Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-27
Gotham Already Preparing
for Drive on Bars to Make
Town Safe for Democracy
in June
BY ROBERT It. SMALL
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
copyright, 1920

lCopy tlEHtt Io-f'j
NEW YORK, March 26--Dernocrats
throughout the country who have
figured on coming to a wide open"
New York next June are doomed to
disappointment. Orders have gone
out to clean up the town. Three
months Is to be devoted to the task
SO that by June 1 there will be no
speak-easies, blind pigs or liquor
peddling restaurants in existence.
From June 1 to- the date of the
convention New York will be wear
ing it's new clothes and seeing how
they fit.
The police do not hope to rid the
city of the predatory bootlegger.
That, they say, would be asking too
much In the allotted space of time.
Their real hope Is to close up avery
place where whisky, gin and beer
are sold over the bar or over the
counter in open and wanton viola
ton ofithe Volstead act.
The New York police furthermore
say that they are going it alone on
the cleanup job. They will well
come, but have not asked for fed
eral aid. Special service squads are
being organized in the police depart
ment and Police Commissioner En-
right has established secret
service" force which will check up
on the special service men and see
that they do their full duty.
Commissioner Enright believes
the police can clean up New York
once they make up their mind to do
it. He believes that every precinct
man knows exactly where the wide.
open" places are IN his bailiWick,
and can put his hands on the VIC
lators of the law at any moment.
Change Your Notions, Folks
The country in general will have
to change its previous conceptions
York" a New York which is not
callous to what the rest of the coun-
try thinks Of it. New York also is
conscious of the fact that the great
err part Of the United States was
dry before the eighteenth amend
ment was adopted, and the Vol
stead act passed. Therefore, it is
not proposed that the delegates and
visitors to the national convention
shall have their morals shocked by
anything they may see Or may do
while in the metropolis.
Frankly, it is admitted that the
big fund subscribed to get the
Democratic convention for New
York was for the purpose of adver-
Using the city and showing the peo-
pie Of the hinterland that their big
best city is not as bad as it has
been painted.
Enthusiastically there will be
plenty of liquor to be had in the city
during the week Of the convention
but it will have to be bought sur
reptitiously. Up to this time, it has
been possible, as a matter Of fact it
has been easy, to purchase liquor
across the bar at so much per drink.
This is the phase of law violation
the police are striking at. They
agree that open saloons during the
convention would give a bad impress
sion. New York may have it's own
Ideas as to how the liquor question
should be solved, but it does not in
tend to impose these views upon
its convention visitors.
The police say that no city yet
has found the means of suppressing
the bootlegger; for as fast as one is
arrested another seems to spring up
to take his place. So if the stranger
in New York is able to buy whisky
during the convention it is argued
that he will be able to do this in
almost any community il willing to
pay the price.
, Stage Attractions Boosted
Recently it was estimated that
only about five per cent of the for
eiGn liquors landed in the United