Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-04-17
PROHIBITION
ON THE GILA
Report Of PhOeDGians Fresh
From SOI0nonViIIe
A NEWLY DRIED" TOWN
Liquor Flowing More Freely
Than in the Old Days
Citizens BoaStful in Their
Defiance of the New Con-
ditions Imposed.

on the eve Of the election to de-
termine whether Phoenix shall be wet
or dry" voters of Phoenix are of
course DESTROYS of information concern
ing the most important phase Of the
controversy, Will prohibition prevent
or restrict the consumption of liquor
A good deal Of information or misin-
formation on this important point, and
only point, has already been laid be-
fore the Eoters. Some O. il has been
brought by witnesses of the failure of
prohibition elsewhere, and some Of IT
has been adduced by officers of dry
municipalities who claim that within
their own jurisdiction prohibition does
prohibit But as they would hardly
be expected. being human, to confess
their inability to prevent the violation
Of laws which they are sworn TO en-
force. their testimony may be regarded
as that Of interested witnesses.
Then there is the testimony Of en-
thusiastic workers Of the Anti Saloon
league and that OF liquor sellers. Each
may be set aside as about equally I'M
reliable There also may be doubt on
both sides as TO what is told Of con-
ditions in distant localities like those
of Kansas and oklahoma
But within the last two days there
has been testimony regarding the con-
ditions in nearby localities. in the
towns of the upper ella valley, Solo
knoxville and Stafford, which went dry
along with the greater part OF Graham
county early this year. The vote by
which prohibition was carried was
decisive one. Both communities are
small and it was supposed that if pro-
hibition could be enforced anywhere, it
could be done there.
Several citizens and officials OF
Phoenix spent the greater part Of last
week at Solomonville attending court.
These persons have little interest in
the approaching election on either side
and without color they have uold what
they saw.
one well known PhOenici2n who
spent some time in both towns said
that it appeared To him that al Of his
acquaintance had liquor or knew
where they could get it. He was in
vited to drink frequently by men whom,
though he had known them for years, he
did not know them to be drinking men.
There were blind pigs and boOtleggers
in both towns. small as they are and
though every man in either town knows
every other man in that town.
One gentleman from Phoenix said
he had been visiting SolOmonville for
twenty years and that he saw more
drunken Keeling men on the streets last
week than he had ever seen on any
previous visit. He saw men drunk
whom he had always regarded as sober
men, some of them he had supposed to
be teetotallers.
Men We're drunk who had never fire.
quented SolOmonville saloons. Liquor.
il was found, was being regularly i'm
ported from Globe and Bowie Citi-
Zens were ordering it and bootleegers
were ordering it. Nobody appeared
10 be attempting to conceal the fact
that liquor was flowing more freely
than it had done in the saloon days,
but on the contrary, there was the
bOastful declaration that no man need
fear of perishing of thirst in Solomon
Vile
1t was the conclusion of the Phoenix
visitors that many men were drinking.
not because they wanted liquor but be-
cause the law had said they should not