Northwest History. Alaska 7. Alcoholic Liquor, United States

• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1935
• Subjects: Seattle; prohibition campaign; Alaska; beer; wine; hard liquors; Eskimos; persons of mixed blood; Barrow; civilization; arctic rim; Nome natives; District Attorney Hugh O'Neill; liquor control; imairing health; Wainwright; Dr. Henry Greist; Presbyterian medical missionary; whisky; Alaska natives; American citizens; territorial repeal law; sale of intoxicants; territorial regulations license; gold and silver; Northwest; Pacific > History > 20th century; Arctic; Pacific; eskimo*; Nome
• Online Access: http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/clipping/id/88452

Profligate Drinking Deprives Children Of Necessities. Profligate Drinking Deprives Children of Necessities. SEATTLE, Dec. 5. (AP)—Repeal's second birthday anniversary today saw a new prohibition campaign launched in "wide-open" Alaska where the 60,000 population drank nearly 700,000 gallons of beer, wine and hard liquors the past six months. The campaign was launched at Nome by and for Eskimos and persons of mixed blood and is gathering headway as far as Barrow, northernmost outpost of civilization on the arctic rim. Nome natives in large numbers signed and entrusted to District Attorney Hugh O'Neill a petition pleading with the territorial board of liquor control to reenact pre-prohibition statutes, making it a crime to give a native even a drink of liquor. Demoralizes People. It recited that "the excessive use of intoxicating liquor by Eskimos and persons of mixed blood is impairing health, taking food from, our children and bringing us face to face with starvation." At Wainwright, Dr. Henry Greist, Presbyterian medical missionary, and seafarers said "conditions are foul, with natives lying around drank on the beach." Whisky and Bread. Alaska natives are classed as American citizens, and the territorial repeal law permits sale of intoxicants to any American citizen. Territorial regulations license liquor vendors, and housewives can have the grocer slip a pint of bourbon into the basket with the baby's milk and the dozen eggs. Distributors cleared 693,495 gallons of beer, wine and "drinkin' likker" worth $1,115,500 to the hardy north-landers the last six months. If that average holds good, the territory's 28,640 whites, 29,983 Indians and 655 "others" are drinking at the rate of $2,231,000 a year—the cost of a nine years' bacon supply for all Alaska, or the value of all the territory's exports, except gold and silver, for one month.