The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-27
Prohibition In Atlanta.

Your friend and comrade..
l.. L. LOMAN. Commissioners.
Prohibition In Atlnntn.
Editor OF The Times-Dispatch:
Sir.-In your editorial of October 7th
under the caption Local Option" you
make the following statement: AT
lanta tried prohibition and found it UNI
satisfactory" In my opinion, this af-
tirmation should not 20 unchallenged.
The facts are as follows: Atlanta tried
local option. Local option was u sue
cess. Henry Grady was wet when At
lanta voted dry, 1t is alleged, but two
years OF local option converted him.
%tinuanca of this policy during tho Sec
ond contest. he said: "4.070 Taxpayers
have been added to the records. ATS
new home-owners In the two years,
over 15s in liquors two years: distress
warrants garnfshments decreased,
2.595 fewer civil cases In the Justice
courts. 4EI fewer criminal cases, $1.325.-
600 added to your banking capital inc
surplus. s1.000,000 more deposits In
your banks than two years ago. i've
one. fifteen building and loan associa-
lions against six. S1.000.000 put into
manufactures in the county. wages
higher and every shop and factory
crowded. 100000 put into new churches
and schools. the Door of the churches
diminished and the membership nearly
doubled in w years. Your schools
fuller and your children better clothed,
more stores here than when there We're
l30 barrooms. and fewer stores vacant
than eve in your history. your houses
crowded with families paying rent bet
ter than ever before. your merchant
and manufacturers busy and prosper
Gus, your principal streets u sight to
be seen on n fair day-last Sunday
without an arrest in all this road city!
Whv my fvian1e II aIr1nSt qaamk. that
God had held this town in the hollow
of His almighty hand and smiled OH 1t,
while He rested here the ark OF His
covenant IN this great issue. Why
city and put 1t again under the domi-
nation OF the liuuor traffic?"
it would seem that testimony from
such a man as Henry Grady, who be-
came a convert to no-llcense after
seeing 1t tried. should carry far more
ported that policy when it was adopt
ed. Then why did Atlanta vote back
her %saloons? When the saloons were
voted back. 500 more dry votes We're
license two years before. Then why
the change? Simply because the pro-
liquor men brought 1.4o0 negroes to
the city. fed them for q week. regis
tered and voted them. and
tho decent white citizenship with ne
groes who were non-residents. What
could lie done? Under their loose laws-
with the political machinery In the
hands OF the liquor forces, the drys
could but challenge the negroes ana
take their names as they voted and
prepare to prosecute Illegal voters. But
what happened? The 1,400 negroes at
ter voting We're nowhere to be found
by sunrise next day. The plan had
been we'll set. Preparations had been
made to get them far removed from
] yIrraechtinu -6urfnfr fhat night follow
ing the election. Millions in the hands
OF the liquor syndicate is used to de-
bauch the ballot.
What have the temperance forces to
face In Virginia TO-DAY? Tho same un-
acrupulous enemy which is making our
new Constitution not worth the paper
1t is written on in local option con-
tests. Believing that the public should
have some Of these facts. refer to
some cases. A local option election
was held III Berryyille on September
18th. Ten doys before this election
a primary election was held. Only four
negroes were qualified In time to vote
in this primary. Ten days later, in
the local option contest. tifty..siX ne
groes were qualified to vote.
In the city of Staunton the total
white registration in 1906 was %; to-
tHl colored. 8: total colored rcglstra-
tai colored registration In 1907. a..
The total white registration In 1907.
prior to the local option election be-
ling ordered, was SO: colored, 3; total,
81. From date of ordering the election
to the day OF election: White, FOG; coll
ored, 70; total registered after the
Election was ordered. as.
Here were 27S persons allowed tho
privilege of voting In the local option
election who will not DO allowed to
vote this fall. but in the future they
can vote in regular elections. These
us persons could not vote last fall
and cannot vote next November, but
We're allowed to vote In o liquor con-
test.
ter the local option election was or
dercd. and 201 of these paid their poll
taxes after May 9th. in order to partici-
pate. The negroes We're furnished with
ballots. About nftv wet ballots had
red pencil marks as ear-marlSs, but the
drSs could not proYc or Eive the names
of the individuals who 80 mefkedgtheir
ballots, and the court decided that IT
was necessary to prove who used the
red pencils In marking the ballots. The
election. was carried by fraud, IN
registered by the score for the pur-
pose Of outyoting the decent white
Ecitiaenship. In Suffolk. many We're
Registered after the election was or
dered, and n acknowledgment was one OF
the Judges of the election. giying, I'm
leicester over zoo became qualified tt
vote after the election was ordered. In
I~Staunton, out of six Judges of tbs
ELECTION, the drys had not a single
8IiudEe. What Is nnr remedy? It would
appsara that the liquor men have ha(
Icities have wet registrars md Judges