The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1909-12-04
PROHIBITION FOR ALABAMA
Voters Are to Decide For Or
Against It.
LONG, FIERCE and Bitter FIGHT
Closing Campaign Marked BY More
Bitterness Than Any in the
History of the State. Lead
ers Divided.

montgomery, Ala.-The voters oI
Alabama will decide this week wheth
er they make the prohibition of the
| manufacture and sale of intoxicating
liquors a part of the organic law OF
the state. The question of whether
the state constitution is to be thus
amended was submitted at special
session OF the state legislature called
by Governor Conner last August. That
session was one of the most bitter
in the history of the commonwealth
and the campaign which followed
was not more peaceful
Obeying the platform which the
people endorsed at the general cleo
'tion 1906, the two houses passed
in 1907, local option bill which
held the county as the unit. The op-
ponents of prohibition fought this
act on its passage and In the larger
counties tried to prevent application.
but, they did not know how we'll off
they were, for this agitation resulted
in another move by the radical pro-
hibitionists who at special session
almost unanimously of the state wide
prohibition bill.
Again those opposed to prohibition
refused to give the law support.
Again the prohibitionists retaliated
this time by the special session of
1909, which broke all records by not
only submitting the question of the
amendment to the constitution, but
which is conceded to be the most
drastic sumptuary law ever drafted.
The bill provides for the submission
to the voters of an amendment to
forever prohibiting the manufacture
sale and keeping for sale of alco-
holic and malt liquors and other in
toxicating liquors and beverages, with
the exception that alcohol may be
sold for medical, scientific and me-
chanical purposes, and wine for sac
ramental purposes under scuh regu-
lations as the legislature may have
prescribed or may hereafter prescribe
and to declare that nothing in the
constitution of Alabama shall be con-
strued to prevent the legislature un-
der the police power from designat-
ing the place where such liquors may
not be stored or kept.
The second provision would give to
the legislature the power to prohibit
citizens from keeping liquors In their
homes, if at any time prohibition en-
thusiasm became strong enough to
demand this drastic action. The lat
ter part of the amendment is put
forth frankly to meet the recent rul-
ing of the supreme court that liquor
is a commodity swhich can be pos
sessed and stored where and in such
quantities as its owner may see MT,
so long as he does not offer 1t for
sale.
The fight during the campaign just
closed has been marked by more bit
terness than has attended any other
political issue in years. Both United
States Senators and five of the nine
are opposing the amend
ment. Gov. Conner, Lieut.. Gov. Gray
and Speaker Carmichael are support
ing it.
During the balloting. the women
served hot coffee and lunches to
voters. About half Of the 10000
voters failed to pay their poll tax,
not knowing that there would be an
election this year, consequently these
ere debarred from voting. Just which
side is affected was not known. That
the fight would be close and the re-
suit not known until the votes are
all counted goes without saying.