Crime Rises Dramatically Since Prohibition Begun, Nov. 2, 1922

Crime Increases in Dry Law’s 2nd Year. . . Conditions Worse in Spite of Greater Police Costs, Says Association Against Prohibition Head; Gives Figures

Washington, D.C., October 25—“There has been an enormous increase of crime in the United States during the second year of the attempted enforcement of prohibition legislation, as compared with the first year’s record.

“The increase has been by far the most marked in crime arising directly or indirectly from the illegal liquor traffic.

“And this situation has come to pass in spite of a decided increase in the police costs of nearly every large city in the United States within the same period.”

These declarations were made here today by Capt. W.H. Stayton, founder and executive head of the Association Against Prohibition Amendment. Captain Stayton issued figures gathered from the records of 56 cities in every part of the country, representing an aggregate population of 22 million.

“Of the accuracy of these figures there can be no question,” says Captain Stayton. “They were obtained from the official records of the several municipalities. They show, beyond possible contradiction, that crime of all kinds has increased at an unexampled rate in 1920 and 1921, and that the expense of public administration has progressed at a like rate during the same period.”

Here are some of the actual results as shown by the records of the 56 cities:

“In 1920, or the first year of national prohibition legislation, these cities showed a total of 252,310 arrests for drunkenness and disorderly conduct. In 1921 the number increased to 343,665, or 36.21 per cent more than in 1920. Arrests for all causes in these cities in the same years aggregated 1,233,904 in 1920 and 1,464,295 in 1921, representing an increase in the latter year over the former of 18.76 per cent.

“In other words, arrests for all crimes in these cities increased about 19 per cent last year over the previous year, while arrests for causes directly connected with the use of intoxicants showed an increase of more than 36 per cent. This certainly tells its own story of the progressive development of the boot-legging industry and answers the fatuous claims of the prohibition enforcement officials that headway is being made by them in checking the illegal use of intoxicants as time goes on.”

Captain Stayton then discussed the argument of the drys that, while enormous sums have accrued to the Federal government and municipalities through revenues obtained from the liquor traffic under the old system, these has been largely disbursed in dealing with conditions brought about by the existence of the traffic itself, and that prohibition would witness a vanishing of these costs. “How wide these claims are for the truth is rendered obvious by the costs of the police departments for these 56 cities,” continued Captain Stayton. For 1920 the costs were $80,890, 846.37. In 1921 they totaled $90,018,129.89, an increase within a single year of $9,095,510.43, or more than 10 percent.

“These figures surely indicate that drunkenness is on the increase in spite of prohibition,” Captain Stayton says.

From the front page of The Union Republican, Winston-Salem, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 2, 1922