The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-12-26
HOW BALTIMORE
WASSAVED BY
PROHIBITION
Arrests Less than Half as
Many and Brewery Chang
ed to Packing House

On July 1st, 1919, the war pro-
hibition act made its belated ap-
pearance on the scene and grlpped
Baltimore. The city has now had
five and onehalf months of war pro-
hibition-not the tightest, driest pro-
hibition, but still prohibition fully
worthy Of the name.
"May we not" as the President
says, "assess the consequences
Those consequences are not what
they will be after the present chao-
tic state of prohibition discussion and
legislation has shaken itself down
and established its triumph in the
habits by the presence of millions OF
gallons of uasold whi9key in the
nation. The consequences have,
nevertheless, been very real.
Police figures show the results of
prohibition. Take the four months
of July, August, September and Oct
ober and contrast them with the
same months of former. years and we
arrive at the most illuminating and
unassailable results. For instance in
the four months named, year 1913,
Baltimore had a population of
100000. Her arrests for drunkenness
during those four months OF 1913
numbered 1856. During the same
months of 1919 the city had popu-
lation of 10000 and the arrests for
drunkenness totalled 62i.
That's not all. In 1913 there
were 1,343 arrests for assault. for the
four months under consiaprAtioRl,
4,10O arrests for disorderly conduct
and 2,414 arrests for disturbing the
peace. In the four prohibition
months of 1919 there were only 1,174
arrests for assault, 3,517 for disor-
derly conduct, and 1,061 for disturb
ing the peace.
So striking has been the reduction
in the number of arrests in the four
prohibition months Of 1919 that, If
the rate continues, there will be
10000 fewer arrests for the year,
and possibly the reduction will be
even greater, despite the fact that
the first six months of 1919 were wet.
The summary of this police informa-
ton will absolutely settle the ques-
ton in any ones mind as to wheth-
er or not prohibition affects the total
of arrests. In the four months prior
to July /, 1919, there were 20,997 az
rests, and only 1926 in the four
months after July /. During the four
months prior to July / there were
1923 arrests for drunkenness, and
for the four months subsequent to
July 1st, there were 624.
The big Monumental Brewery has
been taken over by the Jones-Lamh
Packing Company and is now in pro-
cess of conversion. The Frank Steil
Brewing Company has asked a per-
nit to alter for packing. The Gun
ther Brewing Company has changed
it's name to the Gunther Manufacture
ing Company and evidently has a le'
gal business in view.
Prohibition cannot do everything
1t cannot have the success in rescu
ing buns that it can in preventing
buns. There are men who will d1inl
! anything if alcohol is. taken away
from them. They will swallow wooc
alcohol, valnish, hair tonic, kerosene
and tobacco juice. Prohibition does
rescue some of these men, but thi.
is not it's important work. No ma1
is going to begin to drink by taking
| varnish, or hair tonic. or wood alco
hol, and the buns who would have
! been carted to the Morgue 20 year!
from now are not being made in Bal
timore today, Baltimore has qui
making men drunk for profit and as {
consequence her decent profits ar,
today greater than ever before. he
business prosperity is at maximum
| her crime is at minimum.