Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-02-16
Wheeling and Pro
hibitiOn.
Wheeling, w. Va, Feb. s, 1912.

with their own hands tabernacle to
house Billy Sunday six weeks cam
paign, and with a vote on statewide
prohibition scheduled for Novem Der,
rum-ruled Wheeling is In the pahgs of
labor.
All OF this has brought the brewery
interests to the verge of nervous pros
tration In order 10 avert impending
caIamities, the liquor interests have
propbecied, have written poetry, and
tried 10 legislate, in the City Council,
against the wrath to come.
Seine weeks ago an ordinance was
introduced into the Council aimed as
Billy Sunday. 1t prohibited loud and
profane language in public places,
especially on the lecture platform. This
ordinance, openly aim I'd at Billy Sun
day was prepared by Mayor c. G..
Schmidt, Secretary of the Reyman
Brewing Go. and j. Bernard Handlan,
the Prosecuting Attorney, who is an
open tool Of the brewery interests 1t
was introduced into Council by Peter
Hackenstiek, manager of the EIks
Club, u drinking resort The hilarity
raised by this act was its undoing.
The Council finally contented itself by
merely raising the penalties of the
existing legislation on the same subject
hoping thereby TO terrify Sunday into
not speaking roughly of the municipal
corruption rampant la the city. Then
the brewers turned to exhorfation and
poetry One OF the brewing companies
delivered itself of this in the Register
as paid advertisement:
"Don't Billy Sunday yourself. The
portals of Heaven never swing for
Vulgarity, Avarce, or Violence. The
Great Teacher counselled against all
these. Benwood beer is all right"
But in spite of all this the brewers
are in trouble. Billy begins his cam
paign on February Is and continues
until March 81.
The conditions prevailing in this city
after rs years of license are frightful.
The city is owned and run as brew
cry game preserve. Instead of the sa-
loon bringing prosperity to the city, it
has reduced it to bankruptcy. The last
edition of the Census Burea statistics
OF Cities" shows the value of all city
property to be $l,l38,S62. 10 offset
these assets, there is a funded debt of
81 ,30l, eco. II other words, the city is
not only bankrupt, bat its balance
leaves it $162,SSS worse off than moth
ing. THIS has no reference to the float
ing debt which makes the showing
even worse AT meeting of the CITY
Council on January u, that body
found Itself driven to juggling the city
fuuds to keep above water. According
TO the Register of the following day,
which paper is liquor advocate
"Ihe present condition of city finan-
ces is such that it was found necessary
by the Committee on Accounts to take
four cents on every 100 dollars worth
OF tax able property out of the general
lax levy and put the monie'sso gained
into the public works fund in order to
pay oil some of the outstanding orders
now held against that fund.-
AT this session of the Council, after !
juggling with the funds so as to appese
sone Of the bankrupt city's creditors.
Councilman Grogan intrOduc re-
solution requesting the Board of Con-
irol to permit the homeless people to
sleep in the City Hail corridors.
According to the Census reports
quoted, the city received during the |
year $26 ,059 in liquor licenses and paid
s47 1877 for police p election.
In oroer 10 keep down the lax rate
OF the bankrupt city, all property is as
sessed at It's full value, Jhe hun bred
cents on the dollar
The police report that there are now
l35 licensed SALOONS in the city which |
pay the state license fee on 81 600 and
The city license fee Of $500.
There are, however, accounting 10 tive
records of The Federal Collector uf IN
ternsl Revenue, 272 special lax PAYERS
as "retail liquor dealers" and retail
dealers III matt liquors." In Wheeling
There are, therefore, more thau twice
as many "retall" liquor dealer, than
licensed saloons In the city. The 272
Federal tax payers is made upof 1875
Licensed saloons and 1877 speakeasies,
liquor selling dives, boozing clubs,
crooked drug stores, and every kind of
unlicensed snakeholes found in the bad
lands of the usual n ruled license
city.
The drinking club lis tavorite form
Of subterfuge to evade the license law
in Wheeling. The state law provides
for "clubs" TO be licensed. In theory
the club is a cooperative family" of
men who have no homes. In Wheel
ing, this is license fake. Many Of