The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-21
PROMINENT MEN
 TALK PROHIBITION WeakIey Principal Speaker At
 the Hippodrome LAWRENCE RAISES MONEY Three Thousand Dollars Subscribed in Short Time-speaker carn1- chael, Barnett and Mrs. Curtis
 Speak-Frye Presides
LAWRENCE RAISES MONEY

John II. Frye, Judge s. D. Weakley, Speaker A. C. Carmichael, Rev. Frank Willis Barnett and Mrs. Curtis, from Texas. were those who took part in the mass meeting of the prohibition forces at the Hippodrome yesterday afternoon.
 The building was crowded both in the afternoon and last night. The last meet ing was presided over by Bishop H. C. Morrison. and addresses were made by Clinton N Howard and pr. W. B. Crump- ton. president of the Anti-Saloon league in Alabama
 John H. Frye presided and introduced the first speaker, former Chief Justice Samuel D. Weakley. Judge Weakley be- gan his speech by saying: we are here this afternoon as citizens of Jeffer- son county, home owners and heads oi families, to take counsel for the solution of a great moral, political and civic question: In beginning I want to state that 1 will try to be temperate Tn speech, fair in statement, and that it is not in my heart to wound a single human being. Whatever fault there is to the man who sells liquor we citizens and voters must share the responsibility. We must all decide since we have come to the parting of the way. whether to con tinue in our old trail or turn off in a new pathway
 Some will suffer a temporary loss, but the government must be administered by the rule of the greatest good to the great est number X man who invests his money in a powder mill knows it may be blown into atoms at any moment
 Cites We'll Known Prohibtonsts.
 ''They go around telling us that not withstanding our mineral wealth, notwith- standing our churchesr notwithstanding our schools if we tear down the saloon all will go, that the saloon is the pivot of our industrial and moral welfare. But find that the bankers are divided on this subject l at first became frightened, thinking that all these big men might be right, but l asked MT. Frye here, l asked Erskine Ramsey. one of the largest prop erty owners in Ensley, and he didn't share the gloomy forebodings of these other distinguisher gentlemen. I asked T. G. Bush and James Bowron. and they did not share the anti's opinions. l asked Henry Badham, the largest land owner of Bessemer, and A. l.. Fulenwider, Bir- minghan's greatest real estate authority, and they were both in favor of prohibi- ton.
 Ever since 1871 prohibition has be- come stricter and strcter for the bene- fit of the furnaces. the mines afid the rolling mills, until 1t is now held with in the polieed towns and cities. If we look to these records we are bound to conclude that these industrial owners wanted to keep saloons as far away from their plants as possible. Do they want saloons in North Birmingham? Do they want saloons in Gate City? Do they want them at the gates of the Ensley steel mills? No because it will debauch their labor.
 If they are unwilling to keep sa- looms in close proximity to their works is 1t fair to us to keep saloons on our principal streets where our wives and families have to pass, so that labor can get liquor five miles away? There is No reason for such discrimination. We are now bound to reach the con- clusion that this city will suffer no loss by law that will terminate the legalized liquor traffic"
 The speaker then took broad view of the state, showing that for twenty years twenty-one counties have been totally dry, and dispite blind tigers never sentiment has been expressed to go back to saloons. He said the joke of the result in Anniston Is that the skilled Nlabor refuted the charges that they would leave a prohibition town and voted overwhelmingly for it.
 Women Enter Building.
 Just as he was emphasizing the point that the movement was one of years. the women who had met at the First Methodist church marched down the aisles singing, Give us proh ibition, it's good enough for us!' Applause and three tigers were given for the women of Birmingham.
 Judge Weakley continued by stating that it was the work of these women which started and continued the fight for temperance.
 Brooks Lawrence then took the floor and within few minutes raised by subscription over $30O0 for the cause. He was introduced as the carpet bagger. the greatest apostle of good that ever came south of the Mason and Dixon line"
 Speaker Carmichael of the house, of
  minutes. He said he was out early Saturday morning and he did not see any policemen standing in front of the saloons to keep the boys out, and he made an appeal to the voters that they stand by the prayers of the women.
 Mrs. Curtis Introduced.
 Mrs. Curtis. in few short sentences aroused enthusiasm. She declared that the saloon is unconstitutional as being dangerous to the public safety, and she dehed the antis to meet her on any platform and prove her statement un- true. "You cant be a Jeffersonian dem ocrat and vote against prohibition. You speak of our opening our meetings with prayer. The liquor voters open their meetings with a cork screw. They say If it rains they can win. but if 1t rains we women will put on our boots and caps and come We'll meet you at the polls 15.000 strong"
 Announcement was made that Mrs. Curtis will meet the pastors and the campaign committee this morning at 10 o'clock at the First Methodist church This afternoon at o'clock at the First