The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-02-24
VOLSTEAD FORGOTTEN
AT PRESS CLUB DINNER
DIR. BOYNTON REPORTS
Newspaper Men Take Part in Riot
Gus Affair


the theatre companies in Chicago re-
Gently was the occasion OF much
drinking and drunkenness according
to DIR. NJ. 2. Boynton, pastor of the
Woodlswn Baptist Church. Or. Boyn-
ton gave the following report of his
observations which he concludes with
comments on the attitude OF the press
relative to Prohibition.
The Press Club of Chicago gave
its Annual Dnner-Danee TO the Zieg-
field Follics in the Gold Room of the
Congress Hotel on Thursday evening,
February 9. Prior to this dinner
dance the Press Club had taken the
lower floor of the Colonial Theatre
and, with their friends. attended the
play. saw this play and aftcrward
attended the dinncr-dancc.
This Press Club of our city is sup
posed TO be composed of many of the
newspaper men of the town. | am
told that many theatrical men are
members of this club. The president
of the club is theatrical man. An
officer of the Press Club told me that
the newspapers and theatres arc al
lied businesses and, therefore, it was
proper that the press club should be
made up in part by the theatre peo-
pic. In the welcome printed in the
program for the dinner-dancc is this
bold paragraph
Forget all about Mr.. Volstcad and
make merry. No one is being starred
or even featured over the other hero
this evening of our Lord No ono
name is out in lights and the No. +
dressing room is out in the darkcned
alley.
Shoot the whole works.
The Press Club of Chicago,
by Lou NJ. Houseman,
President
Tickets to this dinner dance were
ten dollars each. The middle floor OF
the Gold Room was cleared for the
dancing. The tables were set on the
sides and in the balconies, Dancing
began early. Midnight was the hour
set for the banquet. The room was
cleared at about four thirty in the
morning OF Friday the TO- About
three hundred people were present.
Most of the crowd remained till
around two or three o'clock. Perhaps
a hundred and fifty stayed to the end.
On fully half of the tables liquor bot
ties, pocket TASKS, and liquor tubes
were produced and drinks mixed. At
the Presidents table large bottle
was produced that looked like a
whisky bottle. From it the President
of the club poured portion into
tea cup and then added waterfall of
which he drank to show that he had
forgotten Mr.. Volstead One OF the
men at the presidents table offered
some of this liquor to one OF the
Folly girls who sat at the presidents
right. The girl held up both hands
in playful dismay and smilingly re-
fused the liquor Indeed saw an
other OF the Folly girls refuse prof
fcrcd glass of liquor. Evidently the
folics of the play do not mix well
with flowing bowl of the banquet.
You sec the presidents note Of
welcome was being followed by many
of his guests They had forgotten
Mr.. Nolstead. As the night wore OH
the drinking and the dancing became
more wild and reckless Indeed of
the hundreds | saw dancing not one
couple was dancing properly. The
close huggng and wriggling was gen
eral. I saw at least a score OF people,
both men and women, drunk They
were not drunk when they came in.
But there was no doubt OF their con-
dition when they went out Some OF
them had to be half carried out Two
men were elected by the hotel people
For time it looked as though fight
might be added to the rest OF the de-
bauch At the check room door there
was almost a riot because some of
the people had lost their checks and
were demanding their wraps The
profanity and drunken love making at
this check room door was the last and
nastcst part OF the dinner-dance | saw
want 70 ask some questions and make
ono or two observations.
l. The Press Club of Chicago is
supposed to be a decent club. Is this
lawlessness due TO a minority OF the
club membership or is it the policy OF
the club? Docs this club allow liquor
in its club rooms as we'll as at its
Annual Dinner-Dance? Would it not
be we'll to look into this matter?
?. Where were the officers of the
Congress Hotel? Why did the hotel
management allow this lawlessness i'll
the Gold Room? Is it the custom
for the Congress Hotel to allow any
body who cats there to provide his
own gin and whisky while the walters
Al. f,,-,,;ci, al Tho of fh n