The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-05-11
DRY DECATUR IS
NOT DEAD TOWN.
invests Have Been Cut in Half
1axatioA and Business Little Az
feeted Divorces Increase.


> deal Of srnbbing" going on these
1ays about whether prohibition is
GOOD thing for town. Advocates oi
Inc saloon. driven by financial motives
x and nnttsaloon men, altruistic bu.
1ometimes extreme In their state
Douts and often even fenatical. are
1ottIing In almost every state an.
1o1r press bureaus are issuing enough
Dbly-seasoned propaganda literature
wad the guns OF history. Their
aims are contradictory.
The situation seems I'D call for an
11p4rtial statement based Upon actuai
4 oondittops al found In city which
s ne been dry for at least one year.
Decatur has $4,000 people and a lii
X ne OF almost every kind OF life known
3 - 3 city. IL has been dry for a year
4 and the people have just elected new
B 0ry mayor. whose instruction is I'd
H re 10 II that the local option law is
DlU5dly enforced The town Is nor
1Dally Republican. but the new mayor
& n Democrat. His Republican sdver-
onry was an avowed wet and for tina:
nc fell. This seems 10 show thar De
& cstur likes to be dry.
VA There are . whole lot OF local and
otAte questions which come In TO in
yolve the situation. but he following
+ statement Of conditions In Decatur Is
!. impartially written and may be taken
10 reveal the approximate fact:
i. This Is not dead town." financial
". tDdustrialIy or socially. The fac.
tories are running. every one seems 10
z BE- bnsy and the writer does not re-
/. member OF having. visited town
i wherein there are more pleasant
faced people to the city block. where
The people seem to be having better
eime In wholesome ways Ca we'll
4 groomed horse Is popular luxury
and where so few ragged people are
Apsad Sporting Town."
This II dead town. socially. IL 4
4 Exporting town" may be called live
ona. II y 10 O'Clock at night and the
winter II looking from a hotel window
I6oun upon the main business street.
1k ~ deserted. There are no sounds.
thep3 - no ribaldry there or In the
81 Ao(et Some $4,000 people are some
whofe; l suppose they IRE at home
many OF them asleep. In an hour a
B Jew hundred people will leave the
kheaters Ben Hur' and vaudeville
Eore che rival attractions. There are
~ fe4 score people attending the NOV
1ng p<cture shows. The morning news
4 papef scheduled social musical or re-
1leiots meetinRs az the various church
- fer every night this week The
'toWp;is BASEBALL mad.
I nhppose 500 men are at their clubs
Thoee who drink may drink there.
Mou1hers keen bottles In lockers. In
ono club. Il least, II II possible 10 take
~ Wnrm bottle from a locker and ex-
{. ohange Il for. cool bottle to be found
+ n an Ice box. This local option works
4 no hardship on tipping club mem
hers or people who can buy booze IN
!. annhtlties and drink from sideboards-
> The mail order houses In Louisville,
. Dt. Louis. Chicago. send spirits In.
while beer, shipped In potato or hour
barrels, or unsuspicious boxes, comes
IN frfju nearby wet towns, such AZ
Dgi6gneld. Bloomington and Peoria
- poor man who cannot AFFORD TO
I 1uy 4 bottle or case may go with
out or take . trolley ride.
The train arriving here on Saturday
|nights, III o'clock. Is called the booze
|0pociak" because II brings into the
city from Peoria. packages. boxes or
barrels unmarked and consigned
- "a SO Decatur citizens. These peo-
~ meet the special and cart their
nnokages home for Sunday or week
consumption.
There are 80 soft drink" pariors
IN the town, converted saloons, where
DoD. ringer ale and water wagon
beor~ are dispensed. The latter tastes
IKE the real thing. but II il said to
contain less than one-haIf OF | per
cent alcohol, the alcohol having been
eyaporated at the brewery. The drys
objoct "a this. because 1t is malt
beverage, and they have taken their
<ea6o into court There have been in u
1oorsnearly 100 arrests for illegal sell
Inc. boot-legging tpeddling from a bot |
Il Tie or soliciting). blind tiger. or sell !
ine IN soft drink parlors. The booze |
6old thus. like some that Is imported. !
4 - said TO be OF poor quality. Jim |
\ nocto. q farmer. drank one two-fnger I
sumlle'' In q blind tiger, and in an
ho1r fell dead. The local newspapers
declared that the smile" did the bus
500 prunks Jailed.
The city Is said TO have gained I
>ponp)ation during the year: there are /
~ us>fres. The head OF the largest
tEonDfer company says that for every
<<Aree families that he has moved out
3 a. town during the year. he has moved
seven In.
IN 1908. wet, there were 1913 ar
rests on all charges. OF this total s7i
<werss charged with intoxication. Dur
Ing tire dry year there have been $50 |
<Arrests 39S for drunkenness The vag-
Sonts locked up during the last wet /
4 Yoor numbered IS: there were only |
. ~ arrested during the dry year.
The cost Of policing the city. s2l. 600.
hao remained the same, but Decatur
hnn . wet mayor and council. The DO |
I1cos obviously were not as busy dur. .
(; InR the past year. II Is a fact that !
40 number Of arrests for intoxication |
|1nn .been slightly increased i'm the !
|noIrH hOring towns, since Decatur went !
~ There IL not great number OF |
oeo1e. however, who 60 out OF town !