The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-10
FAILURE OF LAW MEANS MORE FEES I. H. Motion Writes About the
 Fuller Bill TROUBLES OF LANDLORDS Says People Are Paying Dearly for the Trlumphs of the Politica
 Set Now on Crest of
 of Wave.
To the Editor of The Age-Herald.

To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
 Further on the subject of that part of the Fuller bill which makes it crime and provides for the punishment of a landlord or agent for the act Of his tenant in violating the liquor law: In accepting your definition of tho law and the interpretation put upon it by the sheriff, l must say that this law simply goes to show to what extent one set of human beings will go 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 governor. which was suf- fcient 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 an absurdity.
 am no lawyer but it appeals to me a common sense proposition that a man cannot be guilty of crime without in- tending to commit such crime.
 
 Chief Deputy Brown. he informed me that landlord or agent being once put on notice by the sheriff that a ten ant has illegally disposed of liquor, the landlord or agent must annul the lease and have the tenant vacate the prem 1 ises. To this proposition l referred | to the fact that on one occasion I had advice from Judge Weakley that 1t is not an easy matter for a landlord to eject a tenant, where the tenant is in possession under a contract The ad- vice as I remember it was that courts are very liberal to the tenant In the construction of contracts when a land lord undertakes to terminate a lease for some technical violation of the contract.
 This Fuller bill will, in all proba- our supreme court. If not, the next legislature will repeal 1t because by that time the absurdity of the law will have been demonstrated and made plain. Then, if the prohibition crowd still controls the balance of power. the legislature will appropriate anoth CT $50,oo0 to pay attorneys to write other bills; and every time unconstitutional bills are passed or ineffective laws are created, paves the way for another ap- propriation to pay for extra sessions and special attorneys fees. Good for the special attorneys!
 Where this political business will end, God only knows. But there is one thing very certain: the people are pay ing very dearly for the political tri- umphs of the chosen set
 I was very much impressed with statement made by MT. L. Sevier before a meeting in the Chamber of Commerce recently. and he was not speaking 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 stated that he had travelled very much in tho last two years, and nowhere in the entire United States had he found conditions so bad as he finds them here.
 No one believes that the financial panic has done more to hurt Blrming- ham than other places. Our banks show large deposits and money is easy; so there must be some other cause. I say that our trouble Is too much politics, too much agitation, too much so-called prohibition This last set of prohibition laws will doubtless prove bonanza to the sheriff. and may make governor and United States senator. but the people are pay ing the price.
 When prohibition was voted on two years ago, I heard many say that they voted favorably on the question In order to give the law a fair trial. and if 1t proved failure they would favor a repeal sof the law. Now, we have had a trial and by the passage of the new laws 1t was admitted that the first laws proved a failure, and I be- lieve these new laws will be another 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 tho state, it undertakes to deprive men of personal liberty. and makes politicians of our preachers.
 If prohibition has proven a failure. then let the men of Ala bama go to the polls on the election day in November and registered their votes against put ting the law into our constitution, and at the same time be casting a vote against the candidates of the prohibit tion party, once known as the demo- cratic and conservative party. In conclusion I want to say that I hope a goodly number of representative men will go to Montgomery on the 18th and join others there in discussing what shall be done to check this polit- ical wave that is doing so much in- jury to the business interest of our state. I see that mass meetings or conventions have been held in other counties to select men to go to this meeting in Montgomery. do not know who has any better right to call meeting in Jefferson and suggest that The Age Herald call such meeting without delay. Respectfully,
 T. H. MOTION. Iis.roin nhann Senfamhar a 1QQQ