The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-04-17
"DRY" HEARINGS END.
washington Starr

Hearings before the House District
committee on the Sims bill for abso-
Lutte prohibition in the District of Co.
lumbia were finished this morning.
That is, Albert e. Shoe maker, attor-
ney for the Anti-Sallon League, sug-
gested that sufficient hearings had
been held to give the District COM
mittee al 1.-THE light it needed on the
subject and those members of the
committee present this morning
seemed disposed to agree with him.
It is possible, however, as this was
dry" hearing this morning, that
the "wets" will be given one more
show before the committee later on
in the week. The prohibitionists do
not intend, however, to take up the
committees time any further, realiz-
ing that in this way they would, so
SO they say, play into the hands of
the liquor interests, who desire delay
more than anything else.
Today's hearing was highly sue
cessful from prohibition standpoint
a long list of speakers, including a
number of pastors of Washington
churches, being heard in denuncia-
ton of the saloon and it's influence
upon communities in which it is per-
mitted to do business.
Long Array of Speakers.
Among those who spoke were Mrs.
Clinton Smith, president of the Wo-
mems Christian Temperance Union;
Mrs. John M. Culberson, represent
ing the INSTRUMENTATION Mis-
sionaries' Union; DR.. George A. Mil
Ter, acting president of the Anti-Sa-
loon League and pastor of the Ninth
Street Christian church, who repre-
scented that denomination in his
statements to the committee; DR.. G.
F. Winbigler, pastor of the First
Baptist church; DR.. Weston Bruner,
pastor of the Fifth Street Baptist
church; Rev. George G. Cummings,
pastor of the Anacostia Presbyterian
church; Warden James Fl. Harris of
the District Jail; A. H. Tyson, super
intendent of the municipal lodging
house of the District of Columbia;
DR.. Walter H. Brooks, pastor of the
Nineteenth Street Baptist church,
who spoke for the colored Baptist's
of the city; Mrs. R. E. Lawson, pres
ident of the Colored Women's Chris
tian Temperance Union; Dr. Charles
H. Butler, who represented the Lu-
theran sentiment on the prohibition
question; Rev. T. M. Hare, superin-
tendent of the Anti-Saloon League;
Mrs. Don P. Blaine, representing the
Young Women's Branch of the w. G.
T. u; Rev. w. j. D. Thomas, Pros
testant Episcopal clergyman, and
Matthew O'Brien, formerly a Con-
necticut politician and now congress
sional representative of the national
prohibition party.
Liquor and Crime.
According to Warden Harris of
the District Jail, whose remarks were
heard with great interest by the sew
eral hundred prohibitionists in at
tendance at the hearing, the District
could save the cost of the new Jail
that Congress is being urged to pro-
vide for through the operation of an
absolute prohibition law.
ut is my judgment, based upon
ten years experience" said Warden
Harris, "that nine-tenths of all crime
committed for which persons are in
generated in the Jail is directly or
indirectly because of the use of
strong drink. My report shows at
times more than 500 prisoners in the
jail. IldFiH6 Ouly oVV CGIlS, mOTe
than 200 of these cells contain two
prisoners. The cells are exceedingly
small, and were never intended to
have more than one prisoner in them.
If it were impossible for this class of
people to obtain strong drink the
present size of the Jail would be
more than sufficient, and the an
nual cost of the jail would be re-
duced to fraction of the present ex-
pense."
The warden said further that every
murderer executed in the District of
Columbia during his term had been
brought to his death by strong drink.
Supt. Tyson of the Municipal lodg-
ing house told the committee that
the other night, when there were
twenty-five men at the institution for
shelter, he took poll and discover
ed that of the twenty-five seventeen
had been brought to their destitute,
homeless condition through drink.