Show money tycoons are blamed for whiskey De depression dipressi on by H phelps gates national voice news bureau recent attacks on americas economic royalists are bringing feht new facts as to how re I 1 fivas was forced upon a depre depression sion ridden people by a small mall group of multi millionaires as a scheme to exploit the working classes some of the millionaires who propagandized repeal as a popular revolt now have huge sums invested in the brewing and distilling industries and are being repaid many times over for the amounts they contributed to repeal prohibition a national survey reveals falsely character characterized zed by wet propagandists as a spontaneous public revulsion to prohibition repeal now stands stripped of its promotional in the light of confidential papers made public by the senate committee eleven wealthy men contributed over half of the sums expended by the association against pro Ameni amendment ment in a ca cam in IT to make it appear that pro i i clon ion I 1 was unpopular P with the masses and to instigate a revolt against the amendment afif ty three wealthy individuals give over three fourths of the campaign funds of the repeal organization up to the time of the hearing the records show today in many quarters repeal is receiving partial blame for the business recession and multi millionaires who sponsored the return of liquor are feeling the pinch too billions of dollars spent for liquor are being diverted from other channels of trade after four years of repeal dry campaigners are capitalizing on the fact that the nation now faces many of the same conditions which were used by wet propagandists ts in their efforts to stir the people into a f frenzy renzy of dissatisfaction virginia treats 88 per cent more drunks virginia where liquor is sold under state monopoly treated 88 83 per cent more inebriates in 1937 than in 1933 the year before repeal according to dr J S de jarnette superintendent of western state hospital the state institution ution which cares for virginias drink victims women keeley cure patients ts gain per cent women at cure institute at dwight illinois increased per cent last year over 1936 to statistics just released by the institution more women alcho holics took the cure during 1937 than in any single year since 1915 crime gains 7 per cent during ath repeal year crime increased 7 per cent during the first nine months of 1937 J edgar hoover director of the federal bureau of investigation ty a congressional group in to fearington feA ington n agton the increase was iii ih such classes of crime as murder negligent manslaughter criminal assault aggravated assault robbery burglary larceny and automobile theft hoovers announcement closely followed a national press release by the distilled spirits institute that crime had de decreased creased since repeal 50 per cent gain in divorces since repeal excessive use of intoxicants is given as the principal reason for an increase of nearly 50 per cent in divorces in los angeles county in recent years in 1937 10 interlocutory divorce decrees were issued as compared to only the last bone dry year beer causes 55 per cent of drunkenness asier X ke er causes 65 55 per cent of all k 1 ik kenness enness according to dr H B hamlin physiology professor at ohio state university beer is not intoxicating they say so we just sit and sit drinking glass af ter glass and all the time old king alcohol is accumulating in our body and brain dr hamlin declared national prohibition committee to meet encouraged by wide plead d satisfaction dissatisfaction P with liquor conditions edward E blake national chairman of the prohibition Prohibit on party has called an interim meeting of the national committee of his organization to be held in columbus 0 march 7 and 8 murder of deputy closes eight saloons eight saloons in pope county illinois are closed today as a result of the murder of deputy sheriff W T rogers 68 58 fatally wounded when he attempted to clear a tavern at closing time the county board of supervisors ordered the places closed following the slaying editorial sidelights on repeal it was ridiculous ever to contend that repeal would do away with liquor law infractions that it would completely do away with the bootlegger and illicit dealer or that it would bring about a decrease in crime grand rapids press the number of for violation of the federal liquor statutes has reached an all time high prisoners in the 1937 fiscal year washington dispatch the fact sticks out like a sore thumb that since repeal drunk arrests in los angeles are 2 66 times greater than they were before repeal this single activity consumes 35 per cent of the total energy of the police los angeles times |