Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-13
GOOD FAITH OBSERVED
Georgia Officials Enforcing the
Prohibition Law.
ACTIVE
Organized in Every Town and on
the Alert.
LIQUORS BROUGHT INTO STATE
Great Falling OF in Arrests in
Atlanta-Vagrancy Decreasing.
Merchants Benefited.

| BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
| Special Correspondence of The Star and the
| Chicago Record Herald.
! ATLANTA. April 9, 1908.
Prohibition is the principal topic of con-
versation down here, and wherever men or
women meet YOU may be sure that it Is
under discussion. Gov. Hoke Smith and
! other officials declare that the law Is
going to be enforced i'm Georgia as 1t
| never was in any state before, and that
| they will demonstrate that perplexing
problem whether prohibition really can
| prohibit. The Anti-Saloon League Is
strongly organized in every town and Is
alive and alert. Its members are on the
lookout for every weak spot and have
every doubtful official under surveillance
They are fighting everybody who does not
agree with them and are propoundins
pertinent questions to every candldate
for Office. They do not propose to permit
the election Of any official who may De
weak or uncertain, and require pledges
from every candidate. The ministers,
particularly those of the METHODIST de-
nomination, are very active. Inc nes'
J. c. Solomons is In charge or the heau
quarters at Atlanta. The city attorney Oh
of the local organization and is running
for Congress on his activity for prohioi-
ton. The ministers have led Ialos
against blind tigers and other places
Rev. DR.. Parkhurst in New YORK, ana
have furnished the evidence to secure the
conviction of several violators OF the law:
There have been two prosecutions ol
note in Atlanta. A former sergeant VI
police was fined a thousand dollars after
a determined fight, and former patroi-
man. having been convicted of running q
blind tiger" on evidence furnished by
the Anti-Sa.oon League, was sent to the
chain gang to work on the streets with
pay a 500 fine.
The whole town. and, indeed, the entire
state. is stirred up on the subject. and the
agitation is likely to continue for some me
part Of the brewers and distillers and the
better class Of saloon keepers to defy or
violate the law. They are agreed that as
Gen. Grant once said. the best way 10
to enforce 1t. and it is only the lowest
class of groggeries that are now offend
ing. The barrooms have been turned into
soda fountains: the brewers are manufac-
turing ice. ginger ale. pop and other SOFT
drinks. and the express companies have
a monopoly of the liquor business.
Importation Of Liquors.
Prohibition cannot be effective here.
however, unless Congress enacts one Of
the several laws that have been proposed
to prohibit the shipment of liquors from
one state into another. The newspapers
tell us that a majority of the judiciary
committee OF the Senate, to which the
subject has been referred. have reported
that such legislation is in violation of
the Constitution The southern people
are strict constructionists, usually. and
the lawyers in this section are almost
unanimous in their opinion that the po-
lice power of the state gives them the
right to control the traffic in poisons, in
explosives, in adulterated foods. in in
sanitary merchandise and in alcoholic
liquors when they are shipped into their
territory from other states. They argue
that Congress would not oppose law
prohibiting the delivery Of yellow fever
germs or deadly poisons in express pack
ages. and declare that intoxicating liquors
come within the same category. But l
notice that the opinions on this question,
| like those on every other subject, usually
conform to the wishes Of the persons who
deliver them.
| There is not the slightest doubt about
| the large shipments of liquors into Geor-
| gia from Chattanooga. Jacksonville.
| Louisville, Cincinnati. Baltimore. New
York and other cities. AS l wrote you
| from Augusta. nearly all the passenger
trains carry an extra express car for
with beer and whisky: but the express
companies will not handle jugs any long
er, because they are so easily broken.
Increase in Postal Business.
Mr.. Blodgett. the postmaster at At
lanta, tells me that he sold s.. 100 more
money orders in February. 1908. than in
February, 1907, and that the increase
from the 1st of January to date has been
about 5000.
Mr.. Blodsett tells me that Atlanta does
twice as much postal business as she Is
entitled to. considering her population.
Atlanta stands No. 43 in the list of cities
according to population. "a In the list OF
post offices according to amount of bust
ness done, and IA in the amount of sec
ond class matter handles, which is due to
the fact that the city is being great
publication center
There has been a decided increase in
the amount Of mail handled since tho
enactment Of the prohibition law, which
consists Of the circulars of whisky
dealers in New York. Chicago. Cincin-
natl, St. Louis, louisville. Chattanooga
and other cities. The newspapers are
filled with advertisements Of liquor
dealers In different cities, and have in
creased their rates for liquors ads. from
9l cents an inch, which was charged be-
fore the LIST Of January. to 81 .48 an inch
This increase applies to liquor dealers
take their advertisements at any price.
Money Sent Away.
The opponents Of the law are making
a strong argument out of the amount Of
money that is being sent out of the city.
1t is asserted that the sum Of 1927 600
was sent to Chattanooga last month from
Atlanta alone in payment for liquors, and
| that not less than $4,000 has been ex-
pended there since the LIST of January.
| This may be an exaggeration. but there
| is no question that the express trade is
very large and is likely TO continue in
| definitely. The prohibitionists argue that
Congress owes it to Georgia, to Kansas
and to other prohibition states to prevent
this interstate jug trade by forbidding
the shipment Of liquors into territory
where the traffic is forbidden by law They
| are very much In earnest about this mat
| ter and that accounts for the activity of
| senators and representatives in Congress
| from this section.
| The agitation is not without it's humor.
| The funny men of the newspapers are
| directing their jokes at prohibition, the
comic papers are filled with cartoons.
| and some of them are very good. For
| example. here is a little poem that is
| worth reprinting:
Lay the jest about the julep in the camphor
balls at last,
For the miracle has happened and the olden