Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-15
"WETS" SEE VICTORY
Confident West Virginia Will
Veto Prohibition.
DENNEHY is OPTIMISTIC
President of National Wholesale
Liquor Dealers Points Need
of Fighting.
DENNEHY IS OPTIMISTIC

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, May 14-Favor-
able results to the licensed and regulated
sale OF liquors throughout the country in
prohibition contests, Pres dent Charles
Dennehy Of the National Wholesale
Liquor Dealers Association today told
the convention delegates, shows that the
trend Of public sentiment Is away from
prohibition
As proof Of his contention, President
Dennehy points to Alabama, which re-
pudiated statewide prohibition: the
adoption of the licensed sale of liquor in
Mobile, Montgomery. Jefferson and other
Alabama counties where county option
elections were held the vote by which
Texas remained in the wet column the
elimination Of a majority Of 1900 pro-
hibdtion votes In Maine: the return to
Incense or twenty-one counties in Ohio
at the end Of the first three-year dry
period, and the awakening Of anti-prohi-
bitfon sentiment throughout the United
States.
Confident Of West Virginia.
West Virginia will vote upon the ques-
ton of statewide prohibition in Novem-
ber. said President Dennehy. 1.-The con-
test there, as everywhere else, where
statewide prohibition is an ISSUE will
again be between the prohibitionists and
the boot 1eggers. on one side. and those
other side.
Like all mountain states in which
there is considerable dry area, Illicit SELL
ing prevails very largely in West Vir-
GINA and there Is some Illicit distilling.
This outlaw following will fight faith
fully for prohibition, and they are nu-
merous enough to be formidable.
THE anti-prohibition forces of the state
are reported to be well organized, and
We believe that the result in this state
wide contest will be favorable to our
cause"
In the discussion of the relation Of the
liquor association to the internal reve-
nue. department President Dennehy said
at this time for commissioner of internal
revenue gentleman of high character
and eminent qualification for the place
which he fills. The policy of the national
association has been, and / am sure al
ways will be- one of rigid insistence upon
compliance with every detail of internal
revenue laws and regulations.
Associations Are Urged.
I'm the past year there existed in the
United States 923 registered distilleries.
There were destroyed last year by off,
Gals of the internal revenue department, |
chiefly in the south and in prohibition dis
tricts, 247l Illicit stills. There must have
been in existence last year almost ex-
in prohibition territory nearly
5000 Illicit stills. These have been oper-
ated chiefly in the mountain districts of
the dry counties of Kentucky and the
whole of North Carolina; in the counties
in Tennessee and in the remote and more
exclusive districts of dry Georgia,
sprinkled with a fair proportion in Mis-
sissippi and other prohibition states. No
more potent argument against the evil
of prohibition could be presented than
these mute records of the activity Of the
field force of the internal revenue de-
partment."
President Dennehy made an earnest ap-
peal for the formation of state liquor
dealers associations. There are already"
he said "about twenty-five state asso-
citions." He referred to the brilliant ex-
ample OF the Anti-Saloon League to show
the value of highly efficient state associa-
tons. That organization" he asserted.
lis drilled for prompt service in state and
nation, and the effectiveness of it's train
ing and discipline is shown in every move
1t makes.
I'VE cannot hope for success in main
tanning our rights until We meet our enc
my with weapons as effective as their
own.
Prohibition Area Diminishing.