The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-12

law was not effective the fault should
not lie at their doors. The result Is
that, considering all the circumstances
favorable to the infruction OF the law
with i'm punity. the law has been re-
msrkably we'll enforced. the quondam
prophets Of failure oetrg nov the
judges
Almost Immediately after the law
became operative, IL could be heard on
all sides that working men. white AID
black. who usually spent their money
and time on Saturday nights In bar
rooms, could be seen on those nights
shopping with their wives and carry
ing bundleG home to their families.
The same class of people would go to
their rental agents and pay their rent
at the weekend instead of squander"
ing their earnings In drink and leav-
ing their wives to stand off" the col
Iector on Monday morning.
The buildings that were used for the
sale OF liquor before November !, 1915,
were practically all occupied on that
day with other lines of business. One
of the largest liquor nail-order houses
In this section has, since been con-
verified by Its owners into a splendid
up-to-date commercial hotel.
Inakmuch the prosperity of thi5
city has been enormously enhanced,
regardless of the liquor traffio. by the
greatly Increased business at the ship
yard and along the water front. on &C
count of war activities. / will not I'M
dertake an analysis OF the effect Of pro-
11ibition on economic conditions for
other than l have done.
While the city las been prospering.
the permanent population has in
creased at q conservative estimate.
some 40 per cent during the last year,
and taking into account the sailors and
soldiers. and the transients of all
classes that have come into our midst
during the last three months as an In
cIdent to the building of environments
and other army structures In the
suburbs of the city. our population is
double what 1t was year ago. Not
withstsnding this increase In popula
tlon and the promiscuous character OF
during the past year. the report OF
the keeper of the city jail shows that
from November !. 1918, 10 October 81,
1915 the total number of prisoners re-
ceived into hts custody was 2.053; that
from November /. 1916. to October 81.
1917. the total number was 917.
During the last three months the
local police have been aided greatly by
the secret service men and special
agents OF the department OF justice
and of the war department at Wash
ington. and while there has been an
jail during that period. a comparison
with the same period last year shows
prisoners in Jail August September
and October. 1916, 46S: same months In
1917. 2ss. These figures are no indi-
cation of tho number of arrests made
by the police. since the majority of
them are of petty offenders who are
never committed to jail. But the
figures are significant as to the COM
mission of grave offenSes.
The report OF the chief of police for
the periods under consideration shows
| arrests for drunkenness for the year
Immediately preceding prohibition.
1876; for prohibition year. 373 Tho
same report shows arrests for all
causes during the year before prohibit
| ton. 5.b1s; during prohibition year.
1850. The chief states that this report
Is hardly fair to prohibition on &C
| count Of the unusual conditions pre-
vailing here for tho past year brought
about by the activities of the federal
government. witch have doubled the
| population of the city and incidentally
| attracted many OF the undesirable ele-
ment hither. He also states that ar
| rests for mere violations of the city
| ordinances are embraced In this report.
| and that during the year last past
| the police force has had much more
time to look after petty matters. such
| for instance. as the violations of traf-
/ hc ordinances. Furthermore, he states
| that, II the definition OF a drunken per-
son given in the Mapp law had been
| followed during the year preceding
prohibition as Il has been since, the
| arrests for drunkenness for the year
ending October 81. 1915, would have
| been as many as 5000 instead of 1.54s
| Formerly a man was not arrested as
| drunk unless disorderly. or unable to
take care of himself and without any
| one to care for him.
To this I would add that on Janu-
| airy /. 1917. there was annexed to the
city large suburban territory en-
bracing farfamed "Bloodneld." "Daw-
son City" and "Klondike," with a pop
ulation much - these names indicate.