The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-12


 experiment of prohibiting the sale of liquors. During the period of this expert ment it sapped the life of the city. While her sister towns of Augusta, Macon, Sa vannah, Chattanooga and Birmingham, and the whole Piedmont region enjoyed rapid and substantial growth, she, with superb resources, made little or no pro gross. Many of her slorehouses and res licences stood empty. Her wealth of per sonal property diminished. Her rents went down, her commerce Jagged and the burden of her taxes increased. Dis cord and bitterness divided her citizens and paralyzed their public spirit Crime and social disorder increased and necessi- tated additional police protection. These sacrifices bore no good fruit. The cause of temperance and morality was in no degree advanced Drunkenness only changed it's form and no honest man could say the change was not for the worse. The facts depended on no mans word. They were bitter realities to the property owners of Atlanta and the proof of their existence Is not wanting.
 On the 18th and Eth of August, 1887, POI business houses and 912 dwellings vacated by the operation of the prohib- tory law, were lnoceupied in the city. Some of these were small, others large
 ' desirably located. They averaged
 e.'with the average houses of the city.
 fsniy-nine of the vacant houses fronted
 Marietta and Decatur streets, or
 lher upon the single street, the two ends of which bear the names given. The 'acant stores on this street were as follows:
 Decatur street, number 51, 57, 60, 10S, H., 1l6 IT, llS, 12O, 122, 134, l47 15O. 152, 162, 172, 1SS, 224, 229, 231 23l 254 26S, 270, 2S4, 294, 296, 29S, 300, 3O2 3OS, SIS, Sl9, S2o, S26. Marietta street numbers 10, 26 2S 32, 42, 59, 11S, --6, 12s 16S. 167 176 1lS, 179, 1S4 1S7, l99, 204. 206, 29S, 250 252 260 266, 2S9,. 359, S97 40l, 42S, 4S9, Al, 4I2, AT, 450, 454, 455, 456 467.. 496, 49s, 800 5O2. 6O2 and 522.
 These numbers do not include unoccu- pied basement stores. The vacant houses on other streets stared the public in the face from every side. So many houses never remained empty before in the his tory of Atlanta. After the repudation of the law they were quickly filled again.
 depreciation in rents was inevitable when the number of houses so largely eX- Ceeded the demand In every instance where room or building became vacant under prohibition, it. either stood unoccu- pied or was rented at a lower figure than before. The decline in rents throughout the city was from 15 to 50 per cent. Store rooms in the kimball house block, per haps the most desirable property m the city, upon which the leases ex- pired during prohibition, re-rented al 33 1-3 and 50 per cent below the rental re- ceived for them before and since un- der license. The loss in rents on prominent national bank building, on one of the best corners in the city, Was 5000 per year. Offices in this build ing that formerly rented for $2O per month were rented at s12.50 Even with such re- duction, many of the rooms in the build ing remained vacant. Tenement houses on Chamberlain and other streets which usually rented easily for S10 per month, stood empty at S6. The large business house on Alabama street. occupied by Messrs. Tanner, Currler X Heath. whole sale groceries. rented under prohibition for S1700, as against 5000 under license. On the opposite side of the same street, and between Pryor and Whitehall streets, blocks of houses which ordinarily rented at $1200 and Sl50o each, brought 5000 and Sl200 under prohibition.
 MT. T. s. Healey, onp of the largest property owners in 4Atl<lta, made the fol- lowing statement in 1887:
 'I have never yet found a man hunting for a building. who said he had been at traeted to Atlanta because it was a prohi- hition city I have had many stores va cated by men. not engaged in the liquor traffic, who said they were compelled to rlose out their business because of the blight put upon the city by the prohlb- itory law. Two-thirds of my property is renting at lower rates than when the city was under license Some of my stores are renting for 25 per cent and some for b0 per cent less than then. Even at this reduction, 1 am unable to rent all of them for the reason that there is n6'demand for them because of the stagnation in hus ness and the number of people driven from the city by the prohibitory law My store room at No. 20 Peachtree street, has been vacant for four months. My store at the corner of Broad and Water streets has been vacant year. There buildings are In the heart of the city. ] have four stores on Marietta street for which I am unable to get tenants a two thirds the former rental. One store, which l formerly rented for S75. | have offered to elase al s2J. What is known as the Big Bonanza store formerly brought me in N5O0. but now brings only S1200, six of my twenty stores are vacant and my total rents are from 5000 to 5000 less per year than before the prohibitory law went into effect"
 The testimony of scores of leading eiti- zens and property owners is to the same effect. The depression in business in- duced by prohibition also interfered with the promptness in paying rents.
 With this great surplus of houses it is not wonderful that little building was done in the city under the prohibtory regime The total number of building permits issued during 1886 was only B, about one-tfird of which were for shed additions or small improvements. This number of permits is smaller than that is- sued by many other cities of the same pize as Atlanta in single month.
 It is difficult to get at the value of property in Atlanta under prohibition from the fact that there was no demand for real estate. A house on the court house square, which was assessed for tax ation at $6000, sold for S45oO A house and