The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1908-02-29

this is TO early 20 Judge OF the ultlmat
effect of prohibition in the largest Ten
nessee city that has yet been engulfe,
by the temperance wave, the trial her
has been sufficient to demonstrate tn
automatic sociological truth that prohi
bition does not prohibit.
There is no question that the law j
evaded and violated to a degree tha
makes it border on the farcical. While
the reform city administration is max.
| ing conscientious effort to enforce the
law, the officials acknowledge that th'
task of preventing an illegal traffic il
strong drink is entirely beyond them.
Before prohibition there were over t0t
open saloons that gave the city a reve
nue. of nearly 100000 year; there art
now nearly thirty clubs and so-callee
'ssoft" drink establishments where Ii
quor is sold to the "members" and tht
initiated in violation of the law, bu
without molestation from the authori'
ties, who find it practically impossible
to get evidence against these saloons.
REAL ESTATE SUFFERS.
Prohibition has not only decreased
the rental value of property that was oc-
cupied by saloons, but has reduced the
income on other business property. The
general business depression has, Of
course, had it's influence upon real es-
tate, but this adverse effect has beyond
doubt been augmented by prohibition.
This temperance wave suddenly left
Knoxville with 113 vacant stores in a
period of general commercial depres-
sion. Half of these stores are still emp
ty, while the owners of other store
rooms have to accept reduced store
rents.
John P. Brownloy, son of the famous
"Parson" Brownloy, and the largest
real estate dealer in Knoxville, said to a
reporter that the income of landlords is
going to be so largely reduced that their
assessments and taxes must be lower, SO
that besides the loss of the actual reve-
nue. from the saloon licences, Knoxville
will probably be compelled to put an
additional tax upon it's citizens to pay
for the experiment of attempting to cor
rect the bibulous habit.
HOTELS LOSE SUNDAY PATRONS
Unquestionably hotel property has
been severely injured by prohibition, as
one of the most profitable adjuncts of
the hotel is its BAR, Many travelling
statesmen who formerly came to Knox
vile on Saturday night from the small
towns nearby and spent money freely,
now give the city wide berth, unless
actually compelled to spend Sunday
there, and the hotels fuffer the loss OF
their patronage.
In this animadversion on business and
prohibition it may not be amiss to cite
the fact that st,O00,000 (this estimate
was made by Rev. DR.. Perryman, one of
the prohibition leaders,) was spent here
for liquor each year. However repre-
hensible such an expenditure might
have been. there is no gainsaying the
fact that large part of this money went
into circulation and contributed to the
city's general business activity and gen.
eral welfare. Now Knoxville is sending
away thousands of dollars a month else
where for the little Jug and cases that
gone in on every train.
1t was the jug train from Griffin, Ga,
that gave prohibition it's death blow in
Atlanta id 1889. Knoxville also has its
Jug train. 1t comes from Middlesboro,
KY, every day, with varying number
of jugs, but enough to indicate that the
consumption of whiskey in .'dry Knox
ville'' is still enormous. Many believe
that almost as much liquor is drunk here
as before prohibition went into effect
In the social clubs, where the locker
system prevails, there is more drinking
undoubtedly than when the town was
"wet."
RAPID EXPRESS SERVICE.
One wholesale Knoxville liquor liquor
house that moved to Middlesboro sells
more whiskey in Knoxville now that il
did when it did business in Knoxville
under a license. One of the "soft'
drink saloons is agent for the express
company, and there is an underground
yarn afoat that if the right person goes
into this place and orders Jug of whis.
KEY to be sent him from Middlesboro
and sends the money by express through
this agent, the jug gets back in Is or q
minutes. This quick service is aston
ishing, when the distance to Middlesbo
70 Is taken into consideration.
Another striking absurdity of th,
operation of the prohibition law is th
method of the East Tennessee Brewing
Company has been compelled to adop
to dispose of its beers in its own town
AS the law does not prohibit the makinl
of liquors and beers in Knoxville fthei
sale only is preseribedl, the brewin
plant is still in operation. It's beers ar
popular, and the sale continues to b
large, but the beer has to be shipped
Middlesboro first, stamped there an
! then returned to Knoxville to the Gus
toners OF the company. Prohibitio
puts the company to this trouble an
lexpense, but Kentucky gets the revenue