The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-15
STRONG ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE ISSUE Hippodrome Crowded to Hear
 the Speakers REPORTS FROM OVER STATE Bowie, Weatherly, Greer, Tomlinson and Bowman Make Addresses-St.
 Clair Man Discusses Condl-
 tlons in His Section.
REPORTS FROM OVER STATE

The defenders of the constitution ral- lied at the Hippodrome yesterday after noon 5000 strong.
 Every seat was occupied They stood in the aisles. There were against the walls five and six deep. The galleries were filled to overfowing. Upstairs they stood.
 The speakers according to the schedule, were ex-Congressman Sydney J. Bowie and James Weatherly. Col. John w. Tomlinson, however. in the beginning, made a few remarks, which were heartily cheered. He was followed by Len F. Greer of Calhoun, the Sunday school teacher of Choccolocco valley, who fired the audience with patriotic zeal Mr. Bowie followed and MT Weatherly came next. After the conclusion of these ad- dresses there were cries for Col. F. G. Bowman, who responded.
 | St. Clair Man Reports.
 Before the opening of the programme a MT. Robinson of St. Clair styling him. self a plain farmer, desired to make report.
 "Our county is all right" said he 'sWhen this agitation was begun, on &C., count of the prohibition tendency dis played by St. Clair the amenders thought they were safe in our neck of the woods. But now they know that the plain farm CTS resent their telling what we shall eat and drink and what we shall not. They shall not tell us that possum and 'taters' shall no longer grace our boards. And they will not enter our homes.
 Put St. Calir down as against the amendment. The other side is about ready to concede us the victory"
 Colonel Tomlinson made graceful speech of few words which elicited the warmest applause from the audience. MT. Greer, considered one of the best stump speakers of the state, scored great success '"rhis is the first Sunday meeting I have attended" said he q have been into the woods every day, but have always managed to get to my Sun day school class on the Sabbath. I come to you as a prohibitionist. There was never one drop of whisky in my home save what was there through the pre- scription of physician. Were this question of saloon or no saloon I would be on the other side.
 But in the fear of God tell you that this is not a moral question. It Is polit- ical. It was conceived in politics, and it's success would mean much to the distress of the people of the state and put their homes into great danger
 Greer Draws Vivid Pictssse.
 Mir. Greer referred to the cause of the amenders as ship that is about to sink He drew a vivid picture of the tossing overheard of Governor Comer and con cluded by predicting that before Saturday night Judge s. D. Weakley's body will follow that of the chief executive.
 MT. Bowie made his customary fine argument-that which was delivered with telling effect to the voters of the black belt some weeks ago and which later de- lighted the voters of Biount
 He stated in the beginning that when certain people would take away constitu- tional liberties, those to be deprived should be pardoned for inquiring the reas- on. He argued away the cry of the amenders that their defeat would bring back the saloon.
 He then declared that his challenge to Judge Weakley to name single state wherein constitutional prohibition had set tied the liquor question, or worked to the progress and morals of the people, had never been accepted. He told the story of Kansas, Maine, South Dakota, Iowa and other states.
 He argued against putting an experi- ment in the constitution concerning which there is great division of opinion.
 As Illustrating his point that prohibition is as yet an experiment, he stated that the extra session of the legislature was called not because the prohibition laws had proved successful but because in sey- eral of the counties they had proved un- successful.
 He denounced the political plot wherein the amendment was matched and spoke at length on the testimony advanced by w. c. Crumpton, son of the president of the Anti-Saloon league. to the effect that Brooks Lawrence could not postpone the election until next fall for fear that those who are at the present time disfranchised would pay their poll tax and vote against the amendment"
 He spoke concerning the right Of the majority of people to rule. and declared infamous an attempt to change that policy in Alabama.
 He declared section of the amendment to be useless and ineffective unless sup ported by the Carmichael and Fuller bills. He declared section 2, the milk in the cocoanut, the point in the case. He argued that in section 2 there Is great menace to the homes of the people, that its adoption will empower the legislature to name the home as a place where liquors shall not be stored or kept.
 Search of Bell Home.
 He then took up the search of the Bell home of Bessemer. which occurred Friday night. As an unmitigated and unwar- ranted outrage. he denounced this search.
 He took up the old search laws in Ala bama, and showed that no searches were tolerated save for stolen property or mur- der. He told, too of the law which gave the injured person a right to court suit in case the search was made on un- reasonable grounds.
 "But now they make crime of what is now not q crime-the keeping of the whisky in the home for home consump- ton. And there Is no way of punishing the enemy who has your home searched. And the sheriff. unless he acts, will be impeached. And the solicitor and the