Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-31
Under Prohibition OdDo-
n1inion and Richmond
Experience Marked
Prosperity.

What that has meant. what it means.
and what IT Will mean to the State
and to the citizens of Richmond is "A
problem of grea, vital interest and
Importance. /, would be idle to say
that the present status. with regard
TO the sale and use OF intoxicants. suits
every Individual, and that all, from the
butcher to the candlesttck- maker. are
highly pleased and gratined with the
Legislation which has eliminated in
bone dry" territory.
The consensus of opinion expressed
Is that prohibition has been a success
in Virginia.
The channels through which this
opinion rises in the minds Of mon arc
various. The officer OF the law sees
one angle. The business man sees an
otncr. Tho man who formerly ran a
licensed place sees still another. Again
the viewpoint OF the total abstainer
divergcs from that of him who likes
his quiet glass and of him who con-
tinually tipples. AS the light is shed
so the view Is reflected and each sees
and ever will see his own idea cs-
pressed in things rs they are
COURT RECORDS SHOW
DECREASE IN CRIME
To the onlcer Of the law, he who
enforccs as we'll as interDrcts. there
has been evidenced in Richmond a pro-
FOUND change 1t appears from the
records OF the Hustings Court and
Police Court that felonies. the mean
ugly, stahbing and cutting cases. which
biackcned the page with awfulncss.
nave iailcn off to mere handful when
palanccd with former years While
me CITY Jail is not empty there are
only lo2 prisoners. compared 10 800
iast year. But. while the list of fol-
ONES Is lessened. the courts are stilI
oosy' principally with Ihisdcmcapaots
VINO have violated the prohibition laws
whether this phase of the si.ua,iop
VIII improve as time goes on. remains
10 be seen.
Judge crutchtield has said thar IN.
young men OF the city arc better off for
peins At hardship in obtaining liouor
ana In this a former proprietor OF a
broad street drinking place agreed
yesterday when he stated that he could
see inc advantage in putting intoxi-
cah's farther away from the reach of
'he young Not only did this man be-
Ncve that prohibition had made it safer
lot young manhood, but ne expressed
thc opinion that he believed people
generally still wanted beer and wines
ana that when they voted the State
dTE IL was with the though in mind
that spirits would still be obtainable
re was not alone in this expression
OF opinion. and others were heard to
remark that difficulty in obtaining
night wines and beer would be obviated
Ihen again. there were many who
stated that they did not believe Vir-
sinia would ever go back into the
wet" column.
one striking remark in this connec-
tion was that of n man in close touch
with retail mercantile business in the
city who remarked. II have not given
the subject much thought, but so far
as my observations have gone. the ro-
suits have been favorable have
heard no complaints attributable to
the absence of booze" But that's all
over now, and it's time to start to
think about other business"
Judge Richardson. OF the Hastings
Court. said of the past year that from
the standpoint of good order and gem
eral welfare prohibition has been
great success In the State as we'll as
the city.
THIS CITY NEVER MORE
PROSPEROUS THAN NOW
Business men noted that Richmond
has never been more prosperous than
now. and ii was added that in these
unusual times and in so short test
this could not all at once be attributed
to prohibition. The head Of large
dry goods house. where women's clothes
are sold almost exclusively, did force
fully state: These are high-price
times. but never in the history Of the
city has the wife had the money she
has now. year ago a woman would
hesitate long in paying s25 for suit
which she to-day scarcely considers
paying s35 for This is no doubt due
in n large measure to the fact that
the laboring man is taking his money
home and turning 1t over to his wife"
The same speaker, who also is en-
gagged in manufacturing, remarked
that the efficiency of his men has been
increased. that they had become more
dependable as laborcrs than before
Another individual, speaking of the
former matter of wages, noted that It
was true that families were in many
cases being better cared for, but that in
some casea men would wait on pay
day night for "pcddlcr" and lay down
SIS to Sc fer quart of whisky for
which he formerly paid 81.
Not even the most ardent dry" en-
thusiast is maintaining that no liquor
is being sold or used in Richmond.
Records at tho local express Office
show an average of $50 Packages daily.
Seizures by State and Federal authori-
ties indicate that contraband liquor is
being brought into the State. IF one