The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-05-19
PREBLE COUNTY
DRY TWO DAYS
AHEAD OF STATE
Long Reign Of King Alcohol to
End Saturday IN Adjoining
Ohio County.

EATON, o., May 19-Prohibition
goes into effect in Preble county two
days ahead of the rest of the state.
No saloonkeeper here is gambler
enough to apply for license costing
$305 to remain open Monday, May 26,
under the constitutional amendment.
The secretary Of the licensing board
of the county has announced, more
over. that the board would not ap-
prove any requests for licenses Of they
were asked.
So ends, perhaps forever, the long
reign of King Alcohol in Preble county,
a reign interrupted once before for
a period of six years, when the entire
county voted dry against the wish Of
Eaton. which was wet, but which with
that exception has lasted since the
foundation of the county.
In the last year. it is said the Kings
adherents here have reaped such a
rich harvest that almost without ex-
ception they have made small fortunes,
since the passage Of Indiana into the
dry column and the resultant. daily
pilgrimage of the thirsty from Rich
mond and other Indiana points.
In the early years liquor was sold
in Eaton and the county in groceries,
dry-goods stores, and almost every
other place OF business, without any
kind OF check or hindrance. When the
county built a courthouse here early
IN the century, the records of the coun-
ty commissioners show that they
bought gallon or more Of whisky
and gave 1t away to workmen on the
building, and the bill was presented
to, and paid for, by the county.
Upon the tattered pages of many an
old account book in the county ap-
pear two significant notations. "To
One Sickle, and below, ito one gal.
whisky" for the fluid was con tidered
an indispensable adjunct to harvest
time. In many early school houses,
although this condition was no worse
in Preble than In Wayne, strictest of
Quaker counties, or in any other mid
dle-western communit, bright scholars
were rewarded by the school master
with suck at the whisky jug.
Follows State History
The liquor situation in the county
has followed, of course, the general
history of that of the state of Ohio.
At one time, years ago, Eaton, with a
population of 1900 or 1900, had 10
saloons, almost one to every inhabit-
ants The license fee was then $3.50,
and there was no check on the number
of saloons which might be opened
Now the fee is $1,000, plus a fee of
$105 to the state license department.
and the number of saloons Is limited
to one to every 500 inhabitants.
When the county went dry, early in
the century, the state was under the
local option law, by which the coun-
ties voted upon the traffic as unit.
Preble county voted Eaton and West
Manchester dry, although the towns
themselves were wet. When the new
home-rule amendment was passed, 8
or vars ago, all townships and vii
lagos which had voted wet in the coun-
ty election, became automatically wet.
Eaton and West Manchester saloons
instantly re-opened.
Loses $2,e4o Revenue.
Seven saloons in the county six in
Eaton and one in West Manchester,
will go out of business at 10 o'clock,
Saturday night, May "a. Each saloon
pays $1,105 in total tax, making a
total of $7,735, of which $735 goes di-
rectly to the state licensing board.
and $40 to the county auditor and
treasurer, leaving $500 which is di
vided equally between the state and
county, and the villages in which the
saloons are located.
Eaton, therefore, will lose revenue
of $3.50, and West Manchester, one
of $3.50, while the state loses three.
fifths of $3,430 or $2,O58 and the coun
ty s1,372. which is credited to the
poor fund.
Darke county is much wetter coun
ty than Preble, having % saloons, oil
which Greenville has 10, Union City
Ohio, 8, Versailles 8, Arcanum 2, Os
good land Yorkshire l. The towns
and villages of Darke county will
therefore, lose $11,270 in revenue, anc
the state and county the same sum
1t is not known whether any Darke
county saloons are going to remain
open May 26.
WIN EFFICIENCY CONTEST