma- it has gathered The Telegram will maintain the strictest Im tin partiality It does not seek to show shot that prohibition is a good thing o oa or ora ora a bad thing that it Is beneficial 0 or deleterious It will not seek seele either elthe to make out a case for the wets or a case for the dr drys s It will call cal attention to contributing causes o or conditions Which may serve to modify or qualify conclusions that partisans partisan might draw It will present in a se series series se- se ries of of articles the fact as it has ha las learned them and let those facts fact speak for tor or themselves Starting with a general survey suney o of condl conditions lons prevailing throughout th the country cO this serl series s will take up Ii in turn the economic results of the pr hib law the sociological results the tho violations of the law and the ramifications ramifications ramifications rami rami- thereof the enforcement of th the law and the results the actual ac actual ac- ac working out of the law In individual Individual ual states and finally the conditions condition which prevail In what Is generally generall known n nas as the wettest state in theUn the tb the Un Union on DETAILED REPORTS In preparation of this series series' The Telegram ha has had before it It first of all special detailed rep reports from it Its own correspondents It has had too toc the records ot of the Anti saloon League LoagUe of ot America records of organizations opposed to prohibition reC records rd of governmental governmental gov gov- departments national fl and andst state st te and records records' of enforcement agencies agen agen- des cies courts asylums etc Naturally in m matter gathered gather d from such a variety I of or sources there aro are contradictions Where such are found the fact will b be noted In considering c prohibition conditions In the United as a whole It I is necessary necessary t to draw attention to the fa fact that of the forty eight states In h he Union hl ty hirty e were dry before th tho p passage of the eighteenth am Astonishing as it may a seem some oi of these states that were dry before belore na national national national na- na prohibition went we t into nto effect no now now contain admittedly some of ot the wettest wettest wet wet- test spots In tho the country Reference is b made especially to Georgia Texas lexas an and ana Oregon SMUGGLING SHOWN I It will wili be pe noted that these thesel three states states' aro are border states one on on the Atlantic At At- antic lantic ope oe on tho the Gulf of Mexico Mio borI bordering bor bor- dering Jering erin on on Mexico and on one one on th Pa Pa- They serve to emphasize a I many of the reports made madeI j I to The Telegram bring out that much I of f the liquor consumption In this country country coun- coun I I try ry today is only possible because of the he a activities of smugglers This is highly Important In view o ohe of ot the he figures occasionally printed by one side siele or the other of the wet and dry I controversy An indication of what it t me means ns is given In a dispatch from The Telegram correspondent in Detroit The whole district between Port I Huron and anel the mouth of the Detroit river iver a distance of approximately eighty miles is a booze runners' runners fairyland fairy fairy- land and wherein the smuggling of liquor has as become a scientific Industry accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac- ac by determined experts There is no way of accurately on page age 3 t I f 1 J a SUNDAY SUNDAY MORNING JANUARY 15 19 1922 SHow How Prohibition Works on l As Shown After Broad i Investigation Is Made MadeJ Ne J I font limed from T C 1 1 ling ing the amount of ot liquor that crosses the river but a conservative figure Is 1000 cases every twe twenty four four hours 4 EThe The purpose in calling attention to this rifts point immediately and In connection tion iI n with the statement regarding Georgia orgia Texas and Oregon Is this There is no possible way of ot determining deter- deter tn mining with any accuracy what the theM M consumption of Intoxicating liquor is at t the present time in the tho United s States tes RUNNERS ARE BUSY Reports received from the most re reI reliable re- re I 1 liable able ble sources Indicate clearly that with vcr very few exceptions in districts i where here conditions are propitious rum rumrunners gunners runners and bootleggers are excessively I t busy doing a good business and apparently apparently ap- ap finding a ready market at tt high prices for what they have to off offer r. r I I QI phere There Is no possible way of checking the amount of ot liquor r these men handle I Where conditions are propitious I this state of pf affairs affairs' prevails Naturally NaturI NaturI I I i ally the seaboard and border states I i ithe are re the ones where conditions are best suited to the smugglers smuggler's activities l There remains the other half of the I country those country f those sections away from the seaboard and the border I l With the exception of ot a few very wet spots that part of the United States not adjacent to either the Atlantic or orp orthe I p the ithe Pacific oceans or the Canadian or Mexican borders is fairly dry but butTone butone one Tone dryness is almost unknown Inthe in inthe I the cities i Kansas Is probably as dry as an any i state tate in the country judging b by the theu reports r received ed Yet the Topeka cor cor- u writes writes- By reason of Topeka's nearness to toi Kansas i ansas City Mo l through all these years ears a wet city the fight against the he liquor traffic has been continuous ous At session v every of the l I legislature special appropriations are made for the use of the attorney general general general gen gen- I eral and other officers in m hunting down I violators of the state prohibition law II And Kansas by popular vote went dry hy forty years jears ago ago I r Beyond the fact that bone dryness does not seem to to- exist in any community community I of size there is scarcely a statement statement statement state state- ment regarding prohibition that can be fairly made and applied generally to tonn I all ail sections of the country Conditions vary yary ary from what might be termed near j dryness to exceeding wetness In the order of their wetness with the wettest wettest wet wet- wet wet-I test at the top of the list and the at the bottom the states are l I ranked as follows by the prohibition officials In Washington Nate N v 2 v York i W Island California low Iowa a. a Ohio Colorado Colorado or Carolina Louisiana I Georgia Florida Illinois Washington Massachusetts New ew Jersey I Missouri Wisconsin Texas New Mexico Tennessee Oregon I Utah Minnesota Mississippi Connecticut Wj Virginia Indiana New Hampshire Idaho Arkansas 5 Arizona Michigan Maine bouth Carolina North orth Dakota I Maryland