The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-11
PROHIBITION IN ATLANTA.


 In Atlanta find an even more burn ing topic than politics. and that is the prohibition question. This to a stranger who has heard much of Georgia's liquor struggles Is intensely Interesting. After observation, general Investigation and talks with representative citizens my con- cluslon is that prohibition here is a rank and absolute failure. There is some lit- tie trouble in getting whisky. but not much. Any head waiter of hotel will honor your order.
 As for beer, real beer, not the near sort. 1t flows far more freely than in the old license days. The traffic goes on openly in hundreds of barrooms that diff fer not bit in looks or paraphernalia from the bars of Baltimore. The only difference is that the labels are washed off the bottles so that you can't see whether it Is St Louis or Milwaukee brand. If you call for near beer the ''barkeep' thinks he is joking and smil- | ingly asks the customer to name his preference.
 Wishing to get at the bottom of the matter and to exaggerate nothing I called 
 and this is what he said:
 "Prohibiton in this town has been dismal failure. I am against it now as have always been, though every one knows that I do not use liquor in any form. It is no trouble to get intoxicating liquors, and beer is more largely con- sumed than ever. about twice as much, think. The worst part of it is that many mora of our young men have be- come addicted to drink since the law went into effect than before saloons were abolished. They keep whisky in their rooms and parties of them go from one place to another, imbibing at each apart ment. This is a rational result of telling people that they must not drink the de- sire to assert personal independence is inherent in mankind and prohibition laws are almost impossible of enforcement"
 "But doubtless the law has tended to reduce drunkenness in large degree?"
 That was the first effect, but no such l claim can be made for 1t now. l have | looked up the official records and find that our police for the month of August, 1907 (when liquor was sold). made 10SO arrests, the cases being mostly for dis orderly conduct caused by intoxicants. For the month of August, 1908 Qast month). the total arrests were 1908. or but 22 less than last year. For the cur rent month (September) feel sure that the number of arrests will exceed the to- tai for September 1S07 So, then. as a tenn perance agency prohibition has failed to be effective Traffic in beer, as l said before, is wide open and any man that the saloonkeeper knows or thinks is all right can get whisky tn bottles that con- tain just a single drink or any larger quantity"
 But does not Atlanta greatly miss the revenue that was formerly obtained from the tax on the retail dealersT' '"That's a sore, very sore, matter. Not only is this revenue missed, but I hardly know how we are going to do without 1t. The city is now short of public funds and is in the worst kind | of a financial hole. The loss for the year | can be set down conservatively at S164,- | coo, but it Is really more. seeing that the | license had been raised from 5000 to 5000 during the latter part of 1907. Now we | are> getting only $2o0 from each of the | so-called near-beer establishments, and l that isn't drop in the bucket. Not only l is this large income cut off, but there Is l 5000 every day of the week going out of | Atlanta to Chattanooga, where peo- pie send for their supply of stimulants | Probably we shall never go back to the day of ti>s 'stand-up-a and drink bar, but | the present situation is too unsatisfac- 1 tory to last. It is not success from | any standpoint. and if the people of Full ton county and the city of Atlanta were | given a chance to vote on tho question 1 they would cast an overwhelming ballot | against the law" E.B.S.