Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-07-09
FAIR NAME Of
WEST VIRGINIA
IS TRADUCED
State Commissioner of Prohibi-
ton Declares State Is Not
Bankrupt. ..
, .. ,#.. - g. &c.,.
ABLE TO MEET ALL
..- s.....' ".. ITS OBLIGATIONS
Rev. Leonard Of Seattle Tells Of
Progress Made in Pacific
Coast Region.

Atlantic City, N. j., July 7.-West
Virginia has been so successful in
the enforcement Of it's drastic lprohi5
tory liquor law, which went into eff
feet just a year ago, that the state is
permanently committed to it's new
policy, and not in the slightest dan
ger of giving way to the anti-prohib
tory pressure which has been brought
to bear upon it, according to Fred O
Blue, the commissioner of prohibition
in West Virginia. In an address be-
fore the national convention of the
A%nti4Saloon League of America here
today, Mr.. Blue said West Virginia
had demonstrated that prohibition
will prohibit-that a prohibition law
"a be enforced, and quoted testi-
mony from both the employers Of la.
Dor and the heads of labor unions to
the effect that conditions had been re.
markedly improved.
Creating Fake Impression.
He charged that the liquor inter
ests were spending large sums of
money to create the impression that
West Virginia was bankrupt because
she nc longer collected revenue from
the liquor interests.
"West Virginia is not now, and has
not been, a bankrupt state" said Mr..
Blue. "The state is in as healthy
a financial condition as any state in
the union" s
Referring to the recent decision OF
the Supreme Court Of the United
States, the effect of which is that
West Virginia shall pay to the bond
holders of the state of Virginia the
sum Of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT debt has
been a matter of controversy since
the separation of West Virginia from
Virginia, MI. Blue said:
eff we have to pay Virginia's bond
holders this sum of money, we can
do so,-the state of West Virginia
has the to do it, and a citi-
zenship that has met and solved her
problems as they arose-we only
have to pay the debt once. On the
other hand, before West Virginia be-
came a dry state there was annually
sent out of the state for intoxicating
liquors the sum of $4,000, OO0-s3,-
100000 more, every year, than the
amount of the adjudication in favor
of Virginia's bondholders. Such fin
ancial drain for intoxicating liquors
upon the people of the state went on
for years and would be going on now
were it not for the prohibition amend
ment and laws pursuant thereto.
Men, Not Money.
Already the liquor interests in the
nation are publishing broadcast-na-
ton wide-that "West Virginia will
be sold at the front door of the Ma
tons capital to pay a decree of s12,-
100000" / want you to know that
the great liquor interests Of the ma
ton are actively trying to hold out
and wilfully and falsely hold out
West Virginia to the world as a fin
ancially troubled state-a bankrupt
state-a state that is about ito be
sold out" The liquor interests,
through their journals and otherwise
are misusing West Virginia's fair
name, and misleading the citizens OF
the nation, forthe purpose, among
others, of trying to lead the states
citizens to believe that they must go
to intoxicating liquors for revenue,