Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1920-01-16
History Of Long Fight for and
Against Prohibition Comes to
Climax Tonight With Actual
Enforcement Of Law.


NEW YORK, Jan. 16.-Enforce-
ment of nationwide prohibition, which
becomes the law of the land tomor-
row, will not begin until 1901 A. NJ.
today at the office of Colonel Daniel
L. Porter of the United States Internal
Revenue service.
after that hour" it was said, mot
q barrel of Intoxicating liquor, q case
of wine or a keg of beer can be legal
ly manufactured, sold or transported
for beverage purposes anywhere in
the United States, Its territories or
insular possessions"
There will be no searching OF
homes or conffscation of intoxicants,
tho Federal authorities declare, the
law providing for seizure only in event
that liquors are sold or in case a
home" is clearly shown to be a pub
lie resort. Possession OF q private
still by means of which whisky may
be made. however, is held to be un-
lawful. A certain amount of boot
Logging" Is expected to be carried on
for some time, local officials say, but
every effort of the government will be
exerted to discourage violations.
While it has been announced that
the "drys" are to raise a fund of $780,
|000,00 to continue their fight, prohi-
bition leaders here say most of the
money will be used in educating" the
public as to the injurious effects of
alcohol. They intimate that they will
take no radical steps but that "tolera-
ton and patience will be exercised to-
ward any man who Is honest on the
question and who believes that intoxi-
eating drink is necessary to his we'll
beiDe.'
Cider mills and grape juice / ts.
meanwhile, have been working over
time of late in New York State. it was
said, andsthe psice of apphs and grape
fruit has been affected by an increased
demand. Fermented sacramental
wine for exclusively religious purposes
will be manufactured and sold as usu-
al but with new Federal restrictions.
sale of hard cider and grape juice
with kick" In them, of course, are
now taboo.
Latest internal revenue statistics
show that the Constitutional dry"
amendment puts out of business, or
compels change to other forms of
industry, of 236 distilleries, 1892
breweries and 177,790 saloons and
other places selling intoxicants in the
continental United States.
The familiar ditty:
'There, little barroom. don't you cry,
"You'll be q drugstore, by and bye!"
has not proved true, at least in New
York. Most saloons, the owners of
which have decided to. remain in busi-
ness have been transformed into res
taurants or candy stores.
Distilleries, elsewhere, 1t is said,
are being utilized for making dena-
tured alcohol for fuel, for use in the
mechanical arts and for other legal
purposes. Some are now creameries
and cheese factories.
Breweries in many cases, accord
ing to reports, have been turned into
malt sugar factories, automobi. e
works, meat packing and cold stor-
age, and fruit and vegetable dehy-
drafting or evaporating pants. Many
employees of distilleries and breweries
thus are retained at their old places
but at new tasks. An army OF bar
tenders, it is said, has obtained jobs
at soda fountains and are reported
to be "humanizing' the nut sundae
business.
Some of the things prob bition is
alleged already to have done to the
metropolis and other parts of the ma
ton were pointed out here today by
William H. Anderson, superintendent
of the Anti-Saloon League and others.
Mr.. Anderson said: give years ago,
on q zero weather night, 1000 or
more men app led to the Bowery Mis-
sion for lodging So far this nter
less than a dozen have appeared on
any cold night. The Municipal Lodg-
ing House, with a capacity of 918, on
not one night in December sheltered
as many as 100 persons Ordinarily
it would be crowded.
1--WE are getting curious reports
from all parts of the country. For
instance, Harry A Wrinkle, known as
Dad for twenty-six years the keeper
of the Philadelphia morgue, says:
Prohibition has most nigh closed us
up. We had as many bodies in two
weeks in 1918 as we had altogether
in 1919. Sixty per cent of them came
here through booze Some of them
were wood alcohol The dai average
has been close to fifty per cent of
what was normal before prohibition
1.-The Yorkville police cuort In New
York on Christmas Day had only two
drunks as compared with twenty six
the preceding Christmas. st Lawrence
county, up state. was going to spend
100000 for jail extension two years
ago because Of the number of often
ders. This county covers $500 square
miles almost as big as Rhode Island.
The supervisors said wait when an
effort was made to bond the county,
the voters decided to outlaw booze
and today tho Jail is reported is Writ
ally empty of inmates.