Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-02
CHEYENNE OASIS
FOR DRY COLORADO
Small Liquor Concerns There Do
Rushing Mail Order Bust
ness Now.
ALL LINES FEEL THE IMPETUS

Cheyenne, Wyo, June l-(Speeial
Telegram )-"Fom thousand dollars a
day is reasonable estimate Of the
business which is being done by Chey-
enne mail-order liquor concerns" said
business man today, who for thirty
years was associated with the liquor
business. Dry Colorado is making
this city its supply point" he eontin-
ued, and the amount Of liquor which
local concerns are sending into Colo
ado is becoming an important COM
mercial factor Western Nebraska
contributes somewhat to the success
OF mail-order liquor concerns which
have been established here since pro-
hibition became effective in Colorado,
but the bulk OF the business comes
from the state 10 the south
On the basis OF $4,000 a day, Chey-
enne's mail-order liquor business rep
resentt $4,000 a month, Si,440,000
year. No mail-order business ever
before transacted in Wyoming ap-
preached even fraction of this fig
ure.
Small Liquor Houses Prosper.
Small liquor establishments which
prior TO Colorado's becoming dry"
had difficulty in doing sufficient bust
ness to enable them to meet the state
and city license Of 81 500 year have
become prosperous concerns. A Fiji
teenth street saloon which prior to
this year had very poor and con-
stantly dwindlng business, now em-
ploys more than a dozen people. Its
receipts during April were $500 day,
or $4,000 for the month. Its new
business virtually in its entirety comes
from northern Colorado. There are
numerous other concerns to which the
same story applies, not to mention the
business which has come to the old,
well established liquor houses as
result Of Colorado prohibition
Rush to the City.
The effect OF dry Colorado is be-
ing felt by other lines Of business than
that represented by the liquor houses.
A large and steadily increasing num-
Der Of Colorado people are visiting
Cheyenne because prohibition is not
in effect here. This element formerly
went to Denver TO transact business
but now prefers Cheyenne because
Denver is dry" The money which
such visitors spend for liquor is but
a small part of that which they leave
here, hotels, garages, wholesale
houses, branch agencies, etc, receiv-
ing their patronage. SO marked has
been the trend of business travel from
northern Colorado to Cheyenne, in
fact, that Denver wholesalers are
finding it necessary to establish
branches here in order TO hold north
ern Colorado business.
License Becomes Issue.
Ordinary saloon men whose mail
order business is but small side-is-
sue, have protested so strenuously
against the fact that mai-order liquor
concerns are not licensed that the
city commissioners now are wrestling
with the problem OF how to reach
these concerns with licensing ord
nance which can be enforced. Such
an ordinance has been drawn and will
be passed soon II provides that mail
NihAi NCileNiho oldli pay lili SAINT
license as saloons, namely, 1880
year.
Il am selling from twelve to four
teen carloads of beer in Cheyenne
month";" said representative of an
eastern brewery, while before Color
ado went dry" ! thought was lucky
if | sold half dozen in year"
Local Consumption Same.
A feature of the new situation is
that despite the enormous increase in
the liquor business transacted here
there has been no appreciate increase
in Cheyenne's liquor consumption.
The city merely has become a clearing
house for liquor destined for consump-
ton in Colorado. The sale is made
here but the product is consumed
south OF the state line The profits,
of course, remain with the sellers.