The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-07-15
TRANSPORTATION in SOUTH.

MISREPRESENTATION IN SOUTH.
w. r. Simpson, Jr.. In an article IN
the current issue Of Harper's Weekly
tells OF the failure of prohibition In
the South. AS the prohibition wave
spreads In that section there is cor
responding increase In the number OF
revenue licenses issued. Nearbeer
establishments prosper on many cor
ners Drugstore receipts climb joy
fully, and while every customer can
not buy at the fountain, few are turn
ed away when their appearance is not
suspicious. In q word. there isn't
any prohibition. The following pen
picture is given OF conditions under
the prohibition regime:
ION the main line Of the Southern
Railway from Washington to New
in which q man can buy glass OF
beer legitimately. But il the train
tarries for half an hour almost any
where he can refresh himself. and
take somtthing along to refresh him
self again before reaching his destina-
ton. From his seat In the Pullman
car he can see hundreds OF trucks at
every way-station filed with kegs,
cases, demijohns and jugs, for the
shipment Of liquor into the desert is
the big industry today. The same
traveller, If his name Is John Smith,
can find package Of any size In al
most every express Office, As most OF
1t is shipped C. O. D., he can pay, sign.
and take it. The conditions are far
from ideal, but the saloon has been
voted out by the people or the legisla-
ture without regard to consequences
Meanwhile there is the usual amount
of drinking on the part of those who
can afford 1t and who know how.
Seeing the opportunity which would
be offered, brewers began to work day
and night to supply the demand for
near-beer, which is supposed to con-
tain less than two per cent, Of alcohol
But in the near-beer saloons, almost
without exception, the real article is
sold. Practically every dealer has a
United States license, and most OF
them will mix drink of whiskey or
else serve it straight"
Atlanta has no licensed saloons and
Richmond has $50; yet during the
Suk iStuldS uOAAu0J tAOAO WOAC n.y. ~ a.
rests for drunkenness in Atlanta .han
in Richmond. AS to public sentiment,
which must be depended upon in the
last analysis to make prohibition sue
cessful, the writer says:
ASK the average citizen from any
part of the South about the effect Of
prohibition, and, if he is not identified
with that element in politics which
brought 1t about, he will offer no COM
fort to those who want to suppress
the traffic entirely. But ask him If
there is any change OF sentiment. If
the people are preparing to shake of
the yoke, and he can present no facts
to justify that hope or theory. The
wave somehow, especially In the
South. has caught hold Of the people
and is still gripping the great majority
of voters. Two years ago this same
bitterness which has destroyed the
saloons was aimed at the railroads and
corporations generally. They
were driven almost to the wall.
But even while there may be
some doubt as to the present
attitude toward liquor the fact
is evident everywhere that the
tendency now is to give the railroads
fair show"
According to the author Of the arti-
Gle. the South has demonstrated that
prohibition is wise and beneficial in
the small town and the country
districts with negro population. But
| the South has given still stronger
proof OF the fact that the prohibition,
SO called In its cities is a failure. The
writer declares that 1t would be strain.
ing q point to speak Of it even as
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