The Washington herald., 1909-05-09
DRINKING IN GEORGIA
Just Call fer ''Near Beer" or
Join Club and Get Served.
NEGRO CRIME IS DECREASING
Law Is Fulfilling It's
Chief Purpose-WsiteF Explains
Meaning of Bill Of Fare-NO Effort
Made to Suppress Selling Beer
Under ThinIy VeiIed Disguise.

There IS sorrow in the heart Of the
Georgia colonel, for Georgia, land Of the
far-famed mint jGlsp. has gone prohibi-
ton" No longer can this geniss gentle
man stroll Up 10 a bar in his own State
and order whisky. The closest thing to
the elixir" he can buy now Is the new
Georgia beverage. .'n-ar beer" unless he
knops the "harkeep'' mighty well And
who would think Of asking a friend 10
have drink and ordering near beer
for hlra? Not a Georgian colonel. GER
tainly-
/ The prohibition law was pass-d after
one Of the hottest campaigns Georgia
has known, and during which the political
star Of Hoke Smith set. for time. at
/ least. The law has now been IN effect
for many months. Every week or sO-in
/ fact. nsarIy every day OF sO-a test
case Is tested" but so far the liquor
/ interests have been able 10 pick no flaw
+ in the constitutionality Of the law II is
stu on the statute books, and the best
lawyers in Georgia say it viii stay there,
/ saws the New York Tribune.
] Georgia has gone prohibition. but thS
| Georgian has by no means climbed on the
/ water wagon NO. suh"' There are
many ways Of getting around a prOhibi-
ton law. ana TO a stranger spending a
I few days Ia the STATE il appears that the
native has already discovered most OF
! them.
/ When the prohibition law was passed
Ire saloon owner worked overtime try
/ ing 10 think OF a way to save himself
4 from financial ruin. and about the first
thing h hit on was near beer. Near
t beer was a fine invention from his point
/ OF view Real beer contains. among other
things. a certain amount OF alcohol, 3
/ per. cent IN some brands BY leaving out
The alcohol the beverage does not come
under the han Of the prohibition law. and
can be sold just as ginger ale or any
/ other nonintoxicant is. So the saloon
/ keepers put in orders for large quantities
OF this drink. and ofEcially gave II the
name near beer" Many OF them were
I also careful IN placing their orders 70
require /; 70 be bottled IN regular beer
bottles and not labeled. II Is important
I 10 remember about the labelling, as VIII
be seen later.
/ The writer OF this article was staying
at one OF the big Atlanta hotels recently.
and al the bottom OF the bill Of fare he
! noticed the Iine. Ask for tho Prohibition
List"
Interested. he did as the printed words
directed, and q negro waiter. gTiEning
/ broadly. brought IN the list Il read
/ something Ike this:
Oyster CccktsH
Clsm CocEtsii.
Fish julien
Near Beer.
Ginge- Ale
Then followed a LIST OF mineral and
other waters Perplexed. he turned 70
the waiter for en- explanation. Dem
/ cocktails" said the darlzy. "dey amt no
drink at al. Dey'se jes' one ot de boss
Z Jokes He say since We alls gone prohibi-
ton dey's have him rested e he put er
/ cocktail on the bill O. fare. so he done
gone and put il on de prohibition list.
But. say. boss land here the waiter
voice became very OonfdentiaD ef you
I ais want some beer. I kin git it 70 You
an il won't be no near beer. neither
How TO Get Real Beer.
/ The waiter then explained how the pro
hibition law was fagrantly disregarded
and how the real beer was solo. The
I liquor dealers keep some near beer al
ways IN stock, and then stock up with the
different brands OF the real article. When
/ the cases Of real beer come In, the dealer
carefully takes OF the labels on the bot
ties. and when the beer is served on a
hotel table or OVER the bar no one can
I tell by looking at Il whether It is beer
o. near beer; and It IS q fact that IN any
town OF any size in Georgia all one has
10 do when one wants a bottle OF beer
is 10 walk into a place where liquor was
formerly sold and say, Please give me
a bottle OF near beer" and then name the
brand OF real beer one wants. He viii
set the real beer.
This practice IS now 50 common IN
Georgia that one would think the sleepIest
Official must know Of il, nor would he
find /. difficult 10 prove But so far no
real attempt has been made to suppress
il, and the men who engage in IL have
come TO consider the prohibition law a
dead letter so far as the sale OF beer
goes.
The question has been frequently asked.
What has become Of Georgia saloon
keepers and their places Of business2"
The answer is this The saloon keepers
have turned their saloons into billiard
and pool rooms. stIu keeping a bar. over
which they sell soft drinks. and beer.
near and real Many OF them are doing
a proptable business, but there are a
large number who, before the passage
OF the prohibition law were fairly coming
money. are now on the verge Of bank
Tuptcy.
A Northern drummer stayed In Atlanta
a few days ago. He wanted a bottle of