The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-06
The Anti-saIoon League.

E6itcr The Advertiser:
 Please allow me space in your most exceIent paper, and among youI omr Go tributions to say a few words 10 your very large constituency concerning Ihe purposes and efforts of the Alapanlad Anti-Saloon League. l scarceIy neeu to say this organization IS ara.s m no 9s StseIf only to the amendment of the laws reg ulating the retail of liquors. we moo estly hope tc make the large oody oL men for office The primary work IS in organizing local sentiment favorabIc to the -honored principle or De mocracy, local self f-government. we satisfactory method of controlling the retail liquor traffic Is by local option, We hope to establish the county as unit of control, allowing towHis, Hi ei'fvS, h,t permitting the county option to rue over these-several points appear 10 oe in need of definite statement:
 First-At present there is no general law extending thls option to all coun. ties. This is first to be sought. OI local acts we have had too many Iney are imperfect. incomplete and only partial in their application. We expect to present a bill proposing that ma jority vote of the legally qualified vol. CTS in any county shall deterhlne And aso, if 1t is. sold, to determine whether it shall be done by saloons or dispensaries. ,.
 second-We hope to secure such amendment of all local acts as will pre- sent a uniform offeuse and penalty. Al | present a violation of the liquor law m | one place is punishable by me oI uneaual amount to the fine In some Ot'r Third~Tn some counties twenty free | holders and house holders" petitloning 1 the Judge of Probate he has no option but to issue license Tor some man sn,,s eo ! l Many times the same names secure several licenses. Whal is more displeasing. this enables a small negro population to constitute "a a majority of petitioners and thus iois' inc saloon on a helpless white constit- uency. Leighton, Ala, Colbert county is an example. Three saloons now running there secured license hy use of the same names on their petitions These petitions have the names or teu negro men, two negro women and eignl white men. What is that but negro l supremacy? Surely Democracy ough' to be Invoked in behalf of the public
 Fourth-As it now exists the saloon is an issue in all local politics. Many | campaigns are consumed In disputes | and contests over the liquor questions | Good men are sometimes slow to ask for office because they must mix 1T the slime and filth of political anlmos ities engendered by deSlSIllhB dSchts VI
 If we could get free local optior so each community could settle th' control of the traffic on the merits O
 the traffic itself then there need be n' everlasting contention in the regula
 legislative race. We want a law put
 ting this matter out of touch wltl | other elections.
 Fifth-We are trying to get me-
 nominated in the primaries who VII
 give the emancipated Democracy !
 chance to say how 1t wishes to eontrO the saloon problem. All we ask IS
 square deal We believe to put the sH
 loon on it's merits 1t will pass away. simultaneously, 1t seems to W tn
 writer that If some aspiring leglslato
 will investigate carefully 1t Will nc [ be far to see that by increasing tn
 State license from $500 to Sl,OOo' ac
 cording to population. the general run in the State Treasury can be ncreaSe
 by over half a million dollars. Tn
 State needs the money; The saioo causes crime. disorder. increased taxe
 and decreased property values an
 surely 1t ought to compensate Tor II Q Our State license is too .Ow
 We respectfully invite consideratlo
 of the cause herein presented. E1 a Senator Jas D. Norman is managin
 the Leagues campaign. We are ne l mad we want to be conservative, W 6 believe we are democrattc In our d
 mands AespeeSru7rr.s' r.s 1z...u,. . Decatur, Ala