The Washington times., 1933-10-16
MEXICAN CITIES
DEALT BLOW
BY REPEAL
BY JAMES r. MCCARTHY
Copyright, 1898, International
News Service)

News Servicel
SAN DIEGO, Cal, Oct. 16 GIN.
e0-Towns on the other side of
the Mexican border-Tio Juana,
Aqua Caliente, Juarez and No
gales. Sonora-may not be Ameri-
can towns, but they have been
Vitally affected by one important
phase In the nations new deal.
1t Is prohibition, or the i'm
pending repeal of it. For l3
years these towns have enjoyed
tremendous prosperity. 1t was
prohibition that changed strag-
Cling communities beyond the
border into thriving, boisterous
towns dedicated to the entertain
ment Of American amusement
seekers.
Tourists FlOcked There
During all the years since the
beginning of the great expert
ment, tourists flocked from Los
Angeles to Tia Juana, El Cajon,
Calexico-or from Nogales, Ari-
zona, to Nogales, Mexico, or from
Ell PaSo to Juarez-juSt to taste
the Mexican brand Of hot-cha
forbidden them this side Of the
border.
The first blow was 80 beer,
another was California'S new
laws concerning horse racing and
pari-mutuel betting. But the big
geSt blow Of all is to be the re-
peal Of prohibition. The expected
results are already being felt be-
low the border. Some bartenders
are going out of business. So are
proprietorS Of both cheap and
expensive safes and hotels.
Population Affected
The Juana, with a population in
Its surrounding area of about 49,
900, and Ensenada, with about
1000, have been thriving COM
munities until lately. Now there
Is talk Of Q sharp drop in the pop
ulation. Americans are returning
to the United States, MeXicans
are beginning to look toward in.
land cities Of their native land.
picked up q Los Angeles paper
and read something about how the
Mexican government, with a "gen-
erouS gesture" has pulled back
large sections of it's northern GUS
toms frontier to create important
free-trade zones into which Amer
lean goods can be shipped duty
free. This perhaps, is a desperate
attempt to make up for the lack
Of interest in Mexico'S ibations.
He "Gets From Under"
More convincing was the tale
Of an American bartender in Tia
Juana. He said his business had
been going fine until last April,
when 80 beer was introduced into
the States. Although business
dropped, he was still hopeful the
States would not ratify the pro-
posed repeal Of the Eighteenth
Amendment.
But as State after State said
"no" to Amendment No. 1S, my
bartender friends frown took on
increasingly deep lines. Finally he
decided 1t was time to get from
under"
"GOing Back to Desert"
He said:
"YOu know as well az I do
that the only reason people
came to Mexico was to get .
good drink at . cheap price.
They can talk about the racing
and gambling, but those things
are only hangers-On 50 far IS
liquor is concerned. It's liquor
that brought people across the
border. Now, what the -?
He slid a free drink across the
counter to me and said:
I'm going back to America
and get . good job. There
ought to be q field for an ex-
perienced barkeep, and believe
me I've kept in training all
during prohibition. As for this
OOuntry"-he swept ono arm
about him to encompass the
bleak, dirty buildings and
desert beyond-"there never
was nothing here, nothing un-
til prohibition come along.
Then there was nothing but
liquor. And do you know what
I think-it'S all going back to
desert again."
nMnITTN ATAnF