Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-03
MAP BY CRUSADERS
SPOTS u. S. STILLS
Drinking Is Heavy in Capital
and Dry States, Declare
Vets in Statement.

The Capitals voteless citizens seem
ito drink more energetically than CIT
liens of some States vote" accordlng
to the Crusaders, national organization
opposed to prohibition.
IN a statement issued last night, the
Crusaders paint the Capital as a bib
ulous city, addicted to strong drink
and foreign to virtue where prohibl-
ton is concerned The wet sins OF the
Capital, the organization claims, are
visited upon its neighbors, Maryland
and Virginia, who are represented as
smirched by the District tar brush.
The Crusaders, found, they say, that
whisky production Is decidedly under
par in the wet sections of the United
States, but is booming in the dry belt.
Their arguments. they claim, are backed
by figures gathered from United States
Government statistics. The statement
is illustrated with "A Still Map Of the
United States"
Map Shows Stills Seized.
The map reflects the activities Of
the Prohibition Bureau during the fis-
cal year ended June go 1880, accord
ing to the Crusaders. The map bears
spotted face, each dot representing
Is stills or distilleries captured by the
Government during the year.
The Southern States. playing IAN
Abou Ben Adem role in the current
war against 'moonshine,' the state
ment continues. were so overloaded with
stills that the map-making department
was hard put to it to find enough
room for the dots which darken the
fair faces Of Virginia, Maryland, North
and South Carolina, Georgia and
Florida.
In common fairness to Virginia and
hn lat 1u,o
feel that the District of Columbia
should assume its share of RESPONSE
bility for high quotations In these two
neighboring states.
Senatorial Drinking Hit.
Although President Hoover has IN
the past voiced the hope that the
Capital Of the Nation would prove
itself model prohibition city, it must
be admitted, reluctantly, that Wash
ington has not justified White House
confidence in her dry virtue.
Police records here prove that dry
voting, wet-drinking Senator's and Rep
reSentatives have active rivals among
the more than half a million disfran-
chised citizens Of this community, who
seem to drink more energentically than
| citizens Of some states vote"
In nine of the wet States. including
! Massachusetts,, New York and Illinois,
it was stated, only one still was cap
tured for each 9,135 people. In IA al
legedly dry States. including Virginia,
North Carolina and Florida. the record
of captured stills was one for each 2435
people.
Maryland Rye Popular Here.
'Tt is highly discouraging." continue
the Crusaders, ito find that Maryland
had one captured still for each ! SOB
OF her population, but we cannot for
get that Maryland rye has always
proved popular in the legislative branch
in Washington, even holding its own
against terrapin and canvasback duck"
Vermont and Maine show record of
only one still captured in each State.
This Is held. however, to be not so
much an indication of virtue as a
proximity to the Canadian border.
Nevada, haven of divorce seekers and
gamblers. also upholds its reputation
for independent thinking with record
of one captured still for each 875 in
habitants, the statement explains care
fully
U. S. Whisky Plentiful.
Former Director of Prohibition Lin
coin c. Andrews expressed the belief
that only one still in 10 is captured, 4"
the statement goes on to explain. IF
this estimate is fairly accurate, almost
$50 900 stills in the United States are
now working overtime to provide an in
ferior substitute for the once legal
whisky which paid the American Gov
eminent each year a revenue sufficient
to Offset the need for an income tax.
And If each Of these stills turns out
an average of 10 gallons day. 1t is
easy to understand why America S
thirsty citizens are not suffering acutely
particularly in those States that are
most vociferous in demands for bone
dry prohibition"