The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-08

ties, but must face the Issue squarely. The day has come when the right will prevail, but we must get behind and help push it along. The right is not coming by itself. Everyone of us must get behind this movement and each mans shoulders"
 Calls were then made for J. Lee Holloway. Mir. Holloway in respond- ing stated that he did not feel like talking, as he had been busily en- gagged all day, in the conduct of the fight for prohibition in the courts.
 T am one of the attorneys in these prohibition cases" said Mir. Holloway,
 'and I doubt the propriety of saying anything here. What I have to say
 ought to be said before jury in these
 cases But as citizen of Montgomery I want to say that this spirit of law
 lessness manifest on the streets of
 Montgomery today, is a spirit under
 mining our community. and If there is no check, anarchy andN the blackhand society will make the honest man trem- ble In his shoes.
 Now Is the time to stand together. if it be possible, to show these law less people the error of their ways. We ought to make them abide by the law. We have reached the crisis today. A blot has been put on our city that will Lake ytdTS ana y66TS tO TuO Outr us Lu6 intelligence of the occurrence will be flashed over the wires of the Associ- ated Press to every city of the United States. - John V. Smith was then called upon. MT. Smith stated that he had no in- tention of making talk when he came to the meeting, as he had come simply as a spectator. Not that I haven't decided convictions on many questions, but because I felt there were men bet ter prepared to speak upon this ques- ton than myself.
 Tt Is the duty of every law abiding man to enforce the laws on the books.
 Even if there was a question of the propriety of putting this prohibition law on the statute books. the law is now on those books. and there isn't a
 man here with the blood of white men in his veins who isn't outraged by the
 example of mob violence which took place on the streets today.
 "Our jail has become a refuge of the
 mobbed, instead of place to confine
 those who have taken part in mob vio- lence. We must therefore teach our young men and we must teach our old men, that there must be a regard for
 the law"
 Following Mir. Smith, Sam c. Starke, in pledging s1o to the cause, made
 an explanation of his views upon the question. and Robert c. Arlington, in
 making his subscription of $1o, cre-
 ated somewhat of a sensation with his | remarks.
 Mir. Arlington asked the meeting why the "big men of Commerce Street, had not given their sanction to the | meeting with their presence. He in- | quired as to the causes which might l detain the rich men of the city from the meeting; why the bankers of Mont | gomery were not in the front row of
 the auditorium, showing their position
 with regard to mob violence in Mont gomery, Speaks for Detectives.
 | Rev. Dr. N. M. Woods asked the privilege of saying something in be-
 half of the detectives who had been so outraged, while they were attend-
 ing to their legitimate business, bus
 mess recognized by the law. They had been brought here by the Law and Order League, and were simply doing their duty when they were attacked so
 boldly and outrageously. He had no sympathy with the criticisms of these | men in the newspapers and elsewhere. He also spoke of the prohibition law
 itself and criticised the newspapers for | their attitude toward 1t. He said the | newspapers were constantly declaring | that the prohibition law could not be | enforced. and that they were blame- worthy for the situation that existed | today. He argued that the papers ought to be helping the sentiment to
 enforce the law, and not encouraging
 those who were opposing it in every | way.
 when he had concluded MT. Giasl l begged the privilege of the floor tS | protest against Dr. Woods reflections on the papers. He stated clearly his | opinion. and that of The Advertiser, on | the subject of prohibition, and main l tained his belief in its correctness l and that he and the paper had the right, in all conscience, to hold that | opinion Nowhere in the Bible was
 there a commandment not to drink liquor, and Christ himself had taught
 it's proper use by example He did not believe that the permanent soIu- tion of the liquor evil was in the ab- solute prohibition of it's sale. that if 1t
 was not wrong to take liquor, there
 ought to be some. legal place where
 1t could be had. Nevertheless he wanted to see the present law en- forced, so that If the law was proved to be inefficient and unwise, a better one, like the dispensary plan, could be substituted. He reiterated his lack of sympathy with the outrage on the detectives, said that no man in Mont- gomery had suffered more from law
 lessness than he had, and that he
 hoped that the evenings display of
 sentiment would be widespread and permanent. He believed that the
 newspapers were going to do their duty just as much as anybody else, and that he was tired of hearing un- just criticisms of them.
 pr. Woods replied ibriefy that he
 had not intended to reflect on MT.
 Glass and that he was referring to
 the general run of newspapers. He
 sympathized with MT. Glass views In
 some respects but he believed that
 regulation of liquor traffic had been 8
 failure for four thousand years, and
 that there was nothing to do but to
 wipe 1t out.
 Richard Smith of Birmingham, in
 pledging $10 to the uses of the league,
 stated that he had come to the meet
 ing because he had heard of the mob
 violence on the streets during the
 early part of the afternoon, and wish
 ed to see the sentiment of the good
 citizens of Montgomery expressed in condemnation of 1t. He stated that he
 had voted against prohibition, but that
 since he statue was upon the books
 he wanted to see its clauses enforced
 just as vigorously as other laws were
 enforced.
 George H, Smith, of Fillmore county,
 asked the privilege of the floor to make a few remarks. Mr. Smith stat ed that he had been a saloon man in Lowndes county when Rev. Bob Jones
 brought on prohibition. He stated that with the advent of prohibition he thought he had been ruined. but that