The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1917-08-31
Poverty and Crime Has Passed Since
Licensed Liquor Shops Were
Banished; Slough Evangelistic
Campaign Was Stimulus
and Better Day Has
Come


location one might travel up and
down every valley of this common
wealth without finding any spot quite
so attractive as that on which is
built the town of Berwick. The To-
cation Is midway between Wilkes
Barre and Sunbury on the western
shore of the east branch of the Sus-
quehanna river.
Here has grown up community,
Including the two towns of Berwick
and West Berwick together with the
suburbs, containing population OF
10000 people.
In the heart of the community is
located the American Car and
Foundry Company, which at present
employs $500 men. On every hand
the modest but well kept homes. the
clean streets and the busy stores in
dicate prosperity and contentment.
Two Dozen and More
In 1914 this community had an
even two dozen licensed grog shops
In addition to several wholesale
places. Today it has none. In order
TO appreciate the contrast in condi-
tions between 1914 and the present
one must needs visit Berwick and
converse with many different classes
of its people. AT the present moment
the community is thoroughly stirred
over the possibility that the voters
of Columbia county may make a
mistake in the selection of presi-
dent judge and thereby reopen the
town to the deplorablc conditions
which prevailed in days of old.
Under the stimulus of the Slough
evangelistic campaign, the Christian
forces of Berwick arose in great
strength and made determined on
slaught against the booze business in
January, 1915, with the result that the
entire list of license applications was
refused
1t was shown in that court that the
saloonists without exception were
fragrant violators of the law.
Under the old system West Ber-
wick was the scene of nasty riot in
which so shots were fired. John
Barleycorn was the melting cause
Many men were sent to the peniten-
tiary. Numerous murders were COM
mitted, and one man is now serving
20-year sentence for having killed
his fellowman while under the infu
ence of booze. There has not been
n murder West Berwick since the
town went dry. AS matter of fact
that borough has no regular paid
police officer any more. There are
special officers, subject to call of the
burgess, but their services are seldom
needed. Under the old system there
was chief of police, number of
special officers, and frequent calls
had to be made upon the state con-
stabulary.
Decrease of Crime
Before us is a statement showing
the number OF arrests in Berwick for
drunkenness and other causes cover
ing a period of several years. We
note, for instance, that during the
first six months of 1918 there were
90 arrests for drunkenness. During
the same period in 1916 there were
only 10 and the number was the same
for the first six months of 1917. Ber-
wick has dispensed entirely with one
of its police officers at saving OF
5000 per year.
What became of the rooms and
buildings when the booze business
was fired out? Are they standing
idle? A careful investigation of that
matter reveals the following interest
ing facts: The two leading hotels
are still running as such with a total
and prosperous. Two others are
being run as boarding houses. Five
of the old barrooms arc now used as
grocery stores while six others are
occupied by stores in other lines.
There are FIVE being used as dwell
ings, one pool room, one barber shop,
one lunch room and one apartment
house One has been burned and not
rebuilt There are only two vacant
at the present time and one of these
Is vacant because it is utterly unfit
for human habitation.
The Sugar Trust
AS showing the depth to which the
average saloonkeeper will degenerate,
Berwick recalls the story of the sugar
trust. WorSmen who could buy on
time from the Company's store would
sometimes run out of funds by the
middle of the month and have moth
Ing with which to buy booze. 1t was
not an unusual thing for some of
these fellows to buy dollars worth
of sugar ION tick" at the store, lug it