Great Falls tribune., 1921-02-27

ton year old in this city, it remains
4 subject of leading interest and OF hot
debate. The vets claim that prohlbl'
tion has failed In New York. and the
drys retort that it has succeeded else
where, and that the future belongs e
the 18th Amendment.
It is generally admitted that New
York is about wide open. With the ex'
iception Of the large hotels, you car
buy drinks in nearly all the old places
that operated before the 18th Amend
ment went into effect, as well as in q
large number of new places. Saloons
are again flourishing all over the city
the foreign table d. hotes have rein
| stated red ink on their menus, while
the pocket flask has become ubiquit-
GUS.
1t you are wealthy, you carry neat
leather-covered flask with silver, In
itialed top, and if you are prole-
tartan you carry plain glass bottle.
often labeled with some degree OF
truth Poison Sometimes the flask
may be empty, but at least you are
keeping up appearances.
The manufacture Of homebrew has
taken rapid decline since 1t has be-
come so easy to secure supplies from
the large bootlegging enterprises. De-
livery wagons, carrying huge supplies
of strong liquor for home consump-
tion, dash carelessly about the town
under the very noses of traffic cops,
and case of whisky is dropped off at
your door as nonchalantly as if it were
a bottle of milk.
The assortment of liquors is not
as varied as it was in the old days
of unrestricted traffic. the quality is
not so good, and the price is more
than doubled. But these drawbacks
do not seem to dim the public's keen
delight in securing something it isn't
market lacks IN variety, moreover the
tain to supply. Thus, the cocktail aas
again returned to popular favor since
the discovery of patent medicine
which contains a very fair grade of
vermouth.
Many Down and Out.
Not only is the population of Man
haitian drinking more excessively than
It ever has drunk before, but the evil
effects Of excessive drinking are dis
tress;ngly apparent. During the past
six months. for instance, alcoholic
cases have doubled in the hospital
wards. While Bellevue hospital Of this
city handled 653 victims of alcoholism
between July and December / of
1919 it treated 1,143 during the same
period for 1920.
According to Commissioner Bird $.
Coler Of the department Of public well
fare. the first three months of prohib-
rAS
it appeared almost as if the millen-
mum had arrived.
This impression was somewhat mis-
leading" says Mr. Ooler, "and look
ing back / think this due to three
facts: First, the fear put into the
people by many deaths from wood
alcohol; second, the saloons having
quor for sale were timid and took
'ew chances; third. the bootleggers bad
not become so well organized as at
present.
The doctors also inform me that
he new type of cases is different
hat there is no fight N them--that
they are just completely down and
out and very unpleasant to handle
From the condition of many pat
ents, picked UP unconscious on the
streets and taken to Bellevue hospi- |
al. it is apparent that much of the !
iquor sold in the cheaper saloons still |
contains wood alcohol This would |
Indicate that the fear instilled into |
people by the mortality rate from this !
poison is not as great as is imagined. |
The drug addict does not consider the |
when he takes his drug. |
md the man who is confirmed al |
oholic does not argue about the quail
ty of the liquor when il is offered to |
i'm. Thus Bellevue is not only swamp
ID with delirium tremens eases, but |
With patients who are practically un
conscious for days at stretch, af J