The Idaho Republican., 1916-03-03
DECREASE OF CRIME
IN .DRY". OREGON

DECREASE OF CRIME
IN "DRY". OREGON
Much interest Is being taken |
thruout the country in the results
of the anti-saloon law which went in
to effect in Oregon on January 1,
1915. We had planned with the first
of February to publish statements
from some prominent citizens about
the matter, but on February /, The
Oregonian of Portland prints show
ing which meets our purpose ad-
mirably. Moreover The Oregonian |
is known thruout the United States |
and especially on the Pacific coast as
one OF the leading dailies of the land. |
| II has never shown itself special
friend to anti-liquor legislation; let
us be content to say it has been Inn
partial to q fault. All the more
significant, then, is the front page
article on February l, headed,
Crime Cut Nearly One-Third in Dry
Month" We wish to give editorial
space to the chief portions of that
article. 1t begins thus:
Zone month of prohibition, and
alrs well. All well, and then some.
Look.
''Not a single family row has
broken into the police court during
the month. They were common
occurrence before 1916, nearly all
due to booze. Grocery stores have
taken the place of corner saloons;
rents have not been materially at
fected, say the brokers, and the num-
ber of vacancies left by the saloons
Is astonishingly few. More money
is in circulation for groceries, dry
j goods and staple articles, says c. G.
Colt, president Of the Chamber Of
/ Commerce, indicating that the work.
4 ing mans money spent for liquor Is
4 going into other channels Of trade,
replacing the industrial forces APP
parently left idle by the advent Of
prohibition.
!, And this is not all. Mrs. Lola
IG. Baldwin, head of the woman's pro-,
tective division Of the Department OF
Public Safety, says the number Of
girls in che police court has fallen
almost to nothing veritable revo-
luton, she says. Intoxicated moter
drivers have ceased to exist, accord
ing to the police record. Reckless
driving and speeding have been d.
minished many hundred per cent.
Three times as many persons, or
NEARLY SO, were arrested in December
as in January, or reduction of from
ago in January was 1,743, or more
than twice as much as last month.
But here is the big figure. Drunk
enness is January, 1915, decreased
nearly 500 per cent under December.
In December, 1915, there were 897
} arrests for drunkenness and disorder
ly conduct, last month the number
was l19. One-third of this latter
number were arrested January /, the
hangover of the celebration that
marked the closing Of the saloons.
} Discounting that number as products
of last year, prohibition has reduced
drunkenness more than 1000 per
cent in the first month. A year ago
in January 587 were drunk and ar
, rested, or five times as many as last
month.
, And with the reduction in drunk
enness, Judge Stevenson, retiring po-
lice court magistrate, expects to see
the reduction Of rs to 80 per cent
of all other crime. The comment of
all the officers of the police court sta
5 ton is similar. You can see the re-
suits for yourself" returns Chief of
Police Clark. mot half the arrests
are made Assistant City Attorney
i; Stadter says: During the whole
month of January not "a case of a
family trouble came to my Office
/ wonderful record. One can men,
tion 1000 things, it seems, cured by
!. prohibition. Booze removes brains
4. and makes crime"
!. mo, SIR" exclaimed Donald Wood
: ward, pioneer real estate broker,
: prohibition has shown no i'll effects
t. on rent thruout the city aside from
! few vacant places where saloons
s were. Grocery stores are taking their
d places; other business is springine
;, up. The majority Of the vacant
s saloon locations have filed up, and
in so days I expect to see every
9 empty saloon taken"
: These figures and authoritative
! statements are worthy Of preserva
a ton, especially by voters in states
! where the question Of prohibition Ii
= yet to come up for settlement. Il
n ought to be remarked that we speal
!, advisedly of Oregon's "anti-saloon'
If law; it is not, strictly speaking, 6
9 prohibition law Among much else
y which this law has taught many sin
5: cere workers for temperance legisla
8 ton in Oregon is the truth that
:. half-loaf is better than no bread
'r Many at first protested against some
features of the law which seemed tt
l. them to nullify it's moral. effect; the!
ID seemed to prefer no bread at all tt
9, a half-loaf. But now that the al
v legged half-loaf has been handed ou
ID many agree that it is eight or nine
le tenths of a.loaf! And the workings
= Of the law seem in fair way to con
d vince some former opponents of al
liquor legislation that they would b'
IL | = !, hpI a Inaf n