The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1909-05-14

DECATUR m NAV iA-There
Is a deal OF nhninf going on
these days about whether prohibit
ton IL a good thing Tor a iowa
Advocates Of the saloon, driven BY
financial motives, and anti saloon
mea. aitruistic but sometimes OK
IRENE In their statements and often
sven fanatical. are battling IN al
most every state and their pfeas
bureaus arc issulaK enough highly
seasoned propaganda literature 10
wad the runs Of history. Their
claims are contradictory
The situation seems TO call for an
impartial statement based upon
actual conditions A. found In u city
which has been dry for at least one
rear,
HERE'S a Sample.
Decatur has S2.0eo people and a
little Of almost ever Kind OF lie
Known TO a city Il has been dry
for a year and the people have
lust elected a new dry mayor
whose instruction is to see TO Il
that the local option Law Is riEidly
enforced.
The town Is normally republican,
but the new mayor IL a democrat
His republican adversary was an
avowed wet and for that he feii.
This seems TO show that Decatur
iikes TO be dry,
This Il not a dead town, Imam
cialiy. indusirialiy OF socially, Tho
factories arr running. every one
seems 10 be busy and the writer
does not remember OF having visit
cd a town Wherein there arc more
pleasant faced people to the city
block. where the people seem 10 BE-
having a better time In wholesome
ways and where SO few ragged
people are SEGA.
-Deaa Town Socially.
This Is a dead town socially,
Il a sporting town may be called
. live one. Il is 10 o'clock al
night and the writer Is looking
down upon the main business
street
Il l. deserted.
There are no sounds. there Il no
rihaldry there Of In the hotel
Some 81. 200 people are somewhere,
| suppose they are at home, mAny
Of them asleep. In an hour a few
hundred people viii leave the
theatres Ben Hur and vaudeville
are the rival attractions There are
: few score people attending the
moving picture shows
he morning newspaper schedui
ID social. musical Or religious
meetings at the various churches
lor every night this week. The
town Is baseball mad.
Drinking Somewhere.
I suppose 800 men are at their
clubs- Those who drink may drink
there. Members kecp bottles In
lockers In one club. at least. II Is
possible 10 take a warm bottle from
: locker and exchange Il for q cool
bottle to be found In an Ice bon
This local optioa works no hard.
ship on tipping club members OF
people Who q buy boo1e In guam
Titles and drink from sidehoards-
The mail order houses 10 Louis.
lille. 81. Louis. Chicago. send
spirits 10, while bsef. shipped IN
potato or flour barrels, or unsus.
Dicious boses. comes 10 from near.
By vet towns, such a. Spring
Held. Bloomington and Peoria The
poor man who cannot afford TO buy
: bottle or a cas- may go without
~ take a trolley ride.
The @Hoore speclal.s
The train arriving here on satur
day nights. II o'clock. is called the
booze special" because II brings
into the city from Peoria, packages.
boxes or barrels unmarked and
consigned TO IS or 30 Decatur citl
sens. These people meet the spe
ctai aud cart their packages home
for Sunday Or week consumption.
There are 80 soft drink parlo-s
IN the town, converted saloons,
where pop. ginger ATE and water
wagon beer are dispensed. The
latter tastes like the real thlng, but
Il Is said to contain less than one
half Of ] per cent alcohol. the alro-
hoi having been evapornted at the
brewery.
The drys object to this, because
Il IL a malt beverage. and they
have taken their case into court.
There have been in a year nearly
100 arrests for Illegal selling. boot
legkins tpeddling from a bottle or
soliciting. blind tiger. or selling
In soft drink parlors. The booze
sold thus, like some that il i'm
ported, IL said To be Of poor quail
ity. Jim Sheets. a farmer. drank
one twofinger smile" 10 a blind
tiger and In an hour fell dead. The
local newspapers declared that the
"smiie" did the business.
Gains In Population.
Tho city Ia said to have gained
In population during the year.
there are no figures. The head Of
the largest transfer company says
that for every three families that
he has moved out OF town duri1g
the year be has moved seven in.
In 1908. wet. there were 1913 ar.
rests on all charges. OF this total
671 were charged with i~nfoxlcatlon.
During the dry year there have
been $50 arrests. sss for drunken
Tess. The Migrants locked up dur
ing the last vet year numbered
IS: there were only 10 arrested
during the dry year.
IN cost Of policing the city. t2I.
900. has remained the same, bur
Decatur had a got mayor and coun
ell. The police obviously were not
AZ busy during the past year. II lH
q fact that the number Of arrests
- f-a.-l.-al.u -. -. Nn-N.N..