Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1907-09-06


where, and the efforts of the authorities
to suppress them raise a cloud Of perjury
at each term Of court. Both sides peTjuFe
themselves. The defendant to save him
self, and the prosecuting witness often to
get revenge upon the victim. Boys drink
| at the speak-easy, and the secrecy and the
illicit character Of the practice has vici-
GUS effect upon the youth"
When asked as to the assertion by the
prohibitionists that the banks held more
money now than ever and that the pleth-
ora was due to prohibition, Mr.. Darrell,
who is vice-president of the Second Natl
onal Bank of Chestertown, said: THAT
is a question about which honest men
may differ, believe, taking all the con-
ditions into consideration, that there is
less money here now, than there was in
the days OF license"
J. X. Aldridge, the leading hardware
merchant Of Chestertown, and frequent
member of the grand jury, had no hest
tatiOn in declaring his temperance sentl-
ments, and the fact that he supported
prohibition twice in Kent county.
"But have about come to the conclu-
sion" he said, "that high license would
be better. / would hate and hesitate to
vote for the sale of liquor, but the condi-
tons under prohibition are very bad. We
cannot convict.
CAS- a grand juror, had case where
two men told me personally OF having
bought whiskey from the keeper Of a
speak, easy. These witness were brought
before us and denied to my face that they
had ever been at the defendants place.
asked question after question, and
pushed them hard. Finally they admitted
having taken drinks at the house OF the
prisoners, who kept a store, but they stuck
to the story that they were given the
drink, that they did not pay for It that
they we're in the kitchen, socially, and
not in the store of the man prosecuted.
To that they stuck and we had no case.
1t is awful the way these men will lie
and periure themselves. 1t is worse than
drinking whiskey.
Il am thinking that high license well
regulated, would be better for the men
licensed woud keep after the speakeasies
and clear them out. Now they are all
around u.s."
W. G. A. THOMPSON, dealer in general
merchandise at ChestertOwn, said that
he favored high license. He never saw
any good in prohibition, He said;
81 prefer to have my son, if he wants
a drink, go into the front door OF decent
hotel rather than to sneak out to the
colored settlement and get an illicit
drink. ! don't want him to drink at all,
but if he will drink, let him do it like
man. The speakeasies make sneaks and
liars and drunkards out of the boys.
"High license, in my opinion, would
also bring more business here. find
that the folks will buy goods where they
can buy whiskey."
James S. Bradley, the leading general
merchant OF Chestertown, replied to the
reporters question, "What do you think
Of prohibition ?'
"Well, I don't care which side you are
on, know that prohibition does great
injury to this town. 1t has destroyed
our business. l remember the day when
this store would not hold the people that
wanted to buy, and it was that way all
along this square. l shut that door many
a time to keep out the people so that we
could wait on those inside. Otcourse we
had no such business the year around;
but we had crowds during the harvest
SEP N and Chestertown did business.
4oubt if we do half of the business
ow."
Eyes, there is Just as much drink, but
you can't buy drink in the centre of
the town, nor at any decent place in the
town. But the county has lots OF stores
and whiskey can be obtained at places
more decent than we have here, and |
there they go. l could name several
towns. They are not watched as close as
but customers come to this !
town and actually buy at the suburban |
stores, kept by negroes, because there |
they can also get liquor.
'fHhen, too, we have fights nearly /
every night in the liquor selling suburbs. /
Liquor selling is much more closely |
watched here than in other towns Of the |
and, of course, that helps to drive |
business away.
81 am opposed to liquor, do not want
nv boy to become a drunkard; but boys |
cannot get liquor in licensed houses. In |
boy can get as much wins.
kew as a man can if he has the money; |
and YOU can't convict Our trials are a
farce and a failure. The buyer will tell |
the truth against me for stealing or for
murder, but he never tells the truth |
yainst the man who sells him the vile t /
whiskey on earth. There is as much
drunk here as ever, but the
trade is in the hands OF the vilest and
most irresponsible men in the commun-
ity. l believe that hundreds are in bust
ness, but there are few convictions. II
the effort is made to punish them, the
very men who are supporting prohibition
will come forward begging the authorities
not to take from poor man the means Of
making a living. Since we have the evil
all around us anyhow, | insist that 1t
should be put into the hands OF decent
and responsible men and a tax levied up
IN them for the benefit of the county.
our court expenses have largely in
creased to punish men whom the law
ant reach. 1t is waste of taxes, when
IN the other hand we could have the
business in responsible hands and make
money for the county"
John Matthews, the Adams Express
gent, running between Chestertown and
Massey, Kent county, said the abolition
# the c. O. D. rule cut down the whis-
rev trade very much at first, but that it
vas now rapidly picking up, that the
VIEW CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE.