Pueblo chieftain., 1921-02-24
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN

.NCN VI n N4by. co. L. I'm pro-
hibition a year old in this city. it re-
mains a subject of leading interest and
OF hot debate. Tho Vets claim that
prohibition has failed in New York.
and the Drys retort that 1t has sue
ceeded elsewhere. and that the future
belongs to the 18th Amendment.
II is generally admitted that New
York is about wide open. With the
exception OF the large hotels, you can
buy drinks in nearly all the old places
that operated before the 18th Amend
rcnt went into effect, as well as in 4
large number of new places. Saloons
are again fourishinE all over the city.
the foreign table d hotes have REIN
the pocket flask has become unbi-
quitous.
II you are wealthy, you carry a neat
leather covered flask with silver.
initiated top. and II you are n prole-
tartan you carry plain glass bottle.
ltruth-"Poiscn". Sometimes tho flask
may DO empty. but at least you are
keeping UP appearances.
The manufacture of homebrew has
taken n rapid decline since 1t has be-
come SO easy 10 secure supplies from
the large bootlesginE enterprises De-
livery wagons. Carrying huge supplies
Of strong liquor for home consump-
ton. dash carelcssly about the town
under the very noses of traffic cops,
and a case OF whisky is dropped off at
your door rs nonchalanuy as II II
were n bottle OF milk.
The assortment OF liquors Is not as
varied as It was in the old days OF un-
restricted traffic, the quality is not
30 good and tho price is more than
doubled. But these drawbacks do not
seem to dim the public's keen delight
in securing something II isn't suppos-
cd to have. What the liquor market
lacks In variety. moreover. the patent
medicine market is almost certain to
supply. Thus, the cocktail has again
returned TO Popular favor since the
discovery CT patent medicine which
contains a very fair grade of YER
mouth.
Many Down And Out
Not only is the population OF Man
haitian drinking more excessively than
II ever has drunk before, but the OWL
effects of excessive drinking are dts
ressingly apparent. During tho past
six months. for instance, alcoholic
cases have doubled I'm the hospital
wards While Bellevue hospital of
, this city handled $50 victims of al
coholtsm between July ! and Dcccrl-
bcr l OF 1919 1t treated 1.ii5 during
the same period for 1920.
10 Ipftl'lLsSlp1tF bra =
Coler OF the Department OF Public
Welfare. the first three months Of
prohibition showed a perpendicular
drop, ard 1t appeared almost as II the
millennium had arrived.
This impression was somewhat
misleading," says Mr.. Coler. and.
looking back. l think this due to three
facts: First, the fear put into tho
people by many deaths from wood
alcohol. second, the saloons having
liquor for sale were umid and took
few chances: third. the bootleggers
had not become so well organized as
at prcsent.
THE doctors also inform me that
tho new typo of cases is different
that there is no fight In them-that
they are just completely down and
out and very unpleasant to handle"
From the condition OF many pat
tents, picked up unconscious on the
streets and taken to Bellevue hospi-
tai. II is apparent that much of the
liquor sold in the cheaper saloons still
contains wood alcohol This would
indicate that tho 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
consequences when he takes his drug.
and the man who Is confirmed al
coholic does not argue about tho
quality Of the liquor when It Is offered
20 hln Ihus Bellevue is not only
swamped with delirium tremens cases.
but with patients who are practically
| unconscious for days at a stretch, after
which follows period OF hysteris
from which they emerge pathaticsiiy
weakened and unfit for work For
wood alcohol docs not always Kill or
blind it's victim, but II never fails to
have dangerous effect upon the
brain.
In addition to tho hospitals. the
prisons arc also showing a tremenaou,
increase in population after q short
period in tho carly part of 1920 when
tho commitment rate noticeahly dc
clined. Whether the present state of