The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-14
The bic decrease, however, has been

The big decrease, however. has been
, caused by the increase in price
Mr.. Fullerton's article declares that
it is an odd freak in psychology that
the increase in price made more dry
votes In recent wet and dry elections
than all the dry propaganda did.
liquor Men Biunder.
TN plain English the article con-
| tinues, the liquor men, as usual,
played directly into the hands of their
! opponents. Many of them admit
/ that. in every wet and dry fight, it is
safe to wager that the liquor interests
will hurt their own cause by their
| blunders."
| The article goes on to state that Chi
cage liquor men last spring. when it
| became probable that the Windy City
might go through a wet and dry cleo
! ton, decided not to increase the price
/ of whiskey in an effort to retain wet
| votes.
THE man. who to the largest de-
! gree was responsible for the Chicago
decision" Fullerton wrote. '.told me
that an increase in the retail prices
! in February or March would have
meant dry Chicago, and that thou
/ sands of drinkers and drunkards
would have voted against the sale Of
/ liquor ont of revenge, more than any
! thing else"
There is no more magic In the whis-
key being sold today, according to the
Fullerton article. Whiskey now being
sold haas lost the Kick Much OF 1t
| is green whiskey, not properly aged.
which was manufactured hurriedly
last fall when prohibition of the
manufacture of whiskey as war
measure first became a probability
| Continuing. the article says:
Drinking Public Howls.
The drinking public is bowling.
and there are charges that doped
goods, and even imitation whiskey, is
being served The poor quality OF
the whiskey has aroused much resent
ment among the drinkers themselves.
Bartenders in Chicago. New York
Cleveland and Buffalo tell me that
many of their Oldest stomers have
quit drinking entirely, and that the
number OF whiskey drinkers has de-
clined steadily. The hartenders blame
the quality OF the goods.
I'm Chicago. which Is almost exclu-
sively a Bourbon whiskey town.
heard complaints from drinkers, from
eartenders and from saloon owners,
which sent me to the police. This
was the changed effect of drink upon
the seasoned drinkers They said
that the effect of the drink is differ
ent from what 1t was, that there
seems to be little kick in the stuff but
that it gets them" in another fashion
They remarked that many of those
who are booked as drunks did not ap-
pear to be drunk so much as they
appeared to be drugged and that the
quick system was loss OF memory
and dazed condition In New York,
found several police officials who
had observed the same thing, and who
recalled case after case of men who
did not seem drunk but suffered loss
OF memory for short periods.
Quality Is Poor.
The poor quality of whiskey served
almost everywhere is a constant topic
of conversation in barrooms. When
the topic is preached. the bars, -, ,,~,,-
ally admit the charge, and the com.
monest remark is that the whisney and
beer men are putting themselves out
OF business faster than the prohibition
Fellows ever could do"
The Fullerton article quotes whiskey
men to show that there are about
225. 10000 gallons Of whiskey still In
existence In the United States. and
that At the present rate tof ,consump-
tion this booze will have been con-
'nmed by Novembsr. 1a1a, a. aoonar.