The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1919-11-28
NUMBER 40
new ORLEANS WET;
SALOON WIDE OPEN
Federal Court Permits Sale OF
Liquors and Government Re-
strained From Stopping
Liquor Traffic.

New Orleans, Nov. 26.-Whisky,
four per cent beer, wines, cordials IN
short complete barroom assortments
of liquors, were purchased freely in
New Orleans tonight following the
granting of an injunction today by
Federal Judge Foster which in effect
held the war time prohibition acts un-
constitutional.
Less than an hour after Judge Fos-
ter had enjoined federal authorities
from interfering with the sale of
bonded whistles in compliance with
the petition of the Herman Lesser Liq-
uor Company, barrooms were serving
liquor in steadily varied assortments.
Mixed drinks were unobtainable dur
ing the day because of the rush for
straight liquor" Later, however, it
was possible to obtain practically all
of the widely known mixed drinks for
many years peculiar to New Orleans.
French restaurants served claret with
dinners, adding the touch which chefs
and managers of the establishments
always have claimed was necessary
for the proper appreciation of their
meals.
Judge Foster in his decision to
grant the injunction ruled that the
war came to an official end when Con-
gress adjourned recently without re-
jecting the peace treaty with Ger
many He maintained that when Pres
ident Wilson vetoed the Volstead war
time prohibition enforcement bill Oct.
%, 1919, the president declared the
army and navy forces demobilized.
Through the injunction Frank M.
Miller, United States marshal, and his
deputies; Superintendent Forest PEN
dleton of the Department of Justice
and his aides; Rufus Fontenot, in
ternal revenue collector, and his as
sistants, and Henry Mooney, United
States district attorney, are barred
from interfering with the Herman
Lesser Liquor Company or any other
liquor dealer in the sale of intoxicat-
ing liquors in New Orleans"
Judge Foster formerly held that
2.75 per cent beer was nonintoxicat-
ing.
Warning Is Issued.
Above the enthusiasm of the liqu5r
dealers, however, loomed the warning
of the United States district attorney
and the internal revenue collector
that strict record was being kept of
liquor selling and that should the Su-
preme Court of the United States de-
clare the war time prohibition acts
constitutional prosecutions would be
instituted.
District Attorney Mooneny, upon
learning of reports that saloon keep
ers had agreed to make flat charge
of so cents per drink for whisky,
announced that should they combine
to charge high prices for drinks they
would be prosecuted for profiteering.
Whisky sold in most places at 25
cents for drink about half the size
formerly sold. Higher grade whiskies
served in old style glasses were sold
from 80 to so cents. Bottled whiskies,
bonded, were to be had at an aver
age of Sc quart, some places, how
ever, being without other than the
cheaper grades. Wines were procura-
bic at an average of about 25 per cent
over former prices.
At all of the downtown saloons
crows remained until closing time.
Taxicab companies reported an old
time rush of customers to the road
houses and cafes at the lake resorts.
Stocks sufficient to last until Jan.
16, should the supreme court rule that
war time prohibition was unconstitu-
tional, were reported by wholesalers.
Practically none of the liquor in ware
houses here was exported.