The Washington times., 1922-10-30
DRUNKENNESS
GA|N|NGFAST,
SAY DRY FOES
Cases Increased One-Third
During Second Year Of Pro-
hibition. Report Ayers.
by WILLIAM X. HUTCHINSON,
international News Service.

Crime and public drunkenness are
on the increase under the Volstcud
dry law, according to figures COM
piled and made public today by the
| Association Against the Prohibition
Amendment, for the second year OF
prohibition.
Americas thirst for strong drink.
although restricted by Federal and
State statutes, showed startling In
crease, the association ieported.
While no records were gathered on
inebriates who remained at nome.
there were. roughly. one-third more
public cases OF drunkenness during
| the second dry year than In the
first. the figures showed.
, Compiling police records from
| fifty.six cities, having a total popu'
! lation OF $4,000. 900 people. the as
, sociation declared there had been
! 500. 900 arrests for all causes, an
| increase OF 265, 900 crimes over the
! first dry year. In the same cities
, approximately 100000 persons fell
into police tolls by sporting ''jags"
in public. almost 100000 more than
in the preceding year.
East Leads In Arrests.
The total number OF arrests for
drunkenness were. roughly. six
| times the number arrested for VIC.
lating the prohibition law. The rec
ords showed the police apparently
! found II easier TO locate the results"
OF liquor Illegally imbibed than did
State and Federal agents in direct.
ing people who manufactured. sold
or transported the liquor.
While the East led in the total
number OF "drunks' arrested. the
Middle West had the greatest in.
crease. The West, numerically, was
the best behaved. though. from a
! percentage standpoint. the East had
the smallest increase in drunken
neess over the preceding years fig
ures.
In twenty Eastern cities. includ.
ing New York. Pittsburgh. Boston
Baltimore. Philadelphia. Buffalo and
Washington. there were 1886. 600 ar
rests for drunkenness. an increase
of 3O.S12 or % per cent over the
previous year.
In seventeen Middle Western
cities. including Chicago. Detroit
Cleveland. Cincinnati. Kansas city
(MoJ, Denver. Milwaukee and Min.
neapolis. there were ll7,S0S cases
an increase OF 43.0O5 or 81 per cent
over the first dry year.
In five Southern cities, New Or.
leans. Atlanta. Birmingham. Rich.
mond and Dallas. there were 0.l41
! an increase OF | .546 or 40 per cent
In six far Western cities. Los
Angeles. San Francisco. Seattle
Portland. Spokane and Oakland
there We're 2S.52l, an inCreaH" al
s,749 or ~ per cent
Illinois the "Wettest."
The "wettest" State. from ru.
merical standpoint, was Illinois
with about 10000 cases Pennsyl
vania came second. with As 900
cases. and Massachusetts third
with 10000. Missouri was fourth.
with 10000 and New York unex
! peCtedly NTH. with only $4,000. who
Haunted the dry law in public.
The 'wettest" city was not New
York. az expected. but ChiCa go.
which had $4,000 cases of intoxica.
ton. according to the records.
Boston was the second "wettest"
city with 3l.794. while Kansas City,
| Mo, came third with 1882. New
York city was far down the list.
having only 1850. Chicago also
showed the heaviest increase in
drunkenness, having 17,4l9 more ar.
TtSlS IOI lHlS NhuSt lf1hn III lne IlTSI
dry year. Kansas City. Mo. showed
the next largest increase. l7.4l9.
which enabled II to pass Philadelphia
as the third wettest city"
On the other hand. Kansas City.
! Kans. where prohibition has existed
| for ages. was the ''dryest" city in
| American with only 1873 inebriates.
The most penitent city was Akron.
! Ohio. with a decrease OF ,290 cases
! in drunkenness. Other cities showing
an Improvement We're New Haven,
! Bridgeport. Hartford. Trenton,
| Youngstown, Ohio, Patterson, y. j.,
! and Nashville. Tenn.
In lawlessness. New York city led
the nation with Chicago close
second. The hest behaved city was
Reading. Pa. with only 1876 ar.
rests from all causes, while the
| biggest check in crime was made hy
Seattle. with 3.S53 fewer arrests.
| The figures dealt only with urban
dwellers for no statistics were avail.
able either on drunkenness or crime in
ral