The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-04-13
WITNESS SAYS
DRUNKENNESS
HASINCREASED
Research Director For MOder-
aticn League Testifics
For the "Wets"
CALLS DRY LAW FAILURE
Claims Greater Degree Of
Temperance Attainablc
BY Modification

washington, April IJ.--IN)--A
phalanx Of statistics was marshalled
before the senate prohibition com
mittce today by the vets in an ef.
fort to show that drunkenness has in
creased under the bone dry laws.
Rcsuming their side of the case
after days interlude devoted to
dry testimony, the wet leaders put
on the stand Stanley Shirk. research
director Of the moderation league,
who produced scores Of charts, maps,
and statistical tables from which he
dcduccd that in 457 cities and towns
arrests for drunkenness increased
from 258,974 in the first year of
prohibition to 565,O2G in 1921. four
years later.
figures, arrests for drunkenness to-
tailed 5O6,737 in 1914 and 498,752 in
1924.
Says VOlstead Law Has Failed
"When we consider that drunken.
ness generally has already increased
to the pre- prohibition level, and that
drunken drivers and drunken chill.
dren have increased far above any
thing ever known before in this
country" said Shirk, 1--WE cannot
escape the conclusion that the Vol
stead act has utterly failed to do
what it was intended to do, namely,
promote temperance and sobriety.
Moreover, since conditions have
become worse, not better, each year
and with the next generation drink
ing as never before, there seems to
be no hope that the Volstead act in
its present drastic form will accom-
plish its purpose in the long run.
"From the experience, before ma
tiOnal prohibition, of the whole coun-
try during the restrictive years 1915
1919 and from the experience Of the
Canadian provinces. we believe that
Il greater degree of temperance can
be attained by wise restrictive law
than by bone dry law which does
not command the respect of large
part Of thea people.
I'VE are also Of the firm convic-
tion that such policy of wise re-
striction would have the incidental
advantage of eliminating almost en-
tirely the scandalous corruption and
bribery Of public officials, would stop
the growth of the bootlegging mil
lionairc class, would check disrespect
for law, and would in addition pro-
duce u handsome national revenue"
a Temperance Organization
Julian Goldman, counsel for the
vets, interrupted to have it noted on
the record that the moderation
league "is temperance Organiza-
tion."
II assume that is taken for grant
ed said Senator Harreld. Republi-
can, Oklahoma, the only member Of
tNAn kox
Resuming his statement, Mr.. Shirk
said that perhaps "the most curious
result Of national bone dryness is
the remarkable increase in the num-
Der Of drunken drivers
1.-THE police departments of the
principal cities have been interrogat-
ed. and many which classify arrests
for operating 4 vehicle while intox-
icated have responded to our inquiry"
he added. These replies show re-
markablc uniformity. The figures.
when plotted in charts. show curves
which are almost flat before the
Volstead period, and thereafter shoot
skyward at an astonishing angle.
''ln New York city the arrests
from 1916 to 1919 averaged 161. In
1920, the first dry year, they rose
to 33i, dropped slightly in 1921 and
then skyrocketed to 944 by 1924.
Arrests Increase
Chicago shows substantially the
same result. Arrests there increased
440 per cent. Washington shows an
increase Of lO62 per cent. In Mil
waukee the rise was 1854 per cent;
Boston 364 per cent; Scranton, Pa.
578 per cent; Providence, r. L., 244
per cent; Atlanta GOO per cent; Wor-
chester, Mass, 448 per cent: New
Haven, Conn.,. 7l3 per cent; Hartford,
Conn.,, 378 per cent; Minneapolis,
Minn., 9l6 per cent"
Shirk said an increase in drinking
among boys and girls had "become
common knowledge" but added that
"there was a paucity of authoritative
statistics on the subject"
ington. d. c., however, has kept re-
for drunkenness" he continued. "Ar-
average IA year for the four pre-
prohibition years 19l4-l9l7. A bone
dry law was enacted for Washington
before national prohibition became
effective and immediately youthful
drunkenness increased. In 1918 it
rose to 73 and by 1924 had reached
282.
Arrests for drunkenness for per-
sons of all ages meanwhile merely
rose to me prc-prohibition level, thus
demonstrating that, relatively as we'll
as absolutely, drunkenness among
young people increased enormously.
This condition in Washington mere
ly confirms what is known to exist in
the rest Of the country"
Information From Officials
Replying to Senator Harreld,
Shirk said his organization had OBJ
tanned its figures by writing to po-
lice chiefs in all places over 5000
population.
"Why did you pick Guthrie and
Lawton in my state?" asked Senator
Harreld.
"The police chiefs in those towns
were the only ones to reply"
The witness went on to say that
the survey showed conditions in
former wet states to be about the
same as in 1914 while in states which
had some form Of q state prohibition
conditions are worse today under
Continued on page three