The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-07-01
FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF DEMISE
OF SALOONS In WEST VIRGINIA
LIQUOR TRAFFIC sANIsHso FROM
STATE TWELVE MONTHS
AGO LAST NIGHT.
ported last Nesr-Osnerenee %
500 In Number of Orvnks

The rumbling OF West virginia's
water wagon l. heard approaching
down the street OF public sentiment:
the clock In triking the mid-night
hour. The curtain Is rung down. the
lights are out. The play L. over-west
Virginia Il dry"
That was about the kind OF news
items every West Virginia morning
newspaper paper carried just one year
ago today. Just Il months ago tnis
morning at L. o'clock the voice OF
the bartender could be heard: Its
all over. boys. all over" And then
the doors for the last time for the
many hundreds OF saloons In West
Virginia and the l25 for this city.
were forever closed.
II f. the consensus OF opinion about
the state that II II now well that the
rum traffic was voted out OF West vir-
ginia.
To sum up the local situation In a
nutshell. showing the conditions one
year ago and at present in this COM
for the West Virginia Anti-Saloon
league and deputy prohibition com
missioner OF this district. when asked
for an expression on the first anniver-
sary OF the exit OF the liquor traffic
gave out the following last night:
Results Gratifying.
I'VE are highly gratihed at the
grand and glorious success that has
been attained in the first year West
Virginia has been dry: OF the great
commercial progress that has been
made right here IN Wheeling; the
prosperous conditions when one takes
into consideration the general depres-
sion all over the country"
Mr.. Earhart put particular stress
on the fact that nearly all the rooms
made vacant by the exit o. the salo"ns
were now occupied by Legitimate
business" as he expressed IL. Il
think / am safe IN saying that there
are not more than half a dozen such
places formerly occupied by liquor
shops now vacant IN this city. At the
tine West Virginia went dry there
were 125 liquor houses IN Wheeling
proper" In speaking OF the progress
made IN the general commercial
stride. he said that one OF the most
pronounced and best moves OF the
kind made was by the Stone a
Thomas store when the first enlarged
their building. extending II to Main
street. Before liquor was voted out
OF this state that particular part OF
Main street was infested by many
/ liquor shops and such places that a
lady could not pass through the street
without being embarrassed. To-day
that section s free from such often
siveness." said he.
Fewer Arrests.
Mr.. Earhart said that the police re-
cords for the past IL months COM
pared with the previous year were
startling by there being comparatively
] so few arrests. He said that In 1915,
OF the fiscal year ending June 80,
there were 1900 fewer arrests in the
city of Wheeling all told. and over 500
| fewer arrests for drunkenness alone.
When asked IL he believed that
there were speakeasies being operated
, in Wheeling, he said that IL was very
I probable that there are some such
places. but that II was impossible TO
clean out the city in so short a space
OF time; that Wheeling had been rum
soaked for the past 80 years and II
can not be made free in one year"
concluded Mr.. Earhart.