The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-03

about Knoxville and looking at the hills and valleys, l listened almost instinctively for the sound of the Swiss COW bells. and l looked for the hardy, working people who ought to be there, but instead there were lazy negroes who never had an in- spiration to work because they enjoyed earning bread by the sweat of their brows and the beautiful country Is largely un- occupied. The city is voted dry, and one of these foreign families turned loose there would feel that they were unwel- come to take a soothing drink, and they would look at a time card for the train that would take them away. And yet Knoxville is the most beautiful city of its size l ever saw, and has a population of good people, little over half of whom voted for prohibition and joined the dry band and they are trying to live up to their convictions, and so far they enjoy the situation, but they do not always expect or want to be dry The city voted dry because the liquor interests compelled them to. The liquor interests became un- bearably arrogant, got control of the politics of the city, had low saloons everywhere wormed their way into resi-
 dence districts, allowed people to become so drunk they could not navigate, and turned them loose on the streets.
 The liquor intersts were simply meaner than ''pusley," and the better citizens, who wanted saloons controlled and kept respectable, tried to argue the question with the political saloon men, and urge that the condition be changed, and all the answer they could get was, 'Ah, g'wan,' and the people decided to "G'wan," and kept going, though what you gwine to do about it?'' was frequent ly hurled at them, and 1t began to look as though the drys would win, when the liquor interests that had been so unbear- to would compromise, segregate the budge joints, cut down the number and make all places decent and well conducted Then the peo- pie said: "Ah. gwan, we will wipe you off the earth,'' and last November they did 1t to the queens taste,
 E All saloons are wiped out, brewery IS running on one iflat wheel, and you can't get a drink unless you know some man
 The Mayor and the business men were courteous to me, and showed me every thing worth seeing, and l joliied the Mayor about the dryness, and asked him what the people did when they wanted drink and he said they didn't want drink. but found that lots of them did. When I got into that town, the f1rst dry town was ever in, my tongue began tf get dry, and hung out and the smoke rose from 1t like going into cold room. Al home I would not care whoop whether I had drink in month, but where I could not get it l was dry as hone I told the Mayor he must save my life by telling me where l could get the suds. but he laughed me to scorn found out afterwards that he had been Confedreate soldier. and was wounded,
 and l thought he laid it to me, and was going to get even for 1863 by seeing me die of thirst Well, some friends asked me 1T ! didn't want to go and see man, ana consented, because seeing one more man could not make any difference to evinr man. When we got to the place where the man was, one of them made up a face, another gave the grand hailing sign of distress, and l coughed a hoarse