The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-01-04
V|CKSBURG IS DRY
BUT NOT WORRYING
Ferry to the Louisiana Side Is
Very Convenient
NEW LAW MAY BE TESTED
investigation Is Being Made of Fire at
lndianola, Which Is Believed to
Have Been lncendlary-Few
New Industries Begin.
NEW LAW MAY BE TESTED

Jackson. Miss. January Especial ,
Hon. T. r. Foster of Vicksburg rep
resentative from Warren county in the
legislature, and who was the acknowl-
edged leader of the anti-prohibition forces
during the last session, at which time the
statewide prohibition laws were enacted
and every saloon in the state was ordered
closed on the last day Of the year 1908,
was in Jackson today. He states that
the saloon keepers of vicksburg have
obeyed the law according to the con-
struetion placed on it by the attorney
general-that they closed their places of
business on the night of December 80,
and that it was impossible to buy a drink
of whisky in that old town on the 31st.
Mr.. Foster declares that some of the
whisky men in vicksburg did a monster
business the last few days of the year.
having sold $4,000 to $4,000 worth of
goods. He was of the opinion that pro-
hibition was not going to bother any true
Vicksburger, as they all bought enough
to last them four years before the town
went dry. All others will have the privi-
lege of crossing the river to Louisiana
for their booze. The ferryboat Is there,
ready for business, but it is confidently
predicted that ere the hot summer time
rolls around the capacity of the boat will
have to be enlarged or two or three new
ones added to the fleet.
Mr.. Foster may yet institute proceed
ings to test the prohibition law, being of
the opinion that where saloon had IL
cense to do business for a year it should
have been permitted to continue in bus
mess till the license expired He finds
reason for this in section 8. chapter 11s,
and in section 8, chapter 115. which are
to the effect that existing rights and
offenses are not affected"
However. Attorney General Stirling has
advised him to the contrary. Mr. Fos-
ter may endeavor to get the proposition
before the supreme court.
w. J. Miller deputy insurance COM
missioner, has just returned from Indian
ola, where he went to look into and in
vestigate the cause and the origin of a
Ere that destroyed three or four build
ings there week ago. The occupants
of the four buildings were four persons
gagged in merchandising and keeping res
taurants. 1t was these four and their
kith and kin the insurance commissioner
had to depend on for testimony, and came
back home knowing just about as little
as when he left. 1t is generally under
stood that the fire was of incendiary orr
gin-nobody seems to doubt that propo-
sition-but the name of the individual
who applied the match will perhaps never
be known.
Fires have become so very frequent here
of late that the state insurance commits
sioner has found it necessary to place an
otner detective in the field and William
]. Ligon of this city was sent to Vicks-
burg and vicinty yesterday to look after
losses that have been sustained there dur
ing the past few days.
Judging from the cash receipts at the
office of the secretary of state there has
been little doing in the charter line dur
ing the month of December and conse-
quently few new industries must have
been inaugurated. The receipts at the
office II the secretary come mainly from
charter fees, which range from SO to $3.50.
Ordinarily, a year ago, the secretary
turned into the state treasury on this
account about $4,000 per month, but for
December his payment was only s72O.
Inquiry develops the fact that there
have been fewer charters than for sew
eral years, and that those that have been
filed were of small concern. Scores of
them have been for Farmers union ware
houses and of very few concerns that are
capitalized at more than $4,000. 1t was
thought, couple of months ago be-
cause of little squirt in the charter bus
mess, that business was picking I'D. but
there seems to have been another halt
on new industries That there has been
a revival of general business conditions in
the state there is no doubt but it seems
to be due more to a resumption of bus
mess by idle concerns than to the estab-
lishment of new ones