The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-15

all sections Of GeOrRla III all eiloll lo learn the effects of the prohibition law in response to a request from the editor of the Atlanta Constitution. has written his observations as follows:
 Permit me to say at the outset that my visit to Georgia in November was not inspired by any sort of curiosity nor by any purpose to criticise my neigh bors. The prohibition issue was pending in Texas At that time it seemed likely that the legislature. now in session, would submit to the people constitutional amendment prohibiting the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages. 1 felt that it was opportune to study statewide pro- hibition in Georgia, both for my own in- struction and for the information of the people of Texas I went there resolved to learn as accurately I might and to relate as intelligently as I could the facts and the conditions as I found them.
 l chose Georgia instead of any other prohibition state, because I was raised there, and knew it's people better than know the people of any other state ex cept Texas, and because Georgia is com parable to Texas in many respects. Both are southern, and both are rather more progressive than other southern states. Atlanta is much like our north Texas cities of Fort Worth and Dallas, though larger; Savannah and Augusta are much like our south Texas cities of Galveston, Houston and San Antonio. Georgia has proportionately more negroes to furnish an argument for prohibition, while Texas has proportionately more foreign popula- tion to furnish an argument against pro- hibition. I felt that if prohibition could be enforced in the cities of Georgia, we might hope to enforce it In the cities of Texas; if it could not be enforced there it would be unwise for us now to adopt 1t here.
 The Facts As to Georgia.
 I had no expectation of communicating my observations or conclusions to the people of Georgia, and I do so now only at the request of the Constitution for brief summary of what has already ap peared in the Fort Worth Record and the Houston Post. The series of 10 articles is finished in the issue of February IA.
 It Is unnecessary here to recite fig ures and details They are quite familiar to Georgia readers.
 In November Atlanta had more places for the distribution of beer than 1t had saloons under license. The liquid sold was beer of standard brands and intoxi- eating quality. In none of them was whisky sold-at least not openly-and all the whisky-selling seemed to be through bootleggers and the express companies. npa h,,xr drn of wi n Atlanta, but could buy it by the bottle with little difficulty.
 By the records of the police court, drunkenness and disorderly conduct had been very much decreased in the aggre- gate during the first 10 months of 1908, compared with the, same period of 1907, but had rapidly increased from Janu- ary. 1908, to October. 1908, comparing month with month.
 The Effect in Atlanta.
 From these facts and from various de- tails of observation too numerous to relate here, I concluded that as to the actual consumption of intoxicants in At lanta, especially whisky, there has been a considerable decrease; that the record of increasing drunkenness from month to month during 1908 may or may not im- ply recurrence to the former degree of intemperance; that high crimes have not been appreciably affected; that business has not been injured except as to the whisky traffic itself and it's incidental re- lations; that the daily violations of the law by more than 100 so-called near beer saloons and their thousands of patrons is a serious consideration in striking a bal ance between the civic advantages and the civic disadvantages of prohibition, and that it is undetermined whether Atlanta would not have made as much or more progress in temperance by the higher liquor license system about to be inau- gurated when state prohibition went into effect.
 Macon made very much better show ing for prohibition, though, strange to say some of the most active prohibi- tionists there were sorely disappointed The number of beer saloons was scarcely third of the number of saloons under license, though they sold the same stuff in the same way as Atlanta. The police court records in Macon showed a re- markable decrease in drunkenness, with no puzzling increase, as in Atlanta, from month to month of 1908. Macon is a more sedate city, there Is a smaller floating population, and Bibb county today would perhaps vote prohibition in a local op- ton contest. Therefore, I conclude that as to Macon prohibition will more and more be enforced, that the people will sus- tain 1t, that turies will convict violators of the law, and that soon the retail whis- ky and beer traffic there will be reduced to the minimum totally eliminated.
 N Law Despised in Savannah.
 In Savannah the state prohibition law was despised and was of no more effect than the decision of a college debating society. Alcoholic beverages were sold by the drink in open bar rooms without subterfuge or evasion or concealment. The Sunday law was well enforced, but that was attributable to a reform administration which had ac- complished it's purpose in this respect and in putting an end to open gambling before the state prohibition law was enacted. Moreover, Savannah has a re- markedly efficient police department which manages to outlaw the most evil saloon offenders and by periodical fines to collect some revenue for the city. When the prohibition statute went into effect, the officers made an earnest at tempt to enforce the law, but out of fifty-odd cases prosecuted, only three or four convictions were obtained, and all except one of these were for Sunday violations The juries of Savannah simply refused to convict.
 similar condition prevailed in Au- gusta, with the qualification that pros ecution had not been so earnest and the police department had not proved so efficient. The dispensary across the line in South Carolina discourages at tn fIlta In