The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-22
LAWRENCE REPORTS ON ALABAMA FIGHT Says Politics Caused Defeat Of
 Amendment PLANS FOR HE FUTURE Assures National Anti-SaIoon Leaque Alabama Will Yet Write Perpetual outlawy of Liquor Traffic
 Into Constitution.
PLANS FOR HE FUTURE

Chicago, December 2l.-tspecial.)-A summary of the work done in Alabama by the Rev. Brooks Lawrence during his two years stay in that state, which was contained in an official report to the Anti-Saloon League of America, Decem- Der ', was made public here today and contains some interesting reading Mir Lawrence's report dwells at length on the conditions which existed in Alabama just before and during the memorable campaign resulting in the defeat of the propoey prohibition amendment to the constitution.
 1t is very evident from the report of the Alabama superintendent of the Anti Saloon league that he differs with Gov ernor Conner in his opinion of why the amendment was beaten. It will be re- called that about three weeks before the election Governor Conner issued statement in which he daried that his administration was wrapped up in the proposition to change the organic law of Alabama In fact. the governor denied that it was an administration measure. and said it was a moral issue. On the other hand it Is interesting to note that Mir. Lawrence virtually charges the pres ent administration in ths: state with the responsibility for the amendments defeat
 For instance. Mir. Lawrence says: The election of last Monday week ago was unfortunate in many respects. We had it set as a special proposition for vot- ing in order that we might eliminate pol tiles. Instead of that our opponents threw the question into a poh.lcal en- vironment from which We could not di- vorce it and 1t was so burdened that those of us who were oh the ground cannot marvel at it's defeat.'
 MT. Lawrence makes the sensational charge that the most gross forms of corruption were carired at various points in the state. and declares that we have about sO010 qualified votes ill Alabama today. There were about 1l5.- 0oo votes cast in the election" Not the least interesting feature of his report is a yelled threat that tae Anti-Saloon league forces will yet ''wsite perpetual outlawry on the liquor traffic into ous organic law"
 The report in full of Mir Lawrence follows:
 Complete Report.
 "Anti-Saloon League Of America Tues
 day. December :, 1909. Report for Ala
 bama by MT. Lawrence.
 MT. Lawrence: MT. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Convention-Our re- 
 all the reports. We left the Norfolk convention facing an election in Jeffer- son county, a local option election in Jefferson county. Alabam. in which is located Birmingham, our principal city. The county gave a majority against the saloons of 17s6. Immediately following this there were number of the smaller counties where elections were held. The sentiment of the state was turned loose ufuea ZxFFifI a prohibition and our legislature having convened in November of that year for other purposes. necessitsted that the passage of a statewide prohibition bill should have two-thirds vote of the mem bers of our two houses. If is unneces- sary to go into detail. Tie fact that Jefferson county. the metropolis of Ala bama with its population Of almost ev- cry nation under the sun that we find fin our American municipalities, would give such a majority against the liquor traffic crystalized the sentiment of that state until statewide prohibition was made by almost unanimous vote or the two houses. (Applause)
 sWe had to pay the penalty of success success that came too easy Immediately following the passage of the statewide prohibition law and its going into effect. the blind tiger" the so-called social D.. DSSt~aa to multiply For something over year we combatted these as best we could with our weak and ineffective law enforcement measures Then our governor, who had been converted to the cause Of pro- hiDition after his election and inaugura- ton. for the sake of protecting our pro hibition conditions, issued a call for special session of our legislature to meet this year on July IT,
 Constitutional Amendment.
 "A question Immediately came up with reference to the submission of a consti- tutional amendment. and those people who have the glorious hind-sisht tl al- ways know when a thing is wrong are talking very loudly now, where there was silence on this subject prior to our cleo ton one week ago yesterday. with the exception of a few whose discenment and wisdom is today unquestioned. The large majority of our people in Alabama felt that 1t was the thing to do, and the call for constitutional amendment was submitted with the other subjects for legislation to our legislature in special session There was a terrible fight be- fore the legislature. It became evident that Alabama to see what it had never before a concentration of liquor money. of liquor energies in an effort to overcome and prevent the writing into
 
 biton of the liquor traffic. 1t was ap- proved by the necessary three-fifths mem- bers of the two houses of our legisla- ture.
 We enacted two very drastic law en- forcement measures, one known as the Fuller law and one as the Carmichael law one of which re-enacted the state wide prohibition law And those two measures were so effective that one day before they were signed and had be- come the law of the state of Alabama. the social clubs and the blind tigers who had been notorious in their violations closed their doors, and they continue closed until this day Applause.) I am exceedingly anxious that this word shall go out over the United States of America Cannot Marvel At Defeat. "The election of last Monday week ago was unfortunate In many respects. We had 1t set as a special proposition for voting in order that we might elimi- nate politics. Instead of that our oppo- nents threw the question into political environment from which we could not divorce it,. and it was so burdened that those of us who were on the ground can not marvel at it's defeat
 ''I want tc say further: We have about 900 GOO qualified votes in Alabama today. There were about 1150o0 vote cast in the election. The most gross forms of cor ruption were carried on at various points in the state. and the issue, though we sought to hold 1t fairly and squarely be- fore the people as liquor or no liquor, was so enveloped in opposition to our present state administration. which was with us in this light. as to completely Fro Of r,ttr ovAn ant dr