Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-01
''Wets" May, However, Take
Another Inning.
PROHIBITION STATISTICS
Quoted in Quantities to House Dis
trict Committee.
THREAT TO ERECT SIMS STATUE
Figures Showing Arrests in the
Various Precincts of Washington
Submitted by Lawyer.

Hearings before the House District COM
mittee on the Sims bill for absolute proht-
bition In the District OF Columbia were
finished this morning. That Is, Albert T.
Shoemaker, attorney for the Anti-Saloon
League, suggested that sufficient hearings
had been held to give the District COM
m1ttee all the light 1t needed on the sub
ject and those members Of the committee
present this morning seemed disposed 10
agree with him. It is possible. however,
as this was "dry'' hearing this morn
ing. that the "wets'' will be given one
more show before the committee later IN
the week The prohibitionists do not
intend. however, to take up the commit
tees time any further. realizing that IN
this way they would, so they say. play
into the hands of the liquor interests. VINO
desire delay more than anything else.
Today's hearing was highly successtui
from q prohibition standpoint, a long lisl
of speakers. including number o, passo,s
Of Washington churches. being neard IN
denunciation of the saloon and It's lnnu-
ence upon communities IN "nch H. ID pei
mitted to do business.
Long Array Of Speakers.
Among those who spoke were Mrs. Clin-
ton Smith, president of the women
Christian Temperance Union; Mrs. John
NJ. Culberson, representing the 1nterde-
nominational Missionaries Union; DR..
George A. Miller, acting president Of the
Anti-Saloon League and pastor OF the
Ninth Street Christian Church. who rep
resented that denomination In ms state
ments to the committee: DR.. Charles r
Winbigler, pastor of the First Baptist
Church; DR.. Weston Bruner. pastor OF the
Fifth Street Baptist Church; Rev. George
C.. Cummings, pastor of the Anacostla
Presbyterian Churchc: Warden James n
superintendent of the municipal lodging
house Of the District of Columbia: pr.
Walter H. Brooks. pastor or the Nne-
teenth Street Baptist Church. who spoke
for the colored Baptists of the city: MRS;
R. e. Lawson. president of the Colored
Women's Christian Temperance Union:
DR.. Charles H. Butler, who represented
the Lutheran sentiment on the prohloltlon
question; Rev. T. NJ. Hare. superintendent
of the Anti-Saloon League; Mrs: Don r.
Blaine, representing the Young Women's
Branch of the w. C. T. u: Rev. w. ]. D.
Thomas, a Protestant Episcopal clergy
man. and Matthew O'Brien. formerly
Connecticut politician and now congress
sional representative of the national pro-
hibition party.
Liquor and crime.
According to Warden Harris of the Dis
trict Jail, whose remarks were heard with
great interest by the several hundred
prohibiuonists in attendance at the hear
ing. the District could save the cost OF the
new jail that Congress is being urged to
provide for through the operation OF an
absolute prohibition law.
1T is my judgment, based upon ten
H. o,-lo hot
nine-tenths of all crime committed for
which persons are incarcerated in the
Jail is directly or indirectly because of
the use of strong drink. My report shows
at times more than 800 prisoners In the
Jail. Having only 800 cells, more than
zoo 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
be more than sufficient and the annual
cost of the Jail would be reduced to
fraction of the present expense"
The warden said further that every
murderer executed in the District OF CO.
lumbia during his term had been brought
to his death by strong drink.
Supt Tyson of the Municipal lodging
house told the committee that the other
night. when there were twenty-five men
at the institution for shelter, he took
a Doll ana QlScOVertQ LIldI VI tAo IWclllS
five seventeen had been brought to their
destitute. homeless condition through
drink. At least seventeen Of the men
gave this as the cause Of their downfall
and present condition.
Prohibition and Property.
Other speakers called attention to the
following facts. which were presented to
the committee as arguments for prohi-
bition in the District Of Columbia:
In the city OF Rochester. N. Y, with 600
saloons, there were four times as many
murders last year as In the whole state
Of Maine under prohibition.
In the number of homes owned by the
people prohibitionist Maine leads the
world. In New York with her 1900 sa-
looms, II out OF every 100 families are
home owners; in Massachusetts. Is; in
Maine, 40. Maine 10 the only state in the
Union which has more savings bank de-
positors than 1t has voters, and one
third Of the entire population, including
women and children, have savings bank
account
Over one-half the area of the United
States 10 under. ana more than one-third
OF the population now live under the pro-
Atlanta. Ga. had the experience: just
recently, OF having every cell in the po-
lice Jail empty, something that hadn't
happened before in fifteen years.
In Knoxville, Tenn, the number or ar
rests under license was from $50 to 100
a week. and under prohibition 81. or less
than one-fourth.
In GAINESVILLE. Tenn. since the saloons
wers closed In July last, the police record
has shown a decrease of so per cent. In
October. 1906, under license, there were
l12 convictions and In October, 1907, I'M
der prohibition, there were only twenty
i've.
In Newark, N. J., under four weeks
enforcement of the Sunday closing law,
the Mondays deposits of the workingmen
in four banks increased more than ST.
600. or at the rate of $4,000 for the ten
savings institutions OF the city. these
figures signifying, the committee was
told, that Sunday closing alone is good
for an annual increase OF s., 900 900 In the
deposits of the workingmen of the city Of
Newark.
Case of Kansas City, Kan.
Other speakers told Of Kansas City,
Kan. which. with a population Of 10000.
ranks seventh in the list Of manufactur-
ing cities OF the country. June 8, 1906
there were 210 saloons In Kansas City
and thirty days later every one had been
closed. We're are some Of the results that
the committee was told had been ac-
counted for:
After seven months the juvenile court