The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-30
WILL FIGHT
 PROHIBITION 10 Test Merits of Legis-
 lation. GEORGIA LAWYERS AT WORK Law Will Become Effective on
 January First. aevenue of State VIII Be Materially Reduced and Considerable Increase in Tax Rate
 May Result.
GEORGIA LAWYERS AT WORK

i. ant of the ~new year. the law pre- .ynting the manutecture and sape % ii. .toxicating liquors. passed py ths aS' session of the Legislature, pecone fective. making Georgia ,ne ,n the the Southern States to pc piao1o - prohibition column. ro.i.
 The law is very drastic Tn Hs pio ,,, hitfon and prevents the keeping or s ing away, of liquors in puDiic p,..,,s and imposes tax or $5VV on , whose members are allowed drinks of an intoxicating haeae
 Not withstanding the passage of this law there is some agitation 10 nave s deciared unconstitutional ana Lpown that a prominent nrm ol Iew were has been asked to test the meri.s of the legislation. This action may sn brought in the United states So ,t ss Stile course of the next monsn as eact thai th. constitution of Georgia specincaiy ,,rcvides that all revenue rom neuo, xnasrs.a shalI be used for the schooi snna T.his matter has been under con, ssd.ration for some two montns anu has been in the hands of the pest So So stitutional lawyers in Ga Georsaa ;n eraI million dollars are inyoivea m ssa, a,.rtv loss in the State by the op- et,nn of the prohibition law. t sst,rnated today that Atlanta aion s.,a,,id lose in license taxes Slee .nd that the property vaIue Q, sa s..t and breweries hcre when VII or husiness on January l. is rom at ooo. 900 to sl,5oo,ooe. For .ne ,rvoIved ths state. the property values lnvolsea .ne anc,t sg. 900. 900. It is estimatea sas. today that ten thousand person. nsa 1. sfected in the way Of empioyhse q. .,,a state and that Atlanta aione na ,a ln 1, ROO persons who will lose tne,s rvarsx when January 1 rings ns ths sale of intoxicating hquors'
 the wuI Enforce Law.
 .+~hihltion law will be en- ..aas there fs no question ins rnt the country of the speak,eass' .hsy hs nvl sn . nolice have their laws ens. an$oTce theff to the Hifst.s ,s9. VI hsve sr,sth and the city court oHcla. thst been frank In their statee ,aw and .sev. intend to enforce the iaw .ha .t .n ,n fines would be imposed TOT .ne si,asai sale of liauor. but tnat p.sos pa.so ter.es would follow the VioiaIon ua s,r nart of the prohibition act. one ,.,iar feature of the law IS tnSt nos sven the incorporated cluos are a ths,r tn nroyide intoxicating drinks L sned s.s.p,hers- either with or without ioou n.s ,sav have a locker in club ana tr.sn wh ateyer he pleases in tniy iocAo. z. ,s.,t club having such Iocnele ...t to an. excise tax of $boo year. Annthsr feature of the law IS tnat rsan may not even in his cluo, ,rt.e . Triend to join him in z 1rihA. ,..s only wayshe can evaoe this :,,,,I,t- . nav have access. Severai ct lne a,.shs in Georgia have taken out .nen oxciaa tax license and are proVius ,acrers Tn their rooms. but many V. the more prominent nave 9eoia| ~ that they will go one better ,in,,nr rxA AH.~ law and prohibit the Seepi"e within their doors. ax,a t,, us nrovisIon for school maintenance IS verv snecified, according 70 one tant, Iswver. The question now arises where the funds for the maintenance of the public schools will come rom and it is said that considessp,l,e eas,,,, M creas se in the tax rate may result
 Few Counties Wet.
 1u.,,.ous to inc massage of the pro hibition hill. of the 148 counties m tnc state. only seventeen allowed the Saie of Iiouor under license ana TOUT VT Eve others. through dispensaries con trolled by the counties. the great nc iority having earlier svoted TOT total prohibition.
 Tn Atlanta. the police authorities h.va been prepared to close every sa- loan on fifteen minutes nosice Lut tnis has not been found necessary ana CMnieI M of Police Jennings said today that rom his renorts, he thinks there will De no mnsd for shutting the bars until the anal call at 10 o'clock on Tuesday night. @beir barrooms into ladies' tea rooms and soft drink establishments. Many saloon men posted notices mat tney will go to Chattanooga or some otusr city within reasonable distahee'
 Io-o nrohihftfon has not laid its
 The fight for prohibition was actively led by the Anti-Saloon League, ana while it finally passed by an over whelming majority. t was only after the hardest fight. involving lengthy debate and fiery speeches IL imDe- diately received the approval of Gcv- ernor Smith. who had previously pledged himself to sign 1t
 Alabama, one of Georgias nearest neighbors, is soon to follow Georgia lead, the legislature of that state hay ing passed a statutory prohibition bill at its last session. which becomes ef- fectiye January, 1909. Birmingham, one of the chief cities of and many counties in that state have voted out the saloons on January 1 next, leaving only a few place where liquor can De sold up to January l, 1903
 Governor Smiths Statement.
 Governor Hoke Smith made this statement to The Associated Press to- night:
 .There is nothing in the effort to attack the prohibition law on account of the provision appropriating special liouor taxes to school purposes. The constitution authorizes but does not - require a special liquor tax.
 HThe properties which quit the liquor business are not lost Tne breweries are prepared manufacture ice and soft drinks. With these, they can pay fair profit on their invest ments.
 aThere is plenty of work in Georgia for those who go out or the hquoi bnainess. and plenty of work for all of the time of those who have wasted half their time through the use oi liquor.
 ''If club is held by the courts to be public place, the club locker IS IT. legal and will be stopped.
 NThe constitution of the state limits