The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-14
C|ACY CLOSES CHURCHES,
SCHOOLS, BUT NOT BARS
Health In Flu" Epidemic
Precautions.
DO BREWERS CONTROL CITY:
Emergency Measure Justified. but
Citizens Marvel at Special Protcc-
tion of acknowledgements Charge
Liquor Domination.

Liquor Domination.
The Cincinnati board of health on
Saturday, October s. issued an order
effective midnight, October 5. clos
ing all schools. public, parochisl. pri-
.yaic. high schools and the university.
all churches. all theaters including
moving picture places, all meetings,
indoor or outdoor, calling OF noon
day liberty loan rallies, dishanding
Red Cross knitting and sewing gath
erings and decreeing that weddings
and funerals must be private. The
order was issued as a necessary step
10 check the epidemic OF influenza
And saloons. where men are drawn
itoget her In large numbers Ito satis-
fy their social instincts" and incident
ally ouar a stein of. beer, what about
them? What a foolish question-4n
ICsncinnati They were exempt. OF
lcourse. But probably the fear lest
some stranger within the gates in
Ircading the order might think that
1.-The failure to specify saloons as one
Iof the public places to be closed was
an oversight, the newspapers particu-
larly emphasized the fact that the or
der would not apply to saloons. res
taurants, soda water establishments,
billiard halls.
While saloons and soft drink par
I1ore and billiard halls are not to be
iciosei under the board OF health's
order. il Is announced that they would
be under strict surveillance by the
food administrator, r. r. Biume, as
sisted by employees of the board of
Education. The unemployed teachers
during the present closing period will
assist DIR. Biume by reporting all cases
looming under their notice OF sanity
violations. The teachers will also
visit the homes of their pupils and
lspread educational propaganda against
1.-The disease.
- /, Is reported that the order was
faithfully obeyed. there being but one
instance where church services were
attempted, that in the case of Ger
man Catholic Church. People are in
| sympathy with the order SO far as II
goes and are willing to make every
sacrifice necessary to check the spread
of the epidemic, but even Cincinnati
>, ans are wondering why saloons are
exempt.
The Commercial Tribune. which is
by no means an aggressive cham pion
of prohibition. concludes an editorial
in the issue of October with the
following paragraph:
Strangely enough the only ohjec-
c ton made is not that the order is toe
y far-reachinG, but that il doesn't reach
y far enough for the fullest possible Sc
curity in the avoidance of danger. For
instance. the Interrogation that in
stinctiveiy mirrors itself in every MIND
is: how are soda fountains. pool
\ rooms. saloons and billiard halls ex.
q empt?
"Candor comrels the admission thai
. the reason Is not obvious"
r The Times-Star featured the order
!. in the following fashion: the line. "Te
o remain open was set In eighteen
( point type
Call of MASSACHUSETTS, in ordering thu
Z saloons closed, left 1t to the discretion
r Of the local authorities as to whether
a the schools and churches should bt
o close d. But Cincinnati Is running true
q to form IT will be recalled that wher
: the eiection returns OF last Novenfbcl
>, coming jn from every section Of ohit
i fn5ttcatHd that the trr5 had carried thu
state for prohibition. II remained FOL
= Cincinnati to discover an error in the
( count of the votes In that city of TO-
600 in favor of the vets. This erro
! stcmmed the tide for little while
| but when the drys be gan to overcome
5 this mistake of 10000 votes another
Z error was discovered OF sufficient siz'
to nut the vets over the top.
The reason for the saloon exemp
ton from this order may not be 'ob
?, vious'' to some people, but there is ar
!. element in the city who believe the,
j see through IL ALL and this element Il
growing in strength and numbers. Il
the majority of the saloons of the city
I are owned by the hreweries as the,
are in most cities, brewery interests
I cooperation with the German-Amer
lean alliance, their political activitie:
/ which are Just now under investfga
ton by the United States senate, are
: not pleasant contesnplations for thu
good citizens of the city. Exemptinf
. hrewerlv owned saloons from the OBJ
servance OF necessary health order
at this time when brewers patriotism
rs In question is not popular act
: -----Bu, I.th~rt. Do"d~----
Indiana County Attacks It's Rats.
! Morgan county, Indiana. had more
rats and mice than II wanted. so Il
planned rat week" The purpose
WAS to start a concerted attack on TIN.
rats and mice in the week previous tc
the storing OF grain. The county agcn.
advertised in the papers and enlisted
the members of the United States
Boys Working Reserve. Reports arc
incomplete. but the county agent be-
lieves the nurYber OF rats had been
greatly reduced and consequently
large quantity Of grain has been
saved Ore boy reported that he killed
81 rats and 3s3 mice. Another killed
ls4 rats, a third 81, and fourth IS.
--Nuy Liberty lD0ndS-