The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-18
SPEAKERS P1|NT ID
 PROHIBITION EVILS Woodlawn Urged to Ward Off Hydra-Headed Monster CAPTAIN SMITH IS SPEAKER Pinckard Also Asks Citizens to Work for Greater City Instead of Tear
 ing Down What Is AL
 ready Here.
CAPTAIN SMITH IS SPEAKER

evils of prohibition were discoursed
 upon by speakers at sthe armory in
 Woodlawn last night Memo1is band
 geve a concert for quite a while be- fore the hour of meeting and an in- terested crowd had gathered by the
 time the speaking began.
 The speakers of the evening were Capt. John c. Smith and W. P. Pinck-
 ard Wilson Brown introduced the speakers. stating that a few of the prominent business men of Birmingham had come out to Woodlawn to present the real temperance side of the much mooted question. After few other
 supplementary remarks he introduced Captain Smith as one or Birning- hams oldest and most conservative residents. Captain Smith stated that he had lived in Birmingham for very long while having been here very nearly as long as anyone else, but denie1 the allegation that he was old. Be temperate in all things" he said. eve are here tonight as tax payers and in the intrest of Jefferson county, in the interst of Birmingham and in
 the interest of Woodlawn. Don't let yourselves be swept off your feet, but consider the matter dispassionately.
 "As an evidence of what effect the talk of prohibition has had upon B'r-
 mingham's welfare already l wish to tell of a little incident that happened this morning. l heard real estate man say that he had been authorized
 to sell a piece of property for s37,ooO which he had been holding for $4O,nOO, and that the party who had offered the smaller amount for the property refused to buy it, stating that he did
 went for prohibition.
 Do you know what effect this talk of prohibition is having on the money market? l am talking business now
 because I know what l am talking about. Do you know that every source from which we have been borrowing money with which to carry on the building here was closed last Saturday with the exception of the home build
 ing associations?
 "They talk about putting down the I close the saloons you will have more than i've blind tigers to every saloon
 you have now. You have policemen and can regulate the saloons now, but if you close them you will have to triple the police force, and then won't be able to do away with the blind tigers. You can't run a city without revenue. And where are you going to get money to keep up the fire and police departments and the schools if you cut off the revenue received from the saloons? You cant raise the taxes. Men, don't let these people carry you off your feet and sweep you away. If
 you do you will regret it.
 This carpetbagger, Brooks Lawrence,
 who was dumped out of a cart in Ohio
 into the south, is being paid sooOo Tor
 coming here, when he couldn't earn sl2Oo if he had stayed at home. Men. when
 you are eating the dry crust the carpet
 bagge. will move O ?. Have you been
 reading the letters sent back by Mo- Donald? There are more blind tigers in
 Maine than there are saloons in Alabama.
 T ask you as laboring men to. stand up at the polls and vote this hydra
 headed monster down."
 Pinckard. Is Introduced.
 W. P. Pinckard was then introduced, and spoke as follows:
 For 20 years I have lived in Birming-
 ham and have seen her ups and downs.
 And what I say is what l would like for the people of the county of my adop- ton and of my native state to do. My people and my blood are here and haven't any thought but of loyalty. Let's look at the structure of our so- ciety and the interests involved. It is
 not the question of whisky, but of pub lie policy. If I thought prohibition would
 prohibit I woudl vote for it, but I tell you, gentlemen, it will not and I want to tell you about some problems before us. There isn't man living in this dis trict who didn't come here because he thought Birmingham was good place
 to live in and a place where he could earn competency.
 .'rhe great financial markets have been in the throes of revolution for the past six months. It is this way in New York, Chicago Boston and everyone of the other big money markets. It hasn't struck Birmingham yet, but we are on the threshold. I am not talking prohibition now. I am stating facts. You can't go to any banker here now and ask
 him to lend you $500 without causing
 him to stare at you and think, no mat ter how good and how great your se- curity.
 '.It is not right to trample upon the rights of the people. They have consti- tutional rights and I believe that if the United States supreme court ever passes upon the question that it will rule that prohibition is trampling upon the rights of the people.
 ssThe Tennessee company has spent s5. .OOO 900 in remodeling and building onto
 it's steel plant at Ensley The men who
 work in these steel mills, rolling mills
 and furnaces have been accustomed to
 taking stimulant all of their lives. They
 feel like the work they are compelled to
 do is so fatiguing that even water can't
 slake their thirst. It Is this way wher- ever there is a steel mill, rolling mill,
 furnace or any other large shop located.
 The men who work in these places are high-class laborers, making from $5 to slO
 per day. It is such men as this that
 will be needed to run the s, ,00O. 900 steel
 plant At Ensley which will be completed