The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-21
Nearly 5000 Men Cheer Ap- peaIS to Guard Against the
 Blind Tiger Evil
IS THE EXPERIMENT
 WORTHY OF THE COST?
If We Cannot Enforce Law Against Awful Crime of Murder How Can
 We Enforce Prohibition Laws? Asks MT. Percy,

1ne anIl-DTOnlDlIlOn llttllllS at liiO Bijou theatre yesterday afternoon was attended by crowd numbering, it was estimated, between 250O and 5000. The parquet and balcony were packed, hum dreds standing during the entire meet ing The audience was made up of men, only two ladies being present.
 Many men who reached the Bijou lit tie late went away, unable as they were to find even comfortable standing room.
 W. R. Pinckard and Walker Percy were the speakers Wilson Brown presided, and on the stage were seated 50 or 60 prominent citizens, including President J. c. Maben of the Sloss-She /eld Iron and Steel company r. H. Crockard, vice president and general manager of the Tennessee-Republic companies; J. w. Me Queen, vice president of the Sloss-Shef- field company; Fred Dimmick of the Dim- mick pipe works; w. P. G. Harding pres ident of the First National bank; Culpep- per Exum and Col. w. w. Shortridge of Ensley. It was, said by those present that MT. Percy made a great SD -ech. He held the close attention ~f the crowd and was generously applauded.
 @hI. DIOWH III OptlliiB tbs Iicctlh6 Soi'.
 Tt does my heart good to see such a splendid audience that has come to listen to the real moral side of this grcat ques- ton. Before we have any speaking I desire to read a little prohibition liter ature which the prohibitionists have for got to publish. It is from the sheriff at Portland Me, dated October s; and is in reply to letter written hi,n by pr. F. F. Sutton of the Fourth ward, after MT. Mcdonald and MT. Dabbs haG been there.' This letter was Q corroboration of the letters written by Mcdonald and Dabbs from Portland.
 q also want to give y?u a few statis- ties" said Mir Brown. "Kansas has 3OO,- GOO fewer people than Alabama. Kansas is prohibition and Alabama is not. Yet in 1906 only 1779 whisky licenses were iss>ed in Alabama, while 3523 were issued in Kansas
 MT. Brown introduced w. p. Pinckard, who spoke in part as follows:
 PincRard's Speech. "I do not think any man feels more humble than I do this afternoon. l think the other boys should get up and talk to their neighbors about their moral vel
 
 backbone.
 "I like to see a fellow who can tell a joke and still get serious, but I have been earnest and sincere in all my life and l am earnest and serious when I say you have a serious propositions to consider. I am serious because l think 1t affects every man, woman and child; and God knows I love my neighbor and my country. l have boys and girls and there is nothing l would not do for their moral welfare and when I look in the faces of these men I can say they are just as earnest for their wives and chill dren as the men who are proclaiming across the street. Far be it from me to talk against the church. But temperance is q God-given virtue, and is the same with these respected citizens on this plat form who have the welfare of this district al heart as with any others.
 Men, stand up and vote against the sham temperance. Vote for that which Is wholesome. Don't you think more of the fellow who will look the world in the face and take a drink than you do of the fellow who will slip into a back alley and take drink at blind tiger? Did Not Start the Trouble. q want to say that we are not re- sponsible for this trouble for we did not start it, and want it thrown back where it belongs. We live in a land of freedom. No man has right to say what l shall eat or drink. Is it to be regula- ton or prohibition? The committee I represent believe 1t will be better to haNe it regulated-believe your boy will be safer if you leave a light in front Of the saloon and m officer on the out side than 1t will be to turn looss 6 gang of roughs upon us. If you forbid thing man wants it more. Why eyon old Adama anf Eve with all tho blessings Of paradise ate ef the forbidden fruit , because the Almighty told them not to- I told aa audispcS at Ensisy the other night in my fourth speech ip 20 years that if the legislature passed law corn. polling every man to take thfec drinks a day that 1t would do more for tenn perance than any law that could hs passed. You worid cnjec:-yon wouldn't take that drink unlsss you wanted to. ''But back 10 the practical side Of tie question. I don't care what the other fellow says. you can't get away from this side. You can't destroy pa~t of n tree without destroying the fife Of all of it. When l came here in 1887 this was g. little village of abont 15.0cO. and the pop ulation is now about 15I,0o0. We came here for the purpose of making homes saw hard times-I saw the boom-things went up and things went down. Just nov we have gone through a prosperous con- dition. tne like of which was never known.
 If you saw a torchbearer coming through town setting fire to everything you would get mad. Do you know that Birmingham with all its wealth and thrift is thrown back upon itself? Do you know that every mortgage company has shut off it's account because of the trouble which has arisen among us? What are we going to do when the mortgages &C.,
 
 the welfare of this community at heart wants to bring such a thing upon us.
 What I have said has been said as n private citizen. l want no political of- flee and have nobody to fear. I have al the work necessary to keep me busy the rest of my life already laid out. but 1 have the moral welfare of this community at heart"