The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-10-21
LEADING OHIO NEWSPAPER COMES OUT
AGAINST STATEWIDE PROHIBITION

than is desired by the people" said .
city official Commissioner Blue and
the legislature have gone too far and
have lost the support of public SEN
timent by taking from the people the
right to receive shipments Of liquor
for their legitimate personal use. As
it is now the citizen must either go
away from the state for his wine, beer
and whisky or patronize the bootleg
ger"
Tax Much Heavier.
Taxpayers are making loud com
plaint about the increase in taxes
since the state was put into the so
called dry" column. The state tax
on personal property has been in
creased 1S cents per 500 since 1912,
an increase Of 1900 per cent.
To make up the heavy loss caused
by the adoption of a prohibition
amendment special taxes are levied.
An excise tax of one-half of one per-
cent on all incomes over $4,000 for
single men and $4,000 for married men
is imposed. Other new taxes are be-
ing considered.
Conditions are such in West Vir-
ginia that Governor Hatfield has re-
peatedly threatened to call out the
militia to enforce the prohibition stat
utes, his last statement in that re-
spect being in an address before the
West Virginia Law Enforcement Con-
vention October 13.
"Dry" Tennessee Wet.
Tennessee is another of the socalled
prohibition" states.
1t will be remembered that the
members of the Ohio legislature on
the occasion of their recent annual
reunion made a trip to Chattanooga.
Many of them came home convinced
that prohibition in Tennessee is a
farce. In a recent issue of the Gin
cinnati Enquirer Mr.. ]. w. Faulkner,
political correspondent, wrote of the
Tennessee jaunt as follows:
Prohibition leaders are kicking
themselves because they allowed the
dry members Of the general assembly
to go to Tennessee and get lesson
in practical operation Of ultimate arid
! ity in that officially dry" state. The
disciples of desiccation received
rude shock when they entered through
the hospitable gates of Chattanooga
and the tremors continued while they
remained there. Upon registering at
the hotel the polite and affable clerk
! gave each senator and representative
a card admitting him to the courte-
sizes Of the Lookout Club. This social
organization had its club room down
in the basement Of the hotel and there
were seven bartenders on duty, each
as busy as a field hand fighting hor-
nets. There was a fixed tariff for the
courtesies, the same being dime for
bottle of beer and Is cents for red
liquor. In the dining room drinkables
were to be had for the ordering.
! When the resorts on the battle fields
were visited the dry OhiOans discOv-
cred that the formality of social club
organization was ignored and that the
doors of the bars swung outward to all
who presented themselves with the
proper credentials, the same consist
| ing in the possession Of the rhino and
disposition to exchange the coin for
the stuff on tap. This rather puzzled
some of the brethren, who at home
here are violently opposed to the de-
mon of drink and favor the adoption
of statewide prohibition as means Of
exercising this troublesome spirit.
Further confusion resulted from the
! statements made by Chattanooga
/ guests Of the Lookout Club, as they
stirred their toddies, that they were
in favor of the continuance of the pro-
hibition law Speech and action didn't
seemsto jibe.
A Color Line.
But some of the shrewder found
the solution before they came away to
wet Ohio One of the Tennessee
colonels explained confidentially that
the prohibition was not expected to
apply to the white folks. Then, as the
German comedian phrased it, light
came up in the head.
The returning pilgrims now under
stand that there is prohibition, and
again there is also prohibition, and
that the things are entirely eisaEeAG"
i -AdVSrtis0meHt. -