The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-13

Der returned in the two terms following, under prohibition, was 147, an increase of about 27 per cent. The number of men working out the penalties for their offenses in the "chain gang" of the city was, according to the statement of MT. Thomas Donaldson, the supervisor one third larger under prohibition than un- der license. Pauperism also slightly increased in the city. as Is shown by the expenditures therefor.
 It Is safe to say that the cause of temperance gained nothing by prohibi- tion in Atlanta. The columns of the leading papers of the city daily chron- icled arrests for drunkenness. As a leading citizen put 1t: If you tell a man he shan't drink, he will find a way to do it." 1t is fact that there were more arrests for drunkenness under prohibition than under license. The law created Il new class of drunkards. Tn young men of the city occupying posi- tons as clerks, bookkeepers, etc, and | engaged in other business and profes- sional pursuits, formed the habit of keeping liquor in their rooms, and meeting around of evenings for con Vvial enjoyment. As a result. hun dreds of young men who formerly took an occasional drink became more or less given to drinking every night.
 
 saloons. These were abolished. but in their places we're opened under local option, some 40 wine rooms, and the number of drug stores, considerably In creased. so that the number of places at which liquor could be had was prac- tically as great as before the adoption of the law. There were, besides. doz- en or more club rooms in the city The members of these clubs carried keys, went In and out and got drinks from the hired bartender at will
 On Friday the 18th of August. 1887, q single train brought 300 jugs of whis- ky to the city and 200 more came by the same train on the following day.
 One hundred and fifteen of the 137 counties of Georgia had local option laws in force in 1SS6-7. That the laws i were imperative was demonstrated by the fact that the number of licenses is sued by the United States internal rev enue department for the sale of liquors at retail was 1916 fin May. June and July, 1887, or only 1O2 less than in the same months of the year before the laws went into effect. The number of distillerles in the state was 78 in 18S7 as against 59 before prohibition, an increase of 32 per cent The capacity of these distilleries increased from 1A'2 to 1900 gallons per day after the adop- ton or IIt law. 1llt ulSlillti lbH 6tA v all small and marketed their entire product in the state. The consumption of home made whisky in Georgia was therefore, 39S gallons more per day un- der prohibition than under license. It is estimated that the quantity of whis- ky shipped into the state and consumed there was about the same as before. There was also an excessive increase in illicit distilling in the state under prohibition This is proved by the mum Der of seizures by tho revenue depart ment which increased from l92 in the year ending June 30, 1886, to PA in the following year
 The manner of enforcing the law was such a to bring not only it. but all law. into contempt A leading lawyer sat in court at Atlanta in 1887 and saw man fined s25 for adultery, and In the next case heard the court impose flib of $500 upon man found guilty Of selling drink of liquor. It was therefore. in the eyes of the prohibl- tonists of Atlanta, twenty times greater crime 10 break one of their laws by sell ing drink than to break one of the ten commandments and commit adultery. Cases similar to this were of daily occur renee. Men were fined sl5 and S2O by prohibition judges for beating their wives so brutally that their lives were endan- gered while fines of $3D0 were levied for violation of the prohibitory law