Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-04-03
ALABAMA HAS CURB
FOR LIQUOR TRAFFIC
Correspondence Chicago Record
Herald)


quite temperance state. or the
sixty-seven counties twenty have pro-
hibition laws. nine have dispensaries
for the sale of liquor in quantity by
the municipal authorities and the re
mainder have high licenses. On the
Mobile IL Ohio railroad passing
through two and one-half states,
there Is not a single saloon between
Mobile and Jackson, Tenn. There is
not barroom or any place wnere IL
quor can be bought in any of the
counties of Alabama. Mississippi or
Tennessee on the line of that road;
and no beer, wine or liquor can be sold
in its dining cars.
Excepting the City of Selma there
is not a saloon or barroom on the line
of the Southern railroad between Mo
bile and Birmingham, and on the
east and west road. excepting Selma
and Demonopolis, there is no saloon
between Montgomery and Vicksburg.
There is no general liquor law in
Alabama Eacn county Is the subject
of special legislation, according to
county comes into the Legislature with
an application for the people indOrsed
at the polls for prohibition. dispen-
sary or nigh license cit Is almost sure
to obtain the legislation at once, and
the tendency is toward prohibition.
In more than half the counties no ac'
tion whatever has been taken, but
h. Lon tlal "a
ture every session for regulating acts.
While the appetite Of the white peo-
pie for liquor has not been suppressed
or satiated and they drink perhaps
quite as mucn as they ever did in
their ard clubs. saloon drinking has
practically been stopped throughout
the rural districts. because experience
mas demonstrated that the country sa-
loon is the hotbed of mischief, local
disturbances and lynchings, and most
of the snooting in the state for many
years has been done under the infiu-
ence of crossroads grocery whisky.
II has also been demonstrated that a
great part of the trouble WITH the ne
groes-their idleness, worthlessness
and shiftlessness-is due 10 liquor
drinking. and public sentiment de.
mands stringent regulations, wAiicn
have been enacted in twenty-nine
counties. In other counties the cost
of license has been placed so high
as to make II Improbable for a cross
roads grocer to sell liquor. The pat
ronage of the country saloon will not
justify the payment of the license lee
and the internal revenue tax. So the
saloons at wni0h the poorest whisky
was sold and the greatest amount Of
mischief was hatched have been
closed up. and the consequences are
so wholesome as TO encourage similar
action in other parts of the state and
in neighboring states. whisky drink
ing has been the greatest curse OF tn-
negro
Occasionally blind tiger" is sci
up Illicit distiiliug is common and
whisky is often peddled about the
country among the negroes, on holi-
days and circus days especially; and
/ it is usually difficult to convict the
culprits. But when they are convict.
| ed they are always severely pun
ished, being sent to the penitentiary
for n term OF years and compelled To
pay fine of $500 for the first offense
and 81 900 for the second, while the
costs ruin a man financially. Every
violation of the liquor law is punish
ed twice; first in the federal courts
on charge of selling without H.
cense. and second in the state courts
for violating the state law. Usually
cases are first tried in the federal
cities and are not subject to loo i in
tuences. 1t is very difficult to get u
a local court TO bring in verdict
against a neighbor Although its
members may realize tnat the man
they are called upon to try is deserv
ing OF punishment, they feel that II
will be very embarrassing to meet
him after ne comes home from term
in the penitentiary. But a city Jury
in the federal court is quite apt to con
| vict, and the state courts are now ac
cepting certified copies OF the record
OF the federal courts as final in such
| cases.
In some of the prohibition countics
il is a misdemeanor for a man to ofel
wine or whisky to his guests; the pen
atty for selling or giving away is the
same. But in hospitabe plantation
houses il is not crime for a servant
or a host 10 place a decanter and u
bottle on the table. If the guest Is
familiar with the customs of the coun
! try, nothing further is necessary
People buy their supply of liquor from
wholesale establishments in New or
leans. Mobile or Montgomery and
have II shipped TO them by express
| The dispensaries are run very much
as they are in South Carolina. Shops
are opened AT convenient parts of the
county in cnarge of sworn agents, " nc
sell bottled liquor in the original pack
ages for cash-the smallest quantity
| is pint, the largest is demijhon
cont aiming two gallons. All packages
/ are sealed and it is unlawful to open
them on the premises. Some people
think this encourages drinking al
home. They say that man who