The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-12
NEW LAWS MAKE SOME MORE FEES
T. H. Motion Writes The Birmingham Age-Hera1d of the Evil Ef-
 fects of the New Acts.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald: Further on the subject of that part of the Fuller bill which makes it a crime for the punishment of g landlord or agent for the act of his tenant ip violating the liquor law:
 In accepting your definition of the law and the interpretation put upon 1t by the Sheriff, I must say that this law simply goes to show to what hat, ex. to punish another in order to carry into effect their policy or purpose.
 As I understand 1t. the Fuller bill was written by Judge Weakley and o. Ked by the Goyernor, which was suf- ficient to make 1t pass the House and Senate. I have not heard how many members of the Legislature ever read the bill, but I have my doubts as to all of them knowingly voting for such
 am no lawyer. but 1t appeals to me cannot be guilty of \ crime without in- tending to commit such crime.
 h,a, Era this question wiss put on notice by the Sheriff. that ten. ant has Illegally disposed of liquor, the landlord or agent must annul the premises. TO this proposition I re- ferred to the fact that on oxe occasion I had advice from Judge Weakley .that 1t is not an easy matter for 2 landlord | Is in possession under a contract. The advice as remember 1t was that | courts are very liberal to the tenant in the. construction of contracts when lease for some technical violation of
 This Fuller bill will. in al probabii- our supreme Court. If not. the next | Legislature will repeal 1t because by l that time the absurdity of the law will have been demonstrated and made plain. Then, if the prohibition crowd 1 still controls the balance of power. the Legislature will appropriate another $50,00o to pay attorneys to write other biis; and every time sassSs nnsSnstisntionaa It created, .paves the way for another ap- | propriati0n to pay for extra sessions and special attornsys fees. Good for | the special attorneysl
 Where this political business will | end, God only knows. But there IS one | thing very certain. the people are pay l ing very dearly for the political tri- umphs of the chosen set.
 | was very much impressed with Q statement made by Mir. L. Sevier be- fore a meeting in the Chamber of Com merce recently, and he was k1ot speak, | ing on the subject of prohibition either. | His subject was: What Shall be Done to improve Conditions in Birmingham?" and in his discussion of the subject
 
 | in the last two years, and nowhere Tn | the entire United States had he found conditions so bad as he finds them | here.
 l No one believes that the financial panic has done more to hurt Birming- ham than other places. Our banks show large deposits and moneS is easy: so there must be some other cause. say that our trouble is too much poll | tics, too much agitation, too much so- called prohibition. This last set of prohibition laws will doubtless prove a Governor and United States Senators but the people are paying the price. | When prohibition was voted on two voted favorably on the. question in or: l der to give the law a fair trial and if 1t proved failure they. would favor a repeal of the law. Now. we have new laws 1t was admitted that the first laws proved a failure. and be- lieve that these new laws will be an- l other failure.
 The fact is that a prohibition law cannot be enforced in Alabama. It only engenders bad blood, discord and
 strife. It drives money out of the personal liberty, and makes politicians | of our preachers.
 If prohibition has proven 8 failure.
 then let the men of Alabama go to the
 polls on the election day in November
 and register their votes against put. ting the law into our Constitution. and
 at the same time be casting vote
 against the candidates of the prohibi- tion party once known as the Dem ocratic and conservative party.
 In conclusion I want to sAy that
 hope a goodly number of representa-
 the 18th and join others there in dis cussing what shall be done to check
 this political wave that Is d dqing 3srsst sS Se our State I see that mass meetings ot
 conventions have been held in other
 counties to select men to go to te1t dt
 meeting in. Montgomery; .,l,t ,l oV to caIi
 RnO% @setins MGG in na Jefferson and suggest that
 The Age Herald call I,I such meeting
 "lth"u' U T. H. Motion.
 Birmingham, Sept. 9. 1909.