The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-03
Prohibition S Injury"

Injury Done TO Hote, Business Through Pro
nibtion" is reported to be the subject of pape
prepared for reading before the Southern Hot'
association in annual session in Richmond
Conclusions reached from a consideration Of bu
me side of proposition are but half conclusion
There Is another side TO this injury" and pape
IN 1t might be entitled Benefit to the CONNER
oy Prohibition
The Richmond virginian "commends to tn
thoughtful attention OF the Southern Hotel AS
ISOLATION the following:
Travelling Men to Oppose Hotel 5ar.rooms in
indiana.
The Little Red Button Will be much in evil
dence about the Legislature the coming
sion. The Little Red Button Is the badge OF
the Adult Bible Glass OF the National Sunday
school Association. to which 90 per cent Of
the Indiana travelling men belong Another
religious organization of the travelling men Is
the Gideon. and these two organiza tons have
membership in Indiana OF more than $4,000
"men Of the road"
The travelling men will not take part in
the local option contest. They viii not fight
for or against the proposed amendments II
10 not likely that they will their influence
Tor any liquor legislation except that they
VIII ask that no saloons be permitted in
nection with the hotels where they stop.
There are two proposals on the liquor aues
ton on which the travelling men will come
before the Legislature. They feel that there
should be no connection between the hotel
lobby and the bar-room, and they insist
that the whiskey business is no part of the
hotel business and that there is Just as much
reason for having a saloon attached to a
department store or hardware store, or any
other kind of a commercial business. as there
Is for having one connected with a hotel.
Every travelling man knows that not s per
cent or the receipts of the bar In hotel
come from the travelling men, and a very
small part OF 1t from the guests of the house.
In Indianapolis the large ho tells get bar room
$rny 6n hrfa I
jority of those guests are politicians and
office seekers who come here for a day
two But the travelling men at the Claypool
the Grand. the Denison. or the English con-
tribute very small part of the bar returns.
The hotel bar-room depends on local trade,
Lobby as q Pathway.
The ONCE and lobby OF the hotel Ia used as
pathway to the bar by the impeccable citi-
zen who has not the courage to be seen going
into saloon and the hotel bar is the most
notorious OF Sunday violators. The position
OF the travelling man Is that while he is
away from his own home the hotel Is his
home. and he does not wish to be annoyed
by lot of drunken FOUNDERS who hang around
the lobby or prowl through the halls. The
travelling man who is rounder and bum
mer is not ON the road any more And these
are some OF the reasons the travelling men
will ask that clause be inserted in what
ever liquor law is enacted separating the
hotel and the saloon business
That hotel may be operated successfully
without saloon attached Is proved by Al
a
He has all the business he can possibly do.
sets frst-class meal. and has clean. COM
Portable beds. and he would not sell a drop
of liquor under any consideration. Charley
Micheals, of the Teegraden House at T.aporte
is another example. and the New Ross Hotel
at Plymouth is another There are dozens Of
successful hotels in Indiana that have no bars.
Every travelling will coneeda that the
little frame hotel at Berne sets the best meal
In Indiana. barring none, and has all the
business 1t can do, and there is no possible
chance to get drink of intoxicating liquor
there.
The travelling men know that a saloon is
not needed 10 make successful hotel no
matter what the hotel say about it,
The travelling men not trying to keep the
landlords whose hotels they support out OF
the whiskey business, but they are demand
ing that the whiskey business be conducted
separately from the hotels. And In this they
have the backing OF every firm not In the
liquor business or any Of its side lines. that
has men on the road
Wish Sanitary Inspections
The travelling men. too. will ask that the
State Board of Health receive more money In
order that the board may make a better and
more thorough inspection of the kitchens and
sanitary conditions OF the hotels in Indiana
Furthermore the travelling men will demand
better protection for life and limb in the no.
tells of this State They will demand that
the elevators be made safer and that better
system of fire escapes be adopted. and the
committee representing $4,000 travelling men
that is meeting here to-day is going over bills
lined III this article.
There is not hotel in Indiana that could
live week If the commercial trade was taken
away from 1t. and not per cent. OF the com
mercial men patronize a hotel bar room. or
any other kind of a har-room for that mat
ter. saloon In hotel. In the opinion or
most travelling men. is nuisance that they
anxious to have abolished. II the Hotel
Keepers Association put back the kind Of
barre that were operated In many places
before the county option Law was passed.
such hotels will lose the travelling mems trade
II some one will start a barless hotel in the
same locality
All the travelling men are asking 10 de-
cent home when they the road and
they feel that they cannot have that kind OF
home II there 10 a bar-room attached to the
place where they have to eat and sleep And
they asking that the health authorities
protect them from inferior canned goods and
rusty bacon fried In cottonseed oil, and that
the State see to 1t that they have chance
for their lives in case Of hre-W H Blodgett
in indianapolis News.