The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-02
LAMAR WRITES LETTER
ANOTHER CHAPTER IN SELMA
 DISPENSARY FIGHT.
Criticises the Members of the City Executive Committee Who Voted Against Ordering Primary
 on the Subject.
Advertiser Bureau,

Selma, Oct. l.
 Ernest Lamar, who is making the fight fora dispensary in Dallas County, writes | over his own name, the following report to the fifty men from the various wards of the city, who petitioned the City Executive Committee to order vote on the question of a dispensary. The re- | port is a rather caustic arraignment of the committee. Here iD what he had to say in full in making his report to the signers of the petition:
 l To Messrs J w. Moore, M. s. Smith, A. Cummins, D. A, Kennedy. Thomas | E. Gary, F. w. Gaines R. s. Carothers, I. B. Howard, w. P. welch, Thomas INV. Hail, Ernest Lamar, Law Lamar, John E. Axford. J. H. Nunnelee, R. H. | Agee. w. w. Burns, George L.. Waller. B. s. Melvin, E. Robbins. Jr.. Josiah Smth, l.. M. Hubbard, D. F. Jacobs, J. D. Allen, F. F. Wise, Charles c. Long C. D. Lawrence, F. s. Brown, w. E. | Allen, J. G. Norris, J. E. McMullen, w. w. Pierce, A. E. Baker, Jr., J. c. Hay ward, Phil B. Shepard, H. Hawthon, J. | w. Worthy, Thomas J. Williams. R. M. Lindop, D. D. Updergraff, E. N. Med- | ley J. s. OGwynn, J. T. Knowlan, A l c. Baker, J. S. Gilmer, B. F. Bland, J. J. Thomas. J. A. Stephenson. H. H. Hair, J. E. Morrow.
 | The petition you signed requesting the Executive Committee of our city to allow all the Democrats of Selma the privilege | of an election to express their wishes whether they should have a dispensary | or continue under the saloon system, was presented. They acted on 1t and said. | "No we have no power to order an | election" Those on the Committee vot- ing against the petition were:
 | P. T. Loughlin. saloon keeper; II. Franelich, saloon keeper; w. L. Quinn. saloon clerk; ]. F. Buhler, printer; R. D. | Walker, city appraiser; F. B. Miller, captain of police; R. s. Key, drygoods | clerk.
 Mr. Franelich came prepared with writ ten resolutions ,and so anxious was he to offer them, that he called down a member of the Committee making talk; no sooner than were they read, MT Loughlin seconded the motion to adopt it, and it was adopted by the above named members voting for it. Now con- slider those opposing you, Messrs Frame lich, Quinn and Loughlin. bar-room keep CTS. The latter having three whiskey stores. You know no Democratic fealty prompted them. MT. Buhler says the dispensary might be a good thing. but the saloon men give me about N,bOO worth of work and I have to go with them.
 MT. F. B. Miller is captain of police.
 
 created by such men as above for their influence MT. Walker Is city appraiser. MT Key do not know anything about. | Now take notice who refused our peti- ton. Three saloon keepers, three men who hold two city offices each; one printer, whose bread and meat depend on saloon business. Three of them are not assessed with one dollar of taxes. Five of them pay taxes on only total of $500 A Democrat is a Democrat, whether he owns a penny, but the idea of the above members not regarding your petition is perhaps because they fear 1t will destroy values. Mir. Loughlin and MT. Quinn are members of our City Coun- ell, MT. Loughlin, I understand has pigeon holed" the petition from the Fifth Ward in which all the ladies ex- cept a half dozen and ninety-three men out of possible one hundred and twenty six asked relief from saloons Tn that ward. When men will disregard the ladies and gentlemen of their own ward | fin such a manner, we could not expect | much better from them. The members of the Executive Committee acknowledged | YOU to be good white Democrats, put too good to go in their company or per haps they thought you to ilhterate to suggest what you desired and that they | knew best what was for your good. Any l way they paid no more consideration to the petition than If 1t had been pre- sented by disreputable Republicans in- | stead of as one of the Committee put It, | "these are the names of fifty as good Democrats as are in Selma" notwith- | standing Colonel Quarles advised them Tn | A most forcible and urgent speech that 1 it was entirely within the province or the | Committee, and numerous citations were made showing them precedents ana eVi- | dence sufficient to convince baking mule was offered, but no, the resolu- | tions' were prepared and had to go. TO | put the most charitable view upon their way of voting it was protecting their business or the interest of their friends No consideration as to Democracy enter ed into 1t at all is my opinion. Now | gentlemen, are you going to allow such 1 treatment to go unchallenged? Are you citizens of Selma going to keep hands on and see your fellow citizens spat upon in any such manner? If you are. God will have to protect you for the devil will not.
 Awake, arouse yourself and rally around the cause for dispensary. for 1t Is the only influence that will remove the yoke | of saloon government. This acton Will make many friends to our cause. l do | not consider it a check in our work but 1 1t shows how we will have to work to l overcome 1t, and 1t shows how they are | afraid and don't dare to leave the matter to the people. The idea that 1t is not l in the province of the Committee Is a farce of the most farcical kind. The dis pensary is not checked. dare say that | more than a hundred ladies of the Fifth | Ward" as we'll as many men and wo- men of all the wards are even more | ready to say down with the saloon in- f1uerce." I am not in the least dis | couraged. for we will yet win and get better city government and officers who will not say fifty reputable Democrats do not know Democracy and their request is not worthy t0 be granted. MT. Frame lch's resolution and MT. Loughlin's | second will make many votes for dis pensary. The whiskey men met yester- day morning in conference, and it is reasonable to suppose the resolutions | nassed by the committee were formulated | at that meeting. The other members or the Committee, except MT. J. l.. Clay. | who made a strong address in favor Of your petition, had nothing to say on the l resolutions offered. Very truly
 Ernest Lamar.
 A Negro Killed.