The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-21
Investigations of DR.. w. J.
Johnson Reveal Interesting
Facts
MAYOR OF OMAHA NOW
-
FAVORS PROHIBITION
Hon. J. c. Dahlman, Once Sa-
loon Advocate, Says He
Has Been Completely Con-
verted


| Paul, Mimi, secretary for the middle
west OF the Presbyterian Board OF
| Temperance and doing some work
for the Dry Chicago federation. says
that cities of the Vest have found out
that prob hit'0 ''oe the problem
o4 methods to handle the saloon.
DR. Johns ore than a
month In the West going TO Omaha,
Denver, Portland, Spokane and Seat
/, tie, In order to learn at FIRST hand
what prohibition has done for those
cities in both moral and economic
ways.
DR.. Johnson. as far as possible,
made his Inuuires of men in the cities
visited who had voted Wet when pro-
hibition was submitted ut the polls,
and ne went to them as an anony-
nous observer lie did rot contine
his researche1 to personal inquiries
but walked the streets al night
streets that under the old regime
teemeA with ..vice---to find them. un-
der the new plan, orderly quiet and
free from unseemiy characters
Omaha the first citv visited. has
| heen DRY only since July Or john
ron was there in the misa!e Of August.
and called FIRST ON II tvor J. G. pahi-
man, who always had favored the sa-
loon.
MT Mayor U8NF ftfil-S VtSt tfFi y
from Chicago to see the harm that
prohih'iou has done TO your city
DIR. Johnson announced
We'll, sir. you've come - the WRONG
place the mayor replied. You'll
find a city vastly improved, both from
moral and q business standpoint
Prohibition had done wonders for
Omaha and am thoroughly con-
ver,ea To the dry cause
fyc1,os Game nntntpn E7fApxS here.
Y Dr Johnson heard the same opinion
.eyrress d In almost every place he
| visited except In one or two hotels
. which had conducted harrooms under
thu We rule business men in depart
f~ert e-oreS and other merchants are
! c~nscta w pleased with results safes
~ .~rreey-v and department stores in
| Omaha have Increased from 10 TO 20
,snr Cot An interesting sideltGht
Wis ''-a. Immediate effect in one
| Gutahe ~tore on the 81 les OF Infants
shn - In the first week end under
F-nhih' IN these Increased per cent,
a2-1t.a 4a-s4EAs,- increases al the es9A az ha
ec~sud and third weeks. One woman
~ Sc husband earned SIS a week
told department manager that where
the saloons were open So weekly 81
tie III '''v earnings vas ~rsert for }to-
.~r SbA now had BOUGHT stt worth
,,f r~oki~g unteusils articles she had
needed for years and proudly showed
q aavirh hank boot with seS credit,
| n ~ 's4 rpYf ia the fesv wae}Ss ~ nor tH@
sale ~ HONOR was stNnoed Sales OF
Yner's furnishings dra-S shirts and
nncEtias and The Ike $50 showed an
| early. iyrcrease and hav@ more than
. held their gains since tho drSt week.
Six weeks after the initiation OF dry
rule there were hut two vacant stores
of any size in downtown Omaha.
where saloons formerly were con-
dnctad and none In the suburbs prac-
fseallv all the buildings ono" devoted
to the sale Of i'ouor were then occu-
pAed nv clean business. according to
fhe testimony Of Mavr Dahlmau and
business men. The main depressing
effect there In other cities visited
~sss on the hotels and eating Dlacea
that furnished beds or ueals for i
10 or Is cents-residents and t"a0s-
tents had more "1o""~ and dstna ndcd
better rooms and fnod.
Denver and other Colorado cities
are not strictlv prohibition hut are
ro-license. the state laws permitting
the shinping IN Of l.duor Denver is a
tourist city % course. and during the
no-license campaign feared the loss %
trade franz that sa44raa Napaft b nlfesar
the tcr~'st business IL better than ever.
New hotels have been erected ard VIE
the travellers aanv OF Denver q
former seloonkecpers have bought
farms outside the citv and are pros
pertnv The city never had so few
vacant buildings Where fftv or sixty
destitute MOI Th'ef ~ Police Arm
stronr to,' nr Johnson formerly OBJ
tatush f0ti~'ros tn tha cttv hiatt there
are nov only ono or two IN the first
six months ~ ioI1 Tho n 81 wet wear
there were Hno arrests while IN the
/ FIRST half OF 1915 under no-licensA.
| the police arrested $40 persons A
Ietock-de containing a WOOD pole on
(which, mon who failed to support their
lwfves were N,t AT work har been
iaboiishef hocnu use tho men formerly
| arrested for non -sunnort are workirg
elsewhere row rock pile ON which
Migrants worb no LONGER evis's, anil
tho citv has to hwy IT'S crushed rock
9cr roads IN the Colorado mining
lamps safes mt stores have Increased
20, 80 and 40 per cant There has
been q -~NatiNa reductio IN the act;vt-
.ies c. the d""nesfi" ~a'ations courts.
SAVINGS D"~osits increasad
nerSNs;.s in tNa savings hanks or
Denve- 'rcrsa~ea 90 ner cent in the
ffrst ri~a ~1o~.hs unanr no-icensa.
md 90 nrn rav- o~~e-rts were onenea.
There -ras t~~~eo~a of ~ nor cent
In the danosite % s'i hanks and trust
com M ;as vbe Ee-ver Gas COW, =
pauy estimated .hafore the drv law
went into eff~~t tNat y would av~eri-
ence a loss % etc nna a month from
Hs ola receipts hecau~a of the closing
OF saloons and some cafes lrstnad.
its business increased $40 600 In the
Net month. In 1915. the first drv
year IN Denver. county mortgas
were fitted nj an unparalleled rate.
Tho books OF the tra nsfer and realty
-c0up MES indicate al that for evAry
family moving ont of the city four
moved In. Sales OF the grocery and
derartr, rent stores increased 10 to Is
per cent
The same story. with minor var'a-
ticns, was told IN Portland and Scat
tie. In the Oregon cttv there had
besn three institutions for men ard
women who had no methods Of llveli-
Mod, and these have gore ont of
6dAincs. Dr. Johnson was fold I'm ait
~ citi~A visited that the loss OF reve-
rue 10 the cities had been enbarras--
m only In the first month or two un-
ia ~ rule. n was more than Offset
10 AeeTGasad cost sof police admin-