The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-10-27
FIRST PROHIBITION
REPORT Is ISSUED
YosT LAW GREATLY REDUCES
DRUNKENNESS an FIRST
THREE MONTHS.
enforcement Of Law viii Not BE A.
teeted BY Recent Decision OF JUDGE
Keller. Says Chief Clerk.

-. +oot montns OF enforcement or
the Nost prohibition measure in West
virginia almost gone. the belief Is
strong at the Office OF Commissioner
FRED o. Blue that the law has proven
Dig success. The first report of
Cnlef Clerk Rathbone. who has charge
OF the enforcement OF the law, under
MI. Blue. for the first three months.
was made public Saturday. and shows
many Interesting results.
According to The report. five car
loads OF liquor of all kinds were con-
nscated by the department of prohibit
tion during the first three months OF
us operation. A large part of this
was taken during the fr.i week or ten
DAYS after July first. and consisted OF
SUPPLIES stored for sale before the
state went dry.
up TO the present time the largest
number OF violators OF the Yost law
TO be indicted in any one county Is
90 In kanawha county. The second
J largest number is SO. in Fayette coun-
". and more indictments have been
secured in these two counties than in
all the rest OF the State combined
Only eootIegsina Now.
From the very beginning. the de-
partment has taken a strangle hold Oh
attempted bookkeeping and Illicit SELL
ing. and so far as any information can
De secured, not a single speak easy
or "blind-tiger" is in existence in the
state. Considerable bootlegging Is
] still being carried on. IL is admitted.
but evidence is being gathered every
( daV and almost every day finds some
me- violator in the tolls OF the law
with ian sentence and fine staring
him in the face
I Chief Clerk Rathbone was asked as
To what effect .he decision of Judge
Keller in the Adams Express injunc-
! ton case will have on the enforce
ment OF the law.
! There seems TO be considerable
Misrepresentation as TO the effect OF
that decision" he replied Now. as
a matter OF fact. IL does not affect the
enforcement of the Yost law in the
least-it only gives outside liquor deal.
ers the right 10 solicit orders through
! letters. circulars. and order blanks.
and throws down the gates for the
nooding OF the state with this kind OF
literature.
Intosiestion On Wane.
4 comparative statement OF the
number of arrests and number of
! charges of drunkenness in seventeen
! OF the largest cities and towns in the
; state. included in the report. indicates
I that not only is intoxication on the
wane. but that under the prohibition
order the number OF arrests has been
greatly reduced. Whether or not pro-
I hibition really prohibits has been a
much mooted question. but the report
OF the working OF the Yost law GER
, tainly proves that prohibition at least
greatly reduced intoxication.
The total arrests in the months OF
July. August and September. 1913. IN
der license rule. was 1881: the total
I arrests in the same months in 1914.
/ under statewide prohibition. was 726.
a decrease of 1.105. The total ar
rests for drunkenness in the three
months in 1913 was $50: the total for
the same time. 1914. was 2O5. a de-
/ crease of 651.
Among the cities mentioned in the
I report are the following:
/ Wheeling-l9l3. arrests S94. DRINKS
/ 800; 1914. arrests 405, DRINKS 75:
decrease. arrests 4S9. drunks POI.
Moundsville - 1913. arrests rs.
DRINKS 30: 1914. arrests 30. DRINKS IL:
decrease, arrests 46. DRINKS 10.
Fairmont-1913. arrests 273. drunks
4 ZVa' 1914. arrests 104. DRINKS Al: de-
crease. arrests 1863. DRINKS 1854
Sistersville-1913. arrests 50. DRINKS
~; 1914. arrests IL. DRINKS s: de-
| crease. arrests %. drunks Sc
/ nwoOd-1913. arrests 161. DRINKS
81: 1914. arrests so. drunks %. de-
crease. arrests Ill. DRINKS 20
Parsons-1912. arrests s. drunks Z:
1914. arrests. none. DRINKS none: de-
crease. arrests s. DRINKS Z
Con ard Sutherland. West virginia's
ablest orators. at the Market Auditor