The age-herald., 1899-01-28
POODLE TO FIGHT
 DISPENSARY BILL Liquor Men Have a Subscription
 Committee Out. PASTORS WILL MEET TODAY It Is Claimed That Jefferson County Will Not Be Included in the
 Bill if It Is Made
 a Law.
PASTORS WILL MEET TODAY

As a result of the minister's overwhelm- ing victory in passing the dispensary bill through the senate, the liquors dealers have gone to work in earnest and have formed a solid front to defeat the measure in the house.
 The leading advocates of the bill say that they are reliably informed that the whisky men have 1000 worth of poodle in sight with which to kill the bill in the house. The ministers will hold meeting this committee will be sent to Montgomery. It is also probable that committee of women will go.
 A meeting of prominent real estate and liquor men was held at the office of the Gas company yesterday morning and they will make an organized effort towards saving the saloons to Birmingham and Jefferson county. ~f
 VIII Raise Strong Lobby
 The meeting was strictly an executive one and no information of the proceedings could be gotten. However, committee was ap- poited to raise funds to defray all expenses of the fight. This committee was out yes- terday afternoon getting up subscriptions to
  sum was raised and a large delegation will be sent to Montgomery and strong lobby against the bill will be formed.
 The liquor and real estate men claim that the passage of the bill will ruin their finan- cial interests and claim 1t will also affect the property owners in large degree. : One of the leading real estate men said last night:
 Tt is the most inquitous measure ever brought before the Alabama legislature. It will be the ruin of Birmingham. I do not object to the moral intention of the bill, but l have seen something of prohibition and know how it works It will lead to lawless- ness and there will be at least a hundred men going around selling whisky out of their pockets to minors, and anybody in fact, that wants it,
 Jefferson will Be Excluded
 Several of the men who returned from Montgomery yesterday were seen, and say they have reasons to believe that a majority of Jefferson's representatives will be against the bill when it comes up for final passage and that if it does pass Jefferson county will be excluded from the provisions of the act.
 One of the strong supporters of the bill said that he had information that four of Jefferson's representatives would be against the bill if it included this county.
 '@rhe fight is now in the committee," said he And it is mainly on Jefferson county. If the bill cannot be passed without elimi- hating this county, then we will agree to its elimination
 The ministers fight will not be tame one by any means, and they are still up and stirring in their fight for Mir. Moody's meas ure. The following call was issued yester day evening:
 All ministers of the Pastors union and other ministers interested are urgently re- quested to meet at the First Methodist church Saturday morning at 10 o'clock.
 JAMES VINSON,
 Secretary Executive Committed"
 MT. Vinson's Statement
 MT. Vinson said last night: "We have en- tered the fight in earnest, and we will con- tinue to agitate the matter until the end. We are looking after the financial as well as moral interests of Birmingham, and hope the people will not be misled by the talk that is going around about such law hurt ing the city from a business standpoint. walkover is not anticipated by us, but we certainly expect to have enough votes to make the bill law" The Pastors union will also send large delegation down to the capital, and one of the hottest campaigns ever waged will be carried on around the legislative halls until a final vote is taken by the house.
 
 pensary question, and every new arrival from Montgomery is stopped, promptly but tonholed and in a few minutes has an in- terested crowd of takers around him. The bill has not been reported from the com- mittee as yet, and 1t is a matter of uncer- tainty when the house will take it up.