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Show Colonel Goethals ' onProiition Telli In Scribner's Magazine Conditions Condi-tions as Found by Him In. Panama Zone Tho following Is an extract from an nrtlclo entitled Tho Building of- the Panama Canal, written by Colonel Goo. W .Goethals in tho Sirlbnor'a Magazine, Juno 191G, pago 732: "Tho greatest part of tho forco did not bolong to tho teototalor class, nor did tho prohibition movement havo many supporters outsldo of tho clergy. Whon tho United States assumed as-sumed control thoro woro saloons In all tho settlements that oxlsted, and theso woro continued, but whonsnow sottlomonts wero established saloon licenses woro not oxtended to thorn. Consequently wo had somo "wet" nnd "dry" towns. Tho llconso too wns a high ono, ono thousand two hundred hun-dred dollars n year, nnd nn analysis ot tho liquor sold within the Zono was mado from tlmo to tlmo, with tho penalty ot rovocntlon of tho llcenso In cases whero ndultoratlon was found. Licenses wero limited at first to n certain number of saloons In onch loialtty, but, as this caused charges of favoritism and roqulred discrimination, discrimina-tion, tho number was unlimited tho caro was oxurclscd In tholr Issue. Tho snloons woro segregnted, kept under tho constnnt survellnnco of the pollco, nnd tho hours for bus'ness proscribed nnd strictly enforced. La-tor La-tor regulations prohibited tho uso of chnlrs nnd tnbles In tho barrooms, thus romovlng hiobo comforts which might tend to loltorlng and conviviality. conviv-iality. Giving of credit by tho saloons sa-loons to tholr patrons was discouraged discourag-ed through refusal by tho authorities to render assletanco In tho collection of bills. Again, all cases of alcoholism alcohol-ism treated In the hospitals woro reported re-ported and noted on the personal ro-cords, ro-cords, tho men understanding tbat at- lohallsm was a causo for discharge from sorvlco. It is a serious fact, but tho police records showed that there wero moro arrests for disorderly disor-derly conduct duo to liquor In the towns whero liquor was not sold than In tho others, and this was for the reason that In tho former places tho men would bring the liquor out from tho terminal cities by the bottle and drink until the supply was exhausted whllo in tho latter, being obliged to stand as thoy drank, thoro was not so much temptation to overindulgence and tho men, after thoy had satisfied tholr thirst, wont to their homes or about tholr buslnoss, The ministers employed by tho commission, nnd othors, protected against the granting of licenses within with-in tho zono, and occasionally letters on tho subject reached us from the United States. Tho work was of the earth, earthly, nnd tho men engaged on It woro moro of tho sinning class than saints. Wo omployod tho ministers min-isters to look nfter tho spiritual wol-faro wol-faro of our pcoplo, and I suggested to thora that If thoy would mako tho men moro saintly through tholr teachings and labors among them tho saloons would disappear without tho necessity ot ndmlnlstrntlvo action. So long as liquor wns so easily purchasable pur-chasable In tho terminal cities, I much proferred that tho saloons bo kept In tho zone, whero our mon ould remain under tho observation of our own pcoplo nnd whoro unadulterated unadul-terated liquor could bo bought." Published by request of tho Im-proement Im-proement Lenguo. |