The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-18

utterance! Here was a convention conf
posed of 1000 or 5000 earnest, patriotic del
egates from every part of the state, as
selnbled TO enter a protest, which was ut
tered in no uncertain terms against
trifling with the liberty of the citizen by
announced candidatse !. for office and
against the adoption of the proposed con-
stitutionaI amendment.
The declaration of the Montgomery con-
vention against the proposed eonstitu-
tional amendment may be epitomzed in
the humble but eloquent language of an
old farmer in our neighboring county of
Cleburne when he said: Men, fur enough
Is fur enough!"
Who is it that does not know that no
law and no constitutional amendment can
be enforced IN this state. or in any state,
which is rammed down the throat of the
people against their will at the insolent
dictate of bare majority, especially
when such laws and such constitutional
amendment tramples upon the most sa-
cred right of the citizen and authorities
the invasion of the sanotity of his home
hence the value of the conservative
declaration of the Montgomery conven-
ton for the preservation of the status
quo.
So drastic are the provisions of the Full
Ter BILL adopted by the same legislature
which submits this constitutional amend
ment to the people for adoption, that at
least one judge in the state has instructed
the gruno jury to indict the citizen for'
making domestic wine, and the governor
of our state has promised to pardon any
citizen who is convicted under the law
for making domestic wine. and yet they
would railroad the people into the adop-
ton Of q constitutional amendment, pre-
pared and submitted for the very purpose
Of making the drastic provisions of these
la US constitutional and permanent.
And so determined are the leaders of
this movement In the accomplishment of
their purpose that they are proclairning
everywhere that II they are defeated in
this movement prohibition will be disered-
tied and saloons will be opened In every
city and at eyely crossroads. Against
those hysterica, differences of announced
candidates for office, we offer the digni-
fed utterance of the Montgomery con-
vention.
Rut II 1t should turn out that the out
rageous trif1ing with the liberties of the
people with which q few designing politi-
clans and candidates for office stand con-
victed, should result in bringing about
such revulsion of sentiment in the minds
of the people OF this state as that they
should go from one extreme to the other,
and should again authorize the opening
of the saloon, the responsibility would
rest, not upon the Montgomery conven-
ton, but upon the designing politicians.
who, for selfish and personal ends, have
precipitated this issue and thereby made
shipwreck of prohibition, an issue upon
which they had expected to ride into Of
fee and continue in office.
It was like pathetic picture of self
destruction, which inspired Lord Byron
to the utterance Of what has always
seemed to me as one OF the most beauti-
full figures our language expresses
so the struck eagle stretched upon the
plain,
No more through rolling clouds TO soar
again.
Viewed his own feather on the fatal dart,
And winged the shaft that quivered in
his heart;
Keen were his pangs, but keener far to
feel
He winged the pinion that impeIled the
steel,
While the same plumage which had
warmed his nest,
Drank the last life drop from his bleed
ing breast"
JOHN B. KNOX.
Admission, October 49, 1909.