The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-28
FINAL MEETING FOR PROHIBITION 1VeterS Urged to Stand By Their
 Convictions CLAIM THE FIGHT IS WON Speakers Deprecate Introduction of Women and Children Into Politics and Urge Men to Stand By
 Their Rights.
CLAIM THE FIGHT IS WON

The last meeting of the antl-prohbi- tionists was held at the Bijou theatre yesterday afternoon with a larger at tendance than any previous meeting. The crowd was enthusiastic and great ap- plause greeted the speakers of the day, who were Leo Oberdorfer, ". P. Pinck- ard and Capt. John G. Smith.
 Wilson Brown opened the meeting and in the following words thanked the sup porters of the movement for the en- couragement they had given to the cam paign committee:
 This has been a very strenuous cam paign. You have shown great interest in our cause Nothing will be said here this afternoon that can be calculated at all to infiame the public mind We un- derstand that some ladies and children are going around to the polls tomorrow and we wish to caution our friends to be polite to them. Do nothing to provoke any trouble, and I believe that just as surely as there is a God in Heaven that this fight is won. (Applause) Nothing can hurt the cause more than to have
 
 and order, as we do, by any act of his to provoke any trouble around the polls where ladies are. We have begged, we have plead with the preachers, to use their influence against them coming out an we hope that every man here will use all the influence he has to keep them away from the polls tomorrow morning. You saw the procession a few moments ago. Whoever saw anything like that in a political campaign on Sunday after noon?" Great applause)
 oberdorfer Introduced.
 Leo Oberdorfer was then introduced and in words of eloquence plead or the linen of Jefferson county to stand up for their rights and vote against prohi- bition." MT. Oberdorfer's speech in part was:
 We are on the eve of the most stren- uous battle that has ever ragged in Jeffer- son county. The voters of Jefferson county must decide tomorrow between the licensed and unlicensed saloon To- morrow the men must decide this ques- ton, and not the children!'
 MT. Oberdorfer then spoke of the call made upon Mayor Ward few days ago by a number of ministers and praised the Mayor for the 'backbone he displayed in the face of intimidation
 .I do not believe that thinking men will allow themselves to be swept off their feet by women and children" He then said that no matter how black the picture of drunkenness had been painted l.xyt tI,a ba b. ai,,f one still backer-povertyl Tt is biting poverty which causes crime more than drunkenness" The desolate appearance of Jefferson county with smokeless stacks. idle men, the landlord with the distress warrant, all of which he declared would result from prohibition. was described Have we forgotten the misery that stall1ed through this district ten years ago."
 The question of women and children go. ing to the polls and paradlng through the streets was then touched on, and was greeted with great applause when he said: "The women and children parad- ing through the streets in behalf of political question could only have been the invention of man from Ohio!" I have the greatest confidence in the great people of this great district, I be- lieve they love their daughters. wives and sisters and that they would rather see this town go forward than backward, and I believe that before the sun sets tomor- row that these men will vlndicate this is- sue and not be influenced by women and children who know nothing of the is- sue; that they will live up to the true con- ception of manhood and vote for what they believe. As sure as the sun rises and sets tomorrow the -prohibitionist, yes, the anti-blind tiger fighter, will assert himself and keep up the marching on- ward of this commercial center of our southland. (Great applause)