The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-23
SPECIAL LAW ID
 STOP SHIPMENTS This Necessary Says PoStmaS-
 ter General Meyer
BUT JOE STANDS PAT
And Chances of Congress Preventing Shipment of Liquor Into Prohibit ton Territory Exceedingly
 Slim---Underwood to WeakIey

letter to Judge Samuel D. Wealley
 in reply to number of questions indi-
 cates that Congressman Oscar w. Under
 wood is in favor of passing a law pre- venting the shipment of liquor from wet territory Into prohibition territory, and he believes the House would pass it by
 a good vote if Cannon were not on the
 lid.
 Judge Weakley wrote to Congressman Underwood asking his cooperation in stopping the circulation of advertisements of liquors, bowie knives and murderous
 weapons, which have been flooding Ala
 bama recently. Here is MT. Underwood s
 reply:
 MT Samuel D. Weakley, Birmingham: My Dear Sir-I am in receipt this
 morning of letter from the Postmaster General in reference to your inquiries of several days ago. The letter explains itself fully and shows that it would be necessary to obtain some legislation to accomplish the results you desire. As stated to you in my former letter, l think the real evil Is allowing the ship ment of liquor from wet territory into prohibition territory, and that it is about as easy to pass a bill prohibiting the shipment of liquor as it would be to pass bill prohibiting the advertisement of liquor; in fact, the two ought to go to- gether We could pass either bill through the House if the speaker would allow 1t to come up, but at present he has got the way absolutely blocked. Sincerely yours, 70 w. UNDERWOOD" The Postmaster Generals letter follows: washington, D. C., December 4. My Dear Congressman: Your com munication of December 12, inqurlng
 whether 1t is not within the authority of
 the postofflce department to forbid the use l of the mails for the advertising of liquors
 within the prohibition territory, and if l not. what legislation will be necessary to | accomplish such result has been re | ceived.
 mrhe Postmaster General would have | no authority whatever to exclude l from the mails by order or otherwise matter of the character to which you refer. unless 1t were unmailable by req
 son of being obscene or indecent or relat- ing to a lottery or fraudulent scheme By the act approved May 27, 1908, providing appropriations for the service of the post office department for the current fiscal year, it is provided, That no part of the appropriation herein made shall be used to pay for the carrying in the mails or
 any malt, vinous spirituous liquors or intoxicating liquors of any Kind or cocaine
 or derivative thereof
 Under the authority all articles of the character specified are rigidly excluded
 from the mails; but there is no statute
 forbidding the carrying by mail of matter
 advertising any of the articles enumer-
 ated. To accomplish the result suggested
 in your letter, an enactment forbidding
 the mailing or carrying by mall of mat
 ter advertising malt, vinous, spirituous or
 other intoxicating liquors to points within
 prohibition territory would be necessary
 "The communication addressed to you
 bv Judge Samuel D. Weakley of Bir-
 mingham, bearing upon this subject Is re-
 turned herewith as requested by you
 Faithfully yours, G. " l.. MEYER,
 "Hon o. w. Underwood, M: C., House
 of Representatives"