The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-27
SALOONS, RUN DRY,
READY TO CLOSE
'Whiskey and 2.75 Gone, Few
Are Expected to Keep,
Open on "Slops."
OFFICIAL ACTION TO-DAY
Question Also Whether Porter
Gets Busy Tonight or To-
morrow Afternoon.

Retail liquor dealers controlling nearly
1000 saloons about TO dry up viii meet
this afternoon In Terrace Garden to de-
termine whether to turn of the Faucets
at midnight tonight or walt until to-
morrow afternoon. The general belief
II that the volstead enforcement act
will be made effective at midnight. but
some Of the optimists in the trade think
that the Federal agents will not come
around until the following afternoon.
Internal Revenue Agent Daniel Por-
ter declined to say anything about ms
plans except that the law would DC
clapped on hard when the proper time
came. As matter fact many. saloon
keepers are ready to quit this morning'
having sold about all OF the stun In
which any profit lies. Most of them
were running out of whiskey any way
and very few will have enough 2.76 beer
left to accommodate any sort OF brisk
trade by nightfall. The breweries made
fnal deliveries on Saturday night OF the
AIS fluid and nothing more can be got
from them except half per cent beer
To Close or Not to Close.
The big problem with saloon keepers
Il whether II is worth while TO keep
their places open with nothing to oner
except what the brewers themselves call
slops- One OF the purposes OF the Ter
race Garden meeting is to discuss that
point. The probability, according TO
liquor men of experience. Is that the
places that try to keep on doing business
Will dwindle away one by one. Some
proprietors will hang on hopefully, hgur-
ing that there In a slim chance, at least,
that the wartime prohibition ban may
be lifted some time In November IL tne
peace treaty Is ratified; but the period
between then and January 16, 1s2o.
when the constitutional amendment goes
into effect, is so brief that 1t is a ques-
tion with dealers as to whether 1t would
be worth while to keep up the business.
II is not likely that the closing up
hour to-night-if It does come tonight
will cause much excitement or ever
special interest around town. New YORK
has anticipated the event for SO long
that expectation is dulled. Besides there
was one large celebration of the demise
of John Barleycorn on the night OF
June 30 last. 1t is true that johns
ghost walked considerably, but he was
oficially dead Just the same and Will moi
md 30 many mourners at his bier TO-
night or tomorrow. Possibly the price
Of LIQUOR will have something to DC
with that. Just as prohteering Is said
to have had something to do with the
attitude of the Government In refus'
inR to lift the wartime ban.
With drinks at their present prices
celebrations are difficult. Moreover. the
sale of booze has been illegal altogethei
since July 1. with the possible exception
of AIS beer. whose fate was In thu
~ N
such Is the hotels and restaurants, where
ceisbrators would naturally gather. ART
discouraging any gatherings.
Drinks Yet Obtainable.
II was easy enough, as for many week.
formerly to get drink Of liquor In one
neighborhood saloon yesterday. Trafh'
had frightened to such an extent tina
only known customers regarded as SAFE
were supplied. Also It was admitted By
proprietors and barkeeps that the wills
key was about all gone. The last few
bottles were popping up from the darl
recesses under the counters. Men wht
wanted q bottle or two to take hom'
were generally refused, but when sale
were made they were on the basis Of from
Sc to SO a quart, depending on strength
and quality. Almost no gin was OBJ
tainable, It was said. and other mate
rails essential to cocktails had disap
peared weeks ago.
The investigation which has oeen con
Quoted by John McKim Minton. Specia
Assistant Federal Attorney, appointed
by Attorney-General Palmer to uncove
booze graft, and by William ]. Flynn
chief investigator of the Department o
Justice, will be resumed to-day whei
the Federal Grand Jury meets to hea
witnesses These witnesses, anon,
whose names are those OF several o
the best known restaurant proprietor
uptown. are supposed to know somethin,
about the operations of the booze graf
clique indicted by the Federal GRAM