Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-11-30
DOES PROHIBITION
LESSEN DRINKING?
CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC
BEVERAGES, CAUSES MOST
s DRUNKENNESS IN PRO-
.a,. HlBITIoN DISTRICTS M n

H W
HlBlTioN4DlsTRlcTs
Editor Tribune: My attention was
called to an article in one OF your re-
cent issues headed: s Prohibition and
Temperance. !" 1t shows a highly COM
mendable sentiment on your part, for
truly we may ask wherein the. success
lfof the prohibitionists is Is be found
in view of the fact that the consump.
ton of alcoholic beverages is con
stantly increasing. OF what value is
the growth of prohibition territory, if
drinking does not decrease?
| Can it be said that the increase Of
drinking is confined merely to other
but prohibition territory Statistics
rather prove the contrary. Because
statistics show a proporti larg-
er number of arrests for drunkenness
| in prohibition cities and in cities with
a very small number Of saloons than
in cities with a, large number of sa-
looms, likewise in states; and as drum
kenness is not possible without drink
ing, the increase of drinking is, surely
| not confined to wet" territory n :s.'
| Our Federal Census Bureau publish
les from time to time statistics of cit
les. The last publication is special
1 report, containing statistics of cities
of 10000 inhabitants and over for
1905, and about two years ago bulletin
As was published giving such statis-
tics for cities of between 5000 and
$4,000 inhabitants for l903. 1t would,
of course, take too much space, to state
the statistics of all these cities in re-
ference to saloons and arrests, few
examples will suffice. OF course, the
documents give only numbers, the
proportions and ratios are my own cal
culation. Va
Milwaukee with Git saloons for
each one thousand inhabitants, had
thirteen arrests for drunkenness and
disturbance of the peace and 21.73 for
/ all causes together, for the same num-
Der of inhabitants. Lowell, Mass,
| no saloons at all had 1927 arrests for
the causes named and 51.72 for all
causes. Il
| Columbus, Ohio with 5.36 saloons for
each 1000 inhabitants had Ii. 40 arrests
per one thousand inhabitants for the
two causes named and 1854 for all
causes, while Worcester, Mass. with
only OFT saloons had 1920 arrests for
drunkenness and disturbance, of the
peace and 43 for all causes.
Of all the cities of about 5000 in
habitants Rockland, Me-, at the head
with no saloons had 1856 arrests for the
| two causes and 1875 for all causes,
and Watertown, Wis, at the foot with
the largest number of saloons, towit:
IS, had only 81 respectively. 1877 ar
! rests. .;%.
4 In New Jersey (license) the number
of arrests in all the cities with be-
tween 5000 and 5000 inhabitants for
drunkenness was 500 per 1000 in
habitants; in Kansas (prohibition) it
was 14.61, the number of arrests for
all causes was 1911 in New Jersey and
24.04 in Kansas. zsG
And so on. OF couse, the general
conditions, the character of the popu-
4 lation, the efforts toward enforcement
of law are unequal, and it cannot be
expected that the rule works with
4 mathematical precision. but the fig
lures have an indisputab1e tendency to
show that prohibition rather results
in an increase than decrease of
4 drunkenness and that a reduction of
public drinking places below the mum
Der that is required by ordinary de-
mand is of no beneficial effect.
/ These same statistics show also
that, generally, taxes are higher In
1 prohibition territory than in other
parts of the country. The revenue
from saloon licenses is eliminated and
the efforts toward law enforcement
require larger police forces and create
more expense.
And yet, It cannot be denied thatsin
i spite Of the increase of the consump-
w s y Is EF
ton Of alcoholic Beverages, in general
/ and percapita, drunkenness has de.
i creased and customs and manners
4 have improved There are today more
4 people drinking moderately than form,
i erly and fewer people drinking ina.
moderately. II can hardly be denied
4 that ii issa better condition if among
ia hundred people each drinks moder-
lately than # among a hundred people
II seyenty-fYe abstain entirely and TWEEN