The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-12
An Open Letter.

An open LcttCTs
To-day the citizens of our counties
have absolutely no means of preventing
saloons from being established in their
county, unless a special act is passed by
the legislature, prohibiting the sale of in
toxieating liquors in a certain county
or counties Such an action takes from
the citizenship of a county all RESPONSE
bility, and places it upon the members
of the legislature. We shall not ask
the legislature to vote to close a, single
saloon, but we will ask them to give Ala
bama's citizens the right both American
and democratic, to protect their homes
by popular vote on the question. The
proposed bill will not effect territory from
which saloons are already excluded.
Our present no-saloon territory is the
result of years of effort on the part
of its most substantial citizenship, and
we feel confident that the legislature
will not ask this territory to put up what
it has already won as a stake to be
gambled for
ION petition of a certain percent of the
qualified voters in any county where
the sale of Intoxicating liquors is au-
thorized by law, the probate judge must
issue an order for an election to be held
in the entire county, within forty days
from time petition was filed in his office.
1.-THE election is carried on by the reg
ular election officials and is in every
sense the same in power as a regufr
election of public officials.
IF the result of this election shows a
majority of votes against the sale of
intoxicating liquors, then, at the expira-
ton of the license year, all places in the
county where intoxicating liquors are
sold must close their doors, and no more
liquors may be sold at any place within
that county for a period of two full years
from the expiration of the license year,
and thereafter, unless another petition
has been filed and an election held, which
results in a majority of the votes being
cast for the sale of intoxicating liquors in
that county, Such elections cannot be
held oftener than every two years.
When Vote Is Lost.
IF the result is majority for the sale
OIL iiquoiS tiiti 'ieii P'iitAN"i
subdivision in the county may protect It.
self from the saloons by presenting to the
authority to issue saloon licenses a pc
tition signed by a certain per cent of the
qualified voters of the community af-
fected, asking such authority to not is
sue license or licenses, and such petition
makes 1t mandatory that no license or Ii
censes be issued. No saloon can be es-
tabllshed or carried on at any point with
out first presenting with their application
for license petition signed by a certain
per cent of the qualified voters of the
territory where saloons are to be estab-
lished. The names on such petitions shall
be advertised for three successive weeks
and no license can be issued until the
end of the fourth week, during which
time counter petition may be filed and
must be considered by the licensing au-
thority, and, If conforming to the law,
shall have power to destroy the petition
and application for saloon licenses, and
no such licenses may be granted
1.-THE foregoing section of the proposed
bill will repeal the Infamous twenty free
holders petition right to establish sa-
looms, and will confer the right of local
option by petition on every political sub