The Washington herald., 1907-10-25
Saloons for Number q

Another fact shown is that the number
Of arrests for drunkenness in cities with
no license is greater than In cities that
regulate the liquor traffic with the license
system. Rockland, Ne. shows 3S5 arrests
for drunkenness; Danvers, Mass. mas
| f0rty-eight cases. WaretOWn, Mass, has
! 10, Tyler Tex, has lis cases of drunken
ness, and there is no license in any Of
these places Chippewa Falls, Wis, with
forty-fve saloons, shows but 132 arrests
| for drunkenness: Fremont, Ohio, forty
! three saloons and 226 cases; Merrill, Wis.
! thirty-seven saloons, 167 cases; Danville,
/ Pa, tweuty-seven saloons. l27 arrests;
/ Fort Madison, Iowa. twenty-siX licenses,
/ 2lS arrests: Rochester, y. H., twenty-five
licenses. 100 arrests.
ROckland, Me. with no licensed sa-
looms. it being in a prohibition State
heads the list with 3S5 arrests for drunk
/ enness. and Watertown. Wis, with egh-
ty-one arrests and ifty-eight saloons,
concludes the list
Arrests for drunkenness per 100 inhabi-
tants. in the State of Illinois was 1880;
Indiana. 1L5S, New Jersey. 9O9. These
States issue licenses; and the percentage
! of arrests in prohibition States is as fol-
lows: Kansas, 1461; Iowa, 2L59; Maine,
25.59.
Reasons for Conditions,
Being asked to state the cause Of the
fact that arrests for drunkenness in
crease where the number of licensed sa-
looms decrease or where total prohibit
/ ton is in force. an official Of the Census
Office said:
For this phenomenon we have no
statistics. I suppose, however. that they
are to be found, in the first place. in the
| absence Of conveniently located drinking
places. which seems to encourage home
tippllng and purchase by the bottle. in
stead of by the drink.
- The abundance Of secret drinking
/ places, which sell liquor of inferior
quality and are frequented by persons
who would stay away from public sa-
/ looms.
''3. The increase Of the use Of spirit
/ uous liquors and the decrease OF the
/ use Of malt beverages and wine, the
/ latter, on account Of their bulk. being
more different and more dangerous TO
/ handle than the other.
/ 4. The increased temptation that lies
/ in prohibition and secretness. am
I further inclined to believe that the result
/ of these figures appears less favorable to
/ prohibition and other legal restraints
/ than would be justified by actual facts
/ Where the sale of liquor Is carried on
| ciandestinely. care is probably taken
/ that drunken persons do not fall into the
hands of the police and the person
who gets drunk at home, probably re-
mains at home, and is not arrested.
II am. therefore. inclined to believe
| that the police records show the actual
| state of inebriety in prohibition places
much less than in others, and that If the
actual state we're known, prohibition
States and towns would in statistics
! fare far worse than they do now.
''Be this as it may, these statistics are
| incontrovertible proof of the fallacy Of
| prohbitive and greatly restrictive liquor
/ legislation. be it State prohibition. local
| option. high license. or the dispensary
| system. The best law from the stand
! point of temperance seems to be a IL
/ cense law with a moderate fee for the
! license, and a sane control Of the sa-
| loon on the part of the authorities"