The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-10-12
HERE'S MORE ABOUT
BOOTLECCER
STARTS ON PAGE ONE


Il might mention here that no
liquor. outside Of nm occasional
bottle or 50. II brought into the
country from the Orient. The
revenue office seems 20 be nbso-
luteiy ineorruptibie and ! happen
10 know that NIL efforts 10 "iiA"
things In that direction have
failed. SO we have 90 depend on
Canada for all our imports.l
The retailer buys hia liquor from
tho wholeanler.pnd then dlspcnses II
20 the drinking public.
Thus. az rule. there ara only two
middlemcn.
There are several classes OF 70
tailern. however
I presume that my partner and
represent the most numerous class
the class which ! will mean when |
refer 20 RETAILERS" IN tho future. We
do a strictly delivery business. Very
few OF our patrons know where our
office II located. And W. deal In lots
from one bottle Up. selling principal.
iy direct 20 the consumer.
| We are by no means the only men
who sell TO the drinking public. how,
ever. Almost as numerous are the
Joints where liquor IL sold at 80
cents a drink and which are supplied.
10 "a large extent. by us.
| Then there arc the shoe
string" boosieEEcrs. These men
are not actually IN the business.
That Il. their principal source Of
| Income II In some entirely differ.
ent line and they merely buy
| from us nj the current rate and
then seiI 1T an advance. bottle
nj n timr. These men are usual.
~ In positions where they meet
the travelling pubiic---they're bell
hops. automobile drivers. BARRIERS
and the like. Their trade doesn't
know tho ropes--~o they'll stand
for thu Increased prh~.
There arc practically the same sub
divisions among the moorshinrrr and
tho fake whisky vendors. altho a
larger proportion Of thess men whole
sale and retail both.
I IN 0NHk EAnfEH anu INV NWtFN
shops" are. OF course. organized along
entirely different lines. The drug
store vending. In nome instances. IL
done by tho proprietor himself. but
usually by individual cinrka Tho
-eubs shops are operated Just hke
any other legal commercial enter
prise.
Now. as 10 tho personnel OF the
various branches OF the family.
The bonded whisky dealers.
both wholesale and retail. are
usually pretty good members Of
| society--in every respect except
as regards thr tolsfesd. act.
They are In the business for two
| r~asons, as a rule--first. because
they wasn't 10 make the money.
second. because they believe that
the 18th amendment h inirinsL
eaiiy wrong. Many Of them look
ON their profession NJ tempo
rsry expedhrnt. They plsn TO
| mako = "xtakr"---and quit.
Tho jolns runners are different Of
course.
asoss Of them are women ana most
are engaged In another profession
| that u several thousand years older
than the boofisgwfng business.
I, should b borne In mind. how
ever. that the character Of these
women 10 not aus to tho Bookkeeping
| buriness-sfsat whisky didn't make
them What thsy are today uniexs
| n ana n before prohlhition went
into effect
Tho s'shoe~trfng~ hootsgger Is
lust what he appears 20 boa
chauffeur or a heilboy or . barber.
With tho usual attributes OF the
man who follow those trades
The uoonshiner Is usually n
foreigner Of the peasant class. Most
OF them eams from countries
where tho peasants made THAR own
lsauor and they can't understand
why what's right In enc country
is wrong In another. Their liquor
In always injurious. often poisonous
but this should really be laid 10
| Ignorance. and most Of them are
not OF tho criminal type.
Tho fake whisky mauufac-
turer ard vendor Il. however.
. criminal Of the lowest order.
lie knows just what he's doing
and, Willingly and with malice
aforcthvughl seIls tho West Of
poisons. such . man usually
has = criminal record that
dates back 10 tho pre-prohibi-
tion ern--because. II his con-
science permits him 10 commit
such crimes A. this. he Ger.
taInly wouldn't stop NJ little
thing like robbery or arson.
Tho drug store bootlesssrs are
usually perfectly reputable piar-
maclsss. who simply refuse 70 &C.
cept the yolrtcad act. They don't
belong TO tho criminal class any
more than do tho other members
OF their profession who don't hap.
pen to sell synthetic gin.
Tho "cube shop" men aren't
criminal, either.-aitho I don't APP
prove OF their methods personally.
To mo Il seems good deal moro
honorable to sell good whisky. out
side the law. than II In TO sell
the ingredients for poor wines and
beers. within tho law
That pretty well covers the basic
structure Of the Bookkeeping pro
fession. Tomorrow ! will follow a
cargo Of liquor from Vancouver into
tho homes OF Seattle,
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