Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-15
BARRING OUT LIQUOR
Spread of Prohibition Senti-
ment in the South.
SOLVING NEGRO PROBLEM
Intoxieants Blamed for Trouble in
the Black Bit.
RACE RELATIONS FRIENDLY
Elimination From Politics of the
Colored Man, Who Is Devoting
Himself to Industry.
SOLVING NEGRO PROBLEM
RACE RELATIONS FRIENDLY
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Special Correspondence of The Star and the
| Chicago Record Herald.
CHARLOTTE. N. c., November ~. 1907.
Prohibition Is the only political issua in
| the south. and the entire population are
| now arraigned on one side or the other.
There is no distinct prohibition party.
| but both of the old parties have put
| planks in their platform advocating the
| abolition of the liquor traffic and at local
elections the members of both are found
voting for and against local option and
| prohibition.
| In Alabama law has recently been
| passed authorizing each county to vote
| on the liquor question, and large ma
| iority of the counties have already voted
| for prohibition. 1t is predicted that the
| next legislature will pass general pro-
| hibition law.
| In Arkansas similar law prevails and
sixty out of seventy-eight counties have
adopted prohibition
| In Florida thirty out of forty-five coun-
! ties have suppressed al saloons, and the
| democratic party has declared for pro-
| hibition This means the adoption of a
general prohibition law at the next SeS-
sion of the legislature.
In Kentucky-mirab bile diOtu-the sale
of liquor is prohibited in all but four
even in those every saloon Is closed on
Sunday.
In Louisiana seven eighths of the cOun-
ties are dry and there is a law pro-
hbiting what are called jug trains Be
fore this law was passed accommodation
trains used to run from cities and towns
where liquor was sold into the dry coun-
ties on Saturdays SO that thirsty citi-
zens could buy a supply for Sunday
Mississippi hass had county local option
nd IN
of seVenty-five counties there are laws
prohibiting not only the sale Of liquor,
but it must not be given away. a man
may be sent to jail for inviting visitor to
take drink with him In his own house.
This la W is habitually evaded by placing
the bottle and the glasses on the side
board or the mantelpiece where visitors
can help themselves.
South Carolina has recently repealed the
dspensary law and adopted county OPP
ton instead, and it is expected that
general prohibition law will be passed at
the next session of the legislature.
Georgia has a general prohibition law
and the sale of liquor Is absolutely pro-
hibited throughout the state.
In Tennessee liquor is sold in but three
cities. It's sale Is absolutely prohibited
everywhere else and the members of the
next Legislature from other parts OF the
| state will probably wipe out those wet
| spots at the next session:
In leXaS lWO-llilTuS VI TIE CouilticS nav
adopted absolute prohibition and have
| made it unlawful to give away as well as
| to sell liquor, as in Mississippi. Prohibi-
| ton is the principal issue of the cam
| paign now in progress.
Oklahoma. like Georgia. has passed a
| general prohibitory law.
| West Virginia has abolished the liquor
traffic in thirty out Of fifty-f1ve counties,
| and prohibition is likely to be an issue
| in the next campaign.
Prohibition has not made much head
way in the state of Virginia 80 far, but
| the sentiment is growing and the epidemic
| is likely to spread over the boundaries OF
| the neighborfng states without much
| delay
Praying at the Polls.
The most exciting contests have recently
occurred in Asheville, N. c., and in Biz
mingham. Ala, where prohibition has
been adopted under the local option laws
by vote of the people. The campaign in
both places has involved women and chill
dren. who have attended the meetings,
peddled tickets, and on election day sur
rounded the polls singing hymns and hold
| ing prayer meetings and serving lunch
cons to voters. The city of Birmingham
proper cast a small majority against pro-
| hibition, but, strange to say, the miners
in the suburbs were almost solid in favor
of prohibition, and gave a majority of
| nearly 1890 in the county.
Georgia has taken the lead in the move
ment Great impetus was given to it by
| the race riots that occurred at Atlanta
last spring and were provoked by drunken
negroes. Hoke Smith, formerly Secretary
| of the Interior in he cabinet of president
Cleveland and now governor of Georgia,
| opposed the movement and advocated
local option. but the democratic party
swept over him like a torrent and abso-
lutte prohibition was adopted without hes
| itation.
In North Carolina Governor Glenn. who
! leader of the prohibition movement, and
is stump:ng the state in support of it. He
expects to go to the United States Senate
| on that ISSUE Local option has prevailed
in North Carolina for some years and
nearly all the counties are dry" The
only places In which liquor is now sold
are Wilmington and Salisbury and it is
expected that they will abolish their sa-
looms at the next election.
The strongest argument in favor of pro-
| hibition is the imperative necessity of
keeping whisky out of the reach of the
| reckless, lawless colored element That
argument carried Georgia and is proving
equally strong in other states, because it
| Is believed that nearly all the crimes, the
assaults that lead to lynchings, are due
to whisky.
Some of the more conservative people,
factory owners and other large employers
ton will have upon the movement which
| has recently been started in several of
| the southern states to secure fair share
| of the immigrants that are now arriving
in this country by the million from for
| eign lands. Hands are needed on all the
| large plantations: the demand for oper-
| atives in the cotton mills is urgent. and in
| the cities and towns 1t is Impossible to
get enough labor. Conventions have been
| held to secure cooperation among the
states. Agents have been appointed to
canvass Europe and advertise the attrac.
| lions and advantages Of the southern
states, and other measures have already
been quite successful in dlverting a small
part of the great stream of aliens in this
direction. But the foreigners are opposed
| to prohibition. They want beer and wine
| as they have them at home. and will not
| go where they cannot get them, but this
| argument has no effect upon the advocates
| of prohibition.
Law Pretty Well Enforced.