New-York tribune., 1919-11-16
=.
Saloon Dead, However, and
Hard Liquor Is Doomed,
According to Delegates
To Big Convention Here
Predict Beers Return
Saratoga Springs Boniface
Says Prohibition Will
Cause More Polygamy

Fifty hotel men from among dele
gates attending the Hotel Mems Con-
vention here expressed their views
yesterday on prohibition, its effects
generally and the chances ultimately
OF mitigating the rigors of the pro-
spective drouth. On four points all
were agreed. These were:
That the saloon is dead, never to be
resurrected.
mat future generations of Ameri-
s: cans Will never know the taste of hard
nquor unless they go out of the coun-
try to acquire the knowledge.
That the bone dry era will be short
lived, because such a measure as the
Volstead bill, limiting alcoholic con-
tent of beverages to one-half of one
per cent, cannot be enforced and will
De repealed as soon as the people
reach that conclusion.
And that in consequence q more lib
eral regime will arise, with law per
uniting the sale of light wines and
beers in licensed restaurants
u, One OF the men interviewed said
hip pocket" liquor in "dry" terri
tory had increased his furniture bill
one-half. Another suggested that if
absolute prohibition prevailed for any
length OF time America would become
nation of polygamists.
Day of Saloon Past
Said A. c. Stephens, of the ST. Clair
Hotel, Of Toledo, president of the Ohio
Hotel Associations: Total prohibition
is 8 mistake which the voters will
rectify at the first possible opportunity.
The day OF the saloon, however is
past. Whisky and brandy will never
again be freely sold in this country.
What the hotel men should fight
for is law which would permit the
selling of light wines and beer with
meals. If man is allowed to drink
cnly with his food he will not get
drunk. That has been the universal
experience of the hotel elkeepers. The
men who made prohibition possible
were certainly not the men who took
glass of beer or even a highbal or
two with their food, but the men who
stood In front of a saloon bar hours at
time and sopped up glass after glass
OF hard liquor. For such men | admit
that prohibition is d desirable thing
ut may be argued that such law
would be discriminatory; that it would
favor the rich man and place the poor
man at disadvantage. But that does
not necessarily follow Restaurants
serving palmer, less expensive meals
could be licensed with Just as salts
factory results if they were properly
checked up by the police We don't.
want any Raincs law hotels; but I am
hopeful that solution of the problem
may be found along the lines l have
Indicated
Bar Revenues Eliminated
"Of course, prohibition is hurting the
hotels. The bar revenues have been
completely eliminated in most cases,
and | expect that within the next six
months most of the larger hotels will
do away with their bars entirely"
The corkage charge scheme, which
permits hotel guests to bring their
own bottles into hotels and have them
served at a charge which ranges from
rs cents to 81 for each bottle, does not
have the Ohio hotel associations presi-
dents unqualified approval.
ut is difficult to know just what to
do with that idea" he said. "The hotel
nam can hardly refuse to accommodate
his guests, and he cannot afford to in
stall lockers and provide the service
without making a charge. On the other
hand. it looks rather like an evasion
of the law. and | know that no repu-
table hotelkeener wishes to evade the
law. / would say that that is Just one
of the problems which hotel men have
to solve in this connection, and would
hesitate to guess what the ultimate
solution may be should total prohibi-
tion continue"
Charles A. Gonder manager Of the
Hotel Dempsey, at Macon, Ga, spoke of