Vermont Alabama South Dakota Oklahoma Nevada West Vest Virginia Kansas Montana Delaware It will be noted that Kansas is I ranked as next to the state in the the country It should be emphasized too too that this list is based on p Uon tion obtained from the enforcement officers officers of of- of- of In Washington D. D C. C LESS LIQUOR USED The statement has been made above that that there is no noway way of determining i even approximately the amount of liquor consumed at at this time Notwithstanding standing this the flat fiat statement was was made from a dry headquarters a few v days since There has been an enor- enor mouse decrease in the consumption of liquor a decrease riot not le less leis s than 85 86 and possibly more than 95 per cen cent t. t This assertion n does not seem to be quite fully borne out by the statistics available Official reports from Washington covering twenty eight months up to October 31 last and therefore embracing a part of the war var wartime wartime time prohibition period show that the tho total withdrawals by government permit permit permit per per- mit of alcoholic spirits was gallons whereas for tor a corresponding period before prohibition the withdraw withdraw- withdrawals als totaled The Telegram Washington correspondent writes Withdrawals for the prohibition period pe period period pe- pe are thus seen to be but 12 per cent of the withdrawals for the correspondIng correspond correspond- ing period Immediately preceding pro pro- On the face of the returns therefore the decrease in consumption is 88 per percent percent percent cent but this takes no account whatever whatever whatever what what- ever of smuggled liquor moonshine whisky private stock laid In before the law became effective liquor obtained by fraudulent permit or otherwise Il illegally il- il legally or h home me brew It will be seen at once that consumption must be actually greater than the 15 per cent that tho the prohibition statement above puts as the maximum The Washington correspondent further further fur fur- ther writes tes Under prohibition alcoholic spirits are being being- withdrawn from bond at the rate of gallons a month the rite official reports show The rate of 01 withdrawals before prohibition was 8 gallons a month This shows plainly that the rate of ot withdrawal is still about 12 per cent or a little more of what it was prior to prohibition Present withdrawals however Include those of grain alcohol for industrial purposes Some grain al alcohol alcohol al- al cohol finds its way to the bootleggers but more is legitimately used 1 It t Is worthy of note in discussing the total consumption of ot liquor In the United States at present that exports of spirits from Great Gleat Britain to this country and to Canada have Increased enormously within the last two years In a similar manner the imports of I wines from France have increased The details as to these exports will be given later But even en figuring practically all of the tho increases exports of Great Britain and France as destined for eventual consumption In the United States It Is impossible to arrive at a figure that materially increases the percentage al already already al- al ready given Considering all factors It Itis itIs itis is only possible to to actually account for liquor totaling about 13 15 5 per cent of the II amount lamount consumed in the country before prohibition I There remains to be dealt with with- then the Illicitly made hooch and homebrew homebrew home homebrew brew Stills have been found by of officers officers of- of in all parts of the country and In all sorts of places There must be a avery avery avery very considerable quantity of liquor manufactured sold and consumed but how much rio iio no one can say Nor Is there any way of finding out how much moonshine of the old sort is being made in the Southern states One guess is almost as as' good as another FIFTEEN PER CENT B But Bat t if in if-in in order to be exceedingly liberal I one goes to the extreme and arbitrarily says that the illicitly manufactured manufactured manufactured man man- liquor Is equal In amount to all of that released from the warehouses ware ware- warehouses houses plus al of that which Is exported export export- ed to this country countr by Great Britain either directly or through Canada and andall andall I all of that exported to this country by I France the highest figure obtainable is another 15 per cent I There can be no pretense that this j I Is an accurate basis for figuring but it it has the value of being liberal And it leads to this conclusion conclusion- I The total consumption of liquor In Inthe Inthe inthe the United States today cannot be more than 3 per cent of ot the consumption prior to prohibition I Judging from the reports sent In by correspondents the success or failure of prohibition in given localities de dePends depends de- de largely on the attitude of the he public In m the particular locality Pro is un neither popular nor lar- lar larIn ar In New New York and In Chicago for or instance the ease with which the the law Is violated and nd evaded is ascribed as s due in part at least to the tile general apathy of the public prohibition Is not popular On the other hand In states where the violations of ot the law are not n much uch more numerous than violations violations viola viola- of the or similar laws It is reported report d that prohibition Is popular lar that enforcement has the active support of ot the public and that officials are responsive to the sentiment of the majority It too that there Is much general Interest just now in what prohibition prohibition pro pro- Is costing payers This Is undoubtedly due to the Interest taken at present In all matters of taxa taxa- tion It is general knowledge that thata a source of much government revenue was shut off when the prohibition law became effective Knowing that this loss has to be made up and Is made up by man many persons who are now more keenly aware of their taxes than ever ever before want to know how costly to tho taxpayers ers Is the law against the manu manu- I facture transportation and sale of ot Intoxicating in intoxicating intoxicating In- In liquors Prohibition costs cost the federal government government government gov gov- more than a year I I In loss of taxes alone There is Is in ht addition the the heavy cost of enforcement enforcement enforce enforce- enforce I j ment and the cost of the additional I burden put on the courts by reason reason of the activities of the enforcement officers The figures of the receipts of the government for the fiscal year before prohibition and the last fiscal year follow I Year Receipts 1918 I f 1921 I Decrease These figures are for fiscal years ending June 30 It is estimated that tha t i for tor the calendar year 1921 the receipts I I will be about I Here is some further |