The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-21
ALABAMA,s WAY.

Richmond News-Leader.
In q notable sermon preached in st.
Paufs church. Sunday, the Rev. DR.. w.
Il. Evans. now Of Birmingham, Ala.
spoke frankly of the tendency of cler-
gyman to become extreme and intoler-
ant when they undertake. to mingie in
political and secular AFFAIRS. He d.
rected special attention to the fact OF
scores Of clergymen In the capitol
building Of Alabama lobbying to force
through the Legislature q prohibition
law.
Newspapers on Saturday printed an
outline fthis law. IT is beauty and
a wonder. 1t illustrates vividly the
violence into which good people must
be carried when they undertake TO
regulate the personal affairs Of their
neighbors and fellow citizens. BY Its
provisions newspapers are forbidden TO
print not only liquor advertisements
but pictures or bottles purporting to
contain liquor or OF breweries or dis
tilleries. Every citizen 10 required to
names of all persons, from whom he
obtains liquor in any quantity. Pre-
sumably a man visiting at friends
house and invited to have a drink must
whip out his ledger and make the
transaction OF record: and guest at
q dinner party or banquet must keep
his book in front OF him and enter
carefully the name Of each waiter serv-
ting him with wine. the kind Of wine.
the quantity and the supposed price. or
cost. Sheriffs and other officers are
tn be allowed extra pay for the ex-
penses of ferreting out liquor.,and dis
covering who has 1t in possession. In
what quantities and with what fnten-
ton. OF course the law carries with
1t provision for the general right OF
search. Nothing that looks or tastes
or smells like an intoxicant may be
sold or given. however innocent II
may be.
One statesman announced himself az
favoring laws prohibiting newspapers
from publishing such matters as re-
ports Of the Thaw trial. The next nat
ural easy step following the legislation
already enacted will be, to provide a
general censorship of the press--re-
curing each newspaper to pay to have
local clergyman or other trusted CIT
ixen attend at it's Office with a blue
pencil for the expurgation Of all mat
ter not approved by his taste or sus-
pected by him Of having some possibly
Injurious effect on public morals.
We surmise and predict that time
will develop leaks and holes in the law
and that presently even more drastic
and inqulsitorial provision will be de-
manded. We have no idea that 1t will
be effective or permanent. II. however
II should succeed in banishing liquor
from Alabama and making It impossi-
BILE for anybody to obtain In that State
single drop Of spirits. wine or beer
1t would be interesting to see what the
next reformation would be. In the
neighbor State of Georgia II was SER
iously proposed to forbid by law wo-
men from wearing peek-aboo shirt
waists or open work stockings or from
riding horseback astride. Cards and
dancing probably would be the next
points nf attack. Many most excellent
people eschew these amusements and
sincerely regard them as devices ~
Satan and morally destructive. II
these citizens are to be permitted ia
regulate the conduct Of other citizens
in the matter OF the use OF intoxicants
there 10 no reason why they should not
make-new moral issues and go ahead
and put them into effect and by law
direct the dress. conduct. amusements
and general living OF men, women and
children down to the minutest and the
most intimate details. The eminent
and undoubtedly conscientious clergy
men who controlled the thoughts, acts
and legislation OF the New England
Puritans assumed such functions and