The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-28


 pne thing only has there been no ini- provement. The divorce docket is as- heavy as ever.
 slight Loophoie.
 North Carolina by majority of 4os- oo0 votes last May adopted state-wido prohibition, and the statutory law goes into effect January l. It prohibits absolutely the sale or manufacture ea any intoxicating liquors. This law is the continuation of the prohibition agi- tation in the state since 1881. The only loophole in the statute Is a sec. ton permitting the manufacture oI wines and elders from grapes. fruits or berries. which can be sold az sne @ placa of manufacture, and then oniy in sealed packages. containing not iess than two and a half gallons
 prohibition legislation dated from 1903, when q law was enacted forcing the disti1leries into incorporated towns. and granting to the counties the right ! to vote on the question of license every two years. Then followed iegls. lafion prohibiting the shipment oL lfouor from wet to dry territory within tine state and finally, the enaee- ment of the present law.
 A marvellous change In sentiment on the liauor question is shown by the fact that in a prohibition elsction hslu In 1881 prohibition was defeated es more than 100000 votes, The sale or llduor has been gradually reduced py local option in the counties; and the close of the present year finds only nalf-d cities In North Carolina win open saloons and these win be dry after December s1. Thereafter iiauor can only be obtained legally at drug store upon a physician's pre- scrfption.
 The enforcement of the law in cities and towns which heretofore have. been dry has been a difficult problem While less liquor has been sold and fewer arrests for drunkenness nave been recorded it Is an established ract that much liquor is sold ilsegaily and indictments against proprietors Of blind tigera' supplant warrants against drunken men on the police dockets. The problem of dealing with the illicit sale of liquof together with the aues- ton of a serious decrease in the revenues of the different municipali. ties as a result of stopping the saloon tax, are somewhat oafsllng to tne authorities
 Aiabanna's wide prohibition law which also becomes effective January ist, brings with 1t some alarm over the loss of revenues, the whiskey tax alone being worth approximately s1.000,00O to the state, counties and municipah- ties
 The new law Is not far-reaching in some of its phases. Before the act was passed. local option elections had previously suppressed the sale or Iiquor entirely or confined 1t to a small area There Is fear that The state wide prohibition law win not be en- forced rigidly. In the larger cities the saloon men have arranged to continue their place as soft drink establish ments. Tn those counties wherein are situated the larger cities, the liquor traffic has been reserved alone for the city. Several of the counties have al- lowed the sale of liquor under the dis pensary act, among them being Madf- son County (E1untsvillel, Barbour County, (Eufauia3, Pike County {Troy1 walker (Jasperl. and others of ths more densely populated counties.
 The AntI-SaIoon League, prime mover in the fight for statewide pro- hfbitions in anticipation of some pos- sible flaw in the proper enforcement of the new law, will probably urge the passage of a search and seizure act and of change of venue so that prose- cution may be pushed in counties out side of the locality where the law is violated.
 me WniSHSY men ueCldE0 tuAI the successful war on their traf1c Is due to the restrictions of suffrage. It is true that thousands have allowed them selves to be disqualified and 1t is con- tended that a large percentage of those disqualified or lukewarm voters are friendly to the liquor traffic.
 Birmingham is one of the large num- Der of cities in which the liquor traf- fc has been restricted by local option during the past year. Advocates of prohibition assert that it's good effects are apparent while those who opposed 1t maintain 1t has paved the entrance of blind tigers" and consequent evils. Criminal records, however, make a fine. showing for the prohibition year in the city. The number of arrests decreased 60 per cent, and deaths by violence, 50 per cent. There have also been rapid strides in business cond- tlons Buildings formerly occupied by saloons have been rented to other con- eerns.
 The authorities have encountered much trouble in prosecuting violators. Hundreds were arrested but less than a score are serving time for violating the liquor law. Teehnicalities invoked to eyade the law are said to be respon- sFble for this condition. In many eases juries have refused to convict men when the evidence was plain, and this is due to the fact that many