Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1916-11-01
VIRGINIA Dry LAW
WIPES OUT SALOONS
About $50 Liquor Dealers Close
DoorS-BreWerieS Shut Down.
(Ry lnternationaI News servfce.)

(sy lntsEnationaI News service)
Alexandria, Va, Nov 1.-"They
shall beat their fords into plow-
shares"
The Virginia brewers are hardening
to the subtle suggestion in this Bi-
bllcal quotation and are following suit
today. They are turning their big
brew watts into receptacles for feed
of various sorts. In the big ware
houses where line after line Of heavy
oak beer kegs have been stored are
to be row after row of sacks of feed
for horses and mules. Where there
was beer-foam there is to be dust
from cereal freshly ground.
Virginia has gone dry"
Each state and country official to-
day faces the task of keeping his dis
trict Immediately clean from the
pollution of rum with the loss of his
office as penalty if he fails. About
$50 liquor dealers have closed their
doors
Every brewery in the state has ar
ranged to engage in some industrial
pursuit or has permanently given up
business. Following the plan of the
Portner Brewing Company of this
city, one of the largest concerns in
the state, number Of breweries have
arranged To manufacture horse and
mule feed and such products Hun
dreds of tons of grain will be used
and a large part of the brewing ma
chinery can still be emploeyd after
alterations are made.
The law effective today is one of
the most stringent get enacted in the
United States. Passengers travelling
into or through The state are not per
mitted to carry or have in their pos
session more than one quart of Ii
auor of any description. Residents
cannot legally keep more than that
quantity in their homes. Liquors
cannot be given to friends.
The present law supersedes less
stringent prohibition laws in u of
the 100 counties of the state. The
act of the legislature in passing the
law was ratified by a majority of 80
365. the vote being 94,254 for the law
and 63SS6 against it.
The legislature made ample pro
vision for seeing that the measure be
enforced as rigidly as is called fer by
the statute. The office of State Com
missioner of Prohibition was created.
The commissioner has broad powers
to make Investigations, hear com
plants of nonsenforcement of the
law. and take steps toward the re-
moval from office of officials who
fail to enforce it in every phase His
sNary is $500 a year.
This office is filled by a man who
was largely responsible for the mo.
mentum added to the prohibition
movement recently in Virginia-the
Rev. j. Sidney Peters, former field
secretary in Virginia for the Anti
Saloon League.
One of the most difficult practices
Commissioner Peters and other Off
Gals will face is the bringing of Ii
quor from Washington. JUS across
the Potomac river from her. into Nir-
ginia by trolley. automobile and in
vehicles. A great number of govern
ment employees of the District Of co
lumbia reside in Alexandria, going
into work in Washington daily and
returning in the evenings. Some
government employees already have
arranged plans for defeating the pro
vision against bringing more than a
quart of liquor to their homes. They
have had false gasoline" tanks built
in the radiators of their automobiles.
in which they can store liquor.
The noval question of whether a
man can drink more than a quart q
beer and come into Virginia has al
ready been raised in this border
city. Local officials have the matter
under consideration and it is belieT
ed they will decide to enter a charge
of drunkenness against any person
known to have drunk more than one
quart of alcoholic liquor (even beer1
should he come across the river from
Washington. although he may not be
intoxicated.