The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-18
Madison County Is
 Sore on Prohibition

proceeds of the dispensary7 The city | schools received their quota of the l $5,000 apportioned by the county superintendent among the schools of Madison. In addition there was the | approximate s20000 per annum that has been sucked from the general fund without compensation. With this the city. according to Mayor R. Earle Smith. was doing large street improve ments The city government was be- 1 ing run on a progressive basis. There was advancement instead of retrench- ment Then the city government was wreathed tn smiles.
 watch Dogs Non-plussed.
 Now 1t wears a troubled face. The watch-dogs of the treasury are non- plussed. They are beginning to search for the wherewithaI to fill the void, But 1t is too big big a void. Other cities were not nearly so hard hit in the revenue department as was Huntsville. The city tax rate has reached the constitutional limit Verify, the next mayor and aldermen will be hard put to 1t for relief
 Nothing has been done to compen- sate for the deficit in the general fund save small raises in privilege taxes. It is the idea of Mayor Smith to leave the solution of the trouble to the in- coming administration. A new mayor and board of aldermen were elected under the municipal code bill last fall and will enter office May next Mayor Smith Is not accused by any one, not even his enemies, if he has them. of shirking the exigency. For him to act would be practically forc- Ing policy on the next administra- ton that might run contrary to their own plans.
 Fortunately. Huntsville is able to improve the streets and pave the side walks by assessing the abutting property owner. This system of taxa ton Is strange to Huntsville residents, But Mayor Smith lost no time in in- troducing this feature to them. He has just begun, with the aid of his council street and sidewalk paving that calls for expenditures of about s140.o0 This will add zip and style to Huntsville's appearance. There is no worry, of course, over paying for this improvement. City installment bonds have been issued and will be issued for payment of the contracts. The bonds are being sold at par, bear ing and per cent interest.
 But 1t Is in the general budget of the city that the suffering will be felt. Policemen have been cut off. Salaries may be reduced. That kind Of street cleaning that cannot be charged Co property owners must let up considerably. And even if the next administration buckles down to the strictest retrenehment it may stili be a problem where to get the revenue.
 Echo of Mobile.
 No wonder then that the people of Madison in the majority have railed against prohibition. The majority seem to cry for local self f-gcvernment. The cry sounds like the echo of Mo- bile. Prohibition really does not seem 10 fit in this county. The dispensary had grown to be liked so that nothing would have soon taken its place if 1t had been left to vote of the county.
 The dispensary was the issue when the candidates for the last Legisla- eufe were before the people. It was & sizzling battle. Prohibition was not a factor. It is said that 1t was not considered at all. By a majority of @pout goo the dfspensary candidates wlou out, the rural vote offsetinR the neavy city majority against the dis pensary. Messrs. Kirby and Roe swere sent to the House from Madison pledged to get the dispensary for the county. They got it. and the most ranting opponents then are now it's most ardent supporters
 An Interesting incident of this 1908 campaign has proven the apparent value of the dispensary, The city forces opposed the dispensary because 1t was feared that county dispensary would take the saloon licenses com. pletely from the city treasury and the profits of the dispensary might fall Tar snort or this revenue Of course, the contrary development, and the city's share of the dispensary pro- eeeds excelled the saloon licenses, and whats more, did away with the re- polling features of the bar
 The result of that hot fight on the dispensary issue was seen in the vigil lance which the city exercised over the dispensary as 1t was operated under the control of the county board. For every appearance of graft the munich pal zealots watched but 1t Is said that none was found. Everyone was satis- ned. The dispenser was appointed by the Governor His six clerks were elected by the board Of commissioners who exercised general control over the establishment which occupied a con ventent place on the citys public square. All was orderly in the dis pensary Purchasers had to register on book kept for the purpose. Many q man who is registered there never took drink in his life except for medicinal purposes.
 But One Drunken Man,
 Merchants next door to the dispen- sary declare that in the two years of its existence but one drunken man had been seen on their premises. It served to reduce crime and intoxIca- tion, or at least drunkenness of the exhibition type. Prohibition, accord ing to most citizens interviewed here has done so far no more that the dis pensary. True. Sheriff William Mitchell relates that fewer arrests were made in the month of January last but that in the first fifteen days of February this year his arrests were plling up at the old rate and looked as If the num- Der would exceed the dlspensary re- cord. There are a few less arrests by the police than under the dispensary but the difference on the streets is not yet appreciable.
 It would seem. therefore, that the operation of a dispensary for which the people had expressed their wishes, under the pealous surveillance of the city which is to partake of the profits, thus securing a good. economical ad- ministratfon of the business free from graft, has driven home q very forcefui argument in favor of the system. The working of the dispensary has far ex- ceeded the expectations of either city or county. The county invested $l6,- 900 at the beginning in furniture and fixtures This sum brought grave questionings to the commissioners minds and fears were expressed that one an idea of how dubious were the most sangulne in the start of the dis
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