The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-05-19
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Prohibition in Warrior.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald;
The following information regarding
conditions at Warrior since prohibition
went into effect has been secured from
most reliable sources. Believing this
statement of present conditions VIII be
of interest to your readers, l trust you
will find space for 1t in the columns OF
your valuable paper.
For several years prior to July i 1871
there we're four saloons at Warrior
coal mining town % miles north of Biz
n,inaham. with a population Of ABOUT
1ooo within the corporate limits, and an
otber thousand within a radius oil TWO
miles During those years it was not
,,or,r,on 10 see 40 or so drunken men
in town on the evenings OF the reg ui'l
nav dav at the mines and the rallroau
OFFICIALS frequently found it necessary u
nnt speciaT deputy sheriffs on their trains
- nrotect passengers from the disorderly
crowds going bach to the mines
rha town government was in the hahos
80 tho friends of the liquor traHle anu
orrests for drunkenness were not hiaue
Ices the conduct was so outrageous tha1
E. q could not be overlooked. Not"llNs '''iie-
H., this the records show that arrests
tor drunk and disorderly conduct ran as
hiqh as y in one month. Dfuilhen me-,
-,s,ro through the streets, Yelling anu
&c Guns was so common that II was
- aonsidered safe for decent cltzens
- an the streets after nlghtlaii'
s,oot,ne scrapes and killings were mum
- Labor at the mines was lhVar-
III, in a demoralized condition on Sal
nrdavs and Mondays on account u
SUMMER of men drunk or recovering L
+ho effects of being drunk. business u
-, lind except that of the Saloons
,o,suished and conditions generaiy "eio
90 had as to be intolerable
,,,,o legislature was appealed to ana d
aatoi law was passed closing the Sd
,aons This law took effect July J. i'o',
s,v months earlier than the cios''s
III the saloons in Jefferson county an
{, snite of the fact that liquors
- thar time be easily optalileu
p,,..,i,otan and other places ana III
-, - the determined and persistent
.ssor+s of the whisky crowd TO uisei eui'
49, law the good effects were at. onee
oorsnt Since that time town ohie i"i9
~ ba,iave in prohibition have peeh
I'D thew have not hesitated TO
taka whatever steps were HeOe9S
,omnel respect and obedience 10 '"e law
soft drink stands, the best hidlhs places
Cor hind tigers, were cut out by Ii'ei''S
so high that no one could ahord 10 pay
:. No attention was paid TO howls OF
,,,hires about spies and sneaks, but by
:, irdicious use of detectives the regular
.,trors of the illegal seller were DIS
f,.o,oa and located and used as Wit
,asses and a few timely hints TO the
witness or his friends about the Gan
GERS of perjury has usually resulted IN
bringing out the facts so clearly that
hero could be no question about conVlc-
ton.
The town at the present time is an
solutelv free from disorder. Not single
arrest for drunkenness has been made
,,4thin the corporate limits in the last
forr months. Not a drunken man has
boon seen in Warrior in weeks. The
most hardened liquor advocate Will not
claim that anything intoxicating can now
he bought in Warrior.
In spite of the panic business conditions
have improved. A new church has Just
been finished and material for another
Is heing hauled to the lot. Two thousand
llneal feet of cement sidewalk has been
laid in the last 80 days.
The schools have never been better
than at the present Water works and
a. lighting plant are being talked of.
There is a strong probability that an ex-
tensive clay working plant will be To-
Gated there in the near future and other
industries will come to get the benefit
Of Warriors splendid natural advant-
ages. An era of Improvement and pros
perity is on. The people of this end of
the county are fully convinced that a
prohibition law is an all around good
thing. Further they believe that as cit
liens Of the great county Of Jefferson
they have an interest in what is being
done in other parts of the county They
feel Inundated and indignant at the re-
ports constantly being sent out of open
violations of law in Birmingham and 9TH
err plans. G. S. BISSELL.
Birmingham, May IS, 1909
No Chance for Senator.
Springfield, ILL.,, May 1S.-On the S8th