Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1908-05-20
TALKS ON PROHIBITION:
-FOUR MONTHS OF PROHIBI.
TON gin ATLANTA"

Ing and Important Statements In Regard
to the Effects Of Prohibition and En-.
foreement of Law.
The feature of last evenings
session of the State Sociological
Society was a paper read by Re-
corder Nash Broyles on -Four
Months of Prohibition in At
lanta."
This is the first official utter
ance about the effects of prohibi.
ton in the city since the new law
went into effect.
The society devoted last evening
to the prohibition question, and
the matter was thoroughly dis
cussed.
Rev. John E. White, DR.. L. O..
Hartman and Hon. A. F. Rod.
denberry also spoke.
Recoder Broyles' paper, which
was listened to with marked at
tention,.was as follows:
Mr.. President and Members of
the Georgia State Sociological
Society, Ladies and Gentlemen:I
have been requested by your honor
ed president to address you briefly
this evening on the subject, -Four
Months of Prohibition in Allan
ta," I accepted with pleasure the
honor of speaking to such a body
of thinking men, and, in the be-
ginning, I promise all here that
if "brevity is the soul Of wit" my
paper tonight shall be exceedingly
witty. As you know, the state
prohibition law went into effect
on January l last and up to May
l Atlanta has had exactly four
months of prohibition. The
police court is undoubtedly the
best place in our city to judge of
the results Of such q law, and
whether or not it is being enforced.
Atlanta has always been noted
for her obedience to law and
order. Her arresting officers have
often been criticised, and in my
humble opinion, unjustly so, for
making so many arrests of drunk
en- people upon her streets and
highways. These critics say that
in many other cities a man can
become intoxicated and reel and
stagger along the. streets, among
women and children, without any
fear of arrest unless he becomes
obstreperous and violent, and,
that 50 1t should be in the metro
polls and the Gate City of the
South. What a spectacle for our
women and our children! What
al example for our rising genera
tion! Thank God. we have a
higher standard in Atlanta! No
man, high or humble, rich or
poor, public official or private cit
izen, can so disgrace himself and
tarnish the fair name of our city
without being hailed to the justice
seat and paying the penalty-and
this, not harshly to punish the
drunkard himself-for we have
only sympathy for his weakness
but to keep him from committing
greater crimes as he is liable to
do IN his intoxicated condition,
and, also, to make our streets
safe and slightly for our women
and children.
This has been the policy of our
police department when the open
saloon was with us, and it has
been even more strictly enforced
since the saloon left US.
Is the prohibition law enforced?
I cannot speak for other cities in
Georgia, but 1 say emphatlcally
and deliberately that in Atlanta
prohibition is enforced as absolu-
tely as any other law on our
statues. Some "blind tigers"
there are, but they are not run
ming openly, and definitely. In
stead they are hidden tremblDgly
in their darkest lairs and creep
ing about in abjecs fear of the
law.
There is, however. in the opinion
of all the officials of the criminal
courts Of Atlanta. n serions de-
feet in the prohibition law, and
that is the failure to state the OK
act amount of alcohol in a bever'
age that will outlaw 1t. Under q
recent decision of the Georgia