Evening star., 1932-02-14
CRUSADERS DRAW
, |'SPEAKEASY MAP
Organization Claims Liquor
Traffic in 1881 as Active
! as z Years Ago.

The 1891 "speakeasy map" of The
Crusaders, according to the claims OF
that organization, reveals that the IL
legal liquor traffic Is as active As 1t was
two years ago and that the business
has been decentrahzed.
The map discloses the locations of
1,155 speakeasies in which liquor was
found when raids were made and says
that buys were made in SIG other
establishments. but that subsequent
raids failed to disclose any liquor.
The map and accompanying report.
however, were interpreted by F. Scott
Mcbride, general superintendent Of
the Anti-Saloon League. as "a frank
admission by the Crusaders that pro-
hibition enforcement is increasingly
effective in Washington"
police Refused Cooperation"
In the report, the Crusaders say the
local police department refused to CO.
operate in preparing the map, holding
it could serve no good purpose. The
map, therefore. was prepared from sta
Commissioner Needham c. Turnage
who issues warrants for liquor raids.
A total of l,67l warrants was issued in
1881.
Concerning the location Of speak
easies. the report says:
Our 1892 map indicates that while
the number of speakeasies raided eacn
month is about the same as shown III
the 1880 map, there is not this year
a comparable concentration of liquor
Capitol. This may be due to the fact
that much of the territory Immediately
surrounding the Capitol has been
cleared of buildings and made into
parks. On the other hand. our map
will show that the unlawful-trade is
now more far-flung than two years
ago. Its activities have been decen-
tralized. In a word, the city named
for George Washington is better cov-
cred with speakeasies today than ever
before. Practically no section Of the
city is without its quota Of drink
dispensary joints.
Six Apartments Raided.
"Goat alley had its raid last year
and there were three raids in Temper
ance alley. In one apartment house
six different apartments in a total of
q were raided. One street, just
block in length, and only two squares
from Uncle Sans huge printing plant,
which turned out the Wickersham re-
port, suffered 13 raids, OR one raid
for each eight houses. And while on
the subject of statistics, it might be
we'll to add that the 1855 Washington
speakeasies raided in 1881 were fve
times the total number of drug stores
in Washington, twice the number OF
restaurants and eating places and
about the same total of grocery and
meat markets.
-Four of the more unfortunate speak
xrrith
of w. C. T. U. headquarters. About 70
were situated within two blocks OF Po-
lice Department headquarters. Six
were within two blocks of the Anti
saloon League headquarters. One was
within a block of the Methodist Board
of Temperance, Prohibition and Pubic
Morals. Two were approximately 300
feet from the Prohibition Bureau. Two
were directly across the street from the
Veterans Bureeu and one wlthln two
blocks of the White House. Six were
within two blocks of the Department OF
Justice Four were within few hum
dred feet of fashionable Dupont Circle.
A touch of poetry was unearthed by
the police when q raid was made close
to the banks of the Potomac River on
an establishment entitled Just Me-.
Three of the speakeasies. indicated
by gold stars on our map, were located
on Government property. Two Of these
properties belong to the United states
and one to the District of Columbia.
THE 1l55 raided speakeasies IN one
year under prohibition are three times
the number of licensed saloons before
the Volstead act In edition. buys
were made at SIG other thirst quench-
ing emporia, but raids later failed TO
reveal any liquor"
Dr. McBride's statement follows in
part:
"One amusing feature of enforoe:
ment in the Capital during the past
year is the0ac that ne liquor at all
was found in about one-third OF the
raided speakeasies listed by the Cru
saders. These two-quart saloons with
their stocks carried in the hip pocket
of an unwashed dispenser did business
on a very small capital. The old-time
saloon on-speakeasy combined never ran
out of liquor It had a cellar full as
compared to the pocketful which Is
sufficient in this day.
washington speakeasieS would have
to carry 10,626000 gallons Of intoxicat-
ing beverages if they were attempting
to supply the 4e3.000 people Of the Dis
trict with the average per capita con-
sumption of % gallons per year which
prevailed before the adoption OF pro-
hibition. Even if we accept the very
general statements of the Crusa ders, or
II we take the carefully compiled data