The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-28


 jurors are not in sympathy with the law that makes the selling of liquor felony.
 Statutory Prshibisien.
 Mississippi, for many years the bat tleground of the prohibition and liquor forces. also has been removed from the center of agitation, statutory prohi. bition having become an established fact at last winters session of the State Legislature. Under the terms of the compromise that was arranged between the anti ti-prohihitionists and the Anti-saioon league. every saloen In the State will close its doors the last day of the present year. since the passage Of the new law there have been no renewals of licenses.
 The only trouble the prohibitionists have is to conquer the blind tiger" and tilts will be no small undertaking The ahti-saloon forces assert that they are firmly entrenened and are prepared to assist in the effective enc foroement of the law. Misslssippt for some time has been in the list of the near prohibition States, through the operation of the local option laws in the counties. In practically the whole state the sale or liquor mas been re- stricted. The i've counties in which whiskey and beer is now legally sold will become dry" the last day of this month
 The prohibition advocates in Louisi- ana have suspended their ngnt tempo- rafily. in order to test the eficiency Of the Gay-shattuck law. which goes into effect Jan. 1. After strenuous ! temperance campaign throughout the state, public sentiment finally settled us,on the new law. which, If enforced I iiteFallys will reyoluttoniEe the saloon interests of LouislaIa. If 1t does not cope with what the prohibition advo- cates demand, In the method of regu- lating the liquor traiflcs a Statewide prohibitlon campaign is inevitable. one of the most important provisions of the law is that after Jan. 1, no sa- loon will be allowed within 800 feet of a church or school building. This clause win provoke stubborn fight In the courts.
 The Attorney General of the state holds that the 300-foot measurement shall be on an airline between the nearest points of ths saloon and the church or school Other authorities contend that the measurement should be made along the street fronts. The new law applies not only to new sa- | looms, but to those now existing, and | if the Interpretation placed upon the I law by the Attorney General is sus- tained, thousands of saloons through out Louisiana will be forced out of | business.
 One of the laws important provis. | ions Is that saloons having receipts Of Ss0, ,000 year shall pay a license of Y S1, 500 The license fees are In seven classes. the lowest being s2oo for sa- l loon having less than S5,000 receipts. Statistics of the Anti.Saloon League show that as a result Of their cam paigns during the past year. three | hfths of the States total area In which more than one-half of the population dwsils. was transformed Into "dry" territory The new Louisiana liauor law stands out unique against liquor laws in many of the Southern States Among other things. 1t provides that no person who | has been convicted of q felony in any State or county shall be granted lt- duor license; that severe penalty shall be imposed upon women. girls, or boys. found working fn saloons, a practice heretofore common in Louisiana's saloons; that joint saloons for whites and negroes wilt not be tolerated. a saloon keeper being required to have two bars and | two bar licenses to accommodate such trade; a heavy penalty for posting obscene pictures, signs or mottos in
 saloons. An attempt which is anticip- ! AI0d, LV tlOAtAy ahn1 Vt0SCNt ANW ~s stAS ! next sesaion of the LaGislature. prob- ably will meet with great opposition. Center of Interest. Tennessee perhaps is the chief cen- i ter of interest. among the rest of the l States where fights for Statewide pro- hibition are in progress. The last po- lltleal campaign was fought out on the | Statewide prohibition issue, and the hntis triumphed. But with renewed vig- | or the prohibitioniste have launched forth in another campaign which will 1 be fought out in the Stnte Legislature | next month, and the fight bids fair to | be sensational to a degree.
 The anti-saloonists boast that a | State. wide bill win pass the Legisia- ture, which they expect to organize ana l control by a safe majority. The local | option forces, whose accredited leader 1 is Governor M. R. Patterson, are equal l ly confident that such a bill will be de- | feated. The local option forces have |
 great asset in the backing which the 1 State machinery will lend them. 1t is | conceded that the prohibitionists have
 a majority of the next State Senate. but their control of the House remains in | doubt.
 Tn the State election last summer the
 issue was clearly defined. Governor
 Patterson championed the cause of lo- ] cal option and was opposed by former l Senator Edward Ward Carmack who | strongly advocated Statewide prohtbi- tion. The latter was defeated by nar-
 row margin. The anti-liauor adherents
 are now asserting that the recent tragic I death. of Mfr. Carmack in a street aR- | fray in Nashville, has doubly strength.
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