The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-23
DEBATE DRAWS
LARGE CROWD
Constitutional Amend
Is Subject,
SENATOR SPRAGINS cHEERED
Judge Weakley Defends Governors
Measure In Fine Address.
His Rival Scores Freauentiy with
Statements Not to Be Refuted.
Refers to Brooks
Lawrence.
by ROY L. o,NEAL,

Judge samuel ". Weakley. candidate
for Governor on the Constitutional
Prohibition Issue. and State Senator
Robert e. Spragins. who Is regarded as
one Of the gubernatoriaI proba bilities
on the Anti-Amendment issue, debated
the amendment In the Elk Theatre to-
night. The seating capacity was al
most filled and the debate. was heard
by over a thousand people.
Judge Weakiey took occasion to
state that he was the author of the
Fuller bill and said that he had spent
night after night pouring over IL and
shaping II up 30 that 1t would purify
the State.
Senator Spragins incidentally told
Judge Weakiey that II he had tied his
political aspirations to the Constitu-
tional Amendment 1t would take q Fni-
Ter ticker" search warrant to find
him, after the election.
Judge Paul Speake presided over the
debate as referee and announced that
Judge Weakley would be allowed one
hour for opening, Senator Spragins an
hour and q quarter for reply and Judge
Weakley auarter-hour tor rejoinder.
Judge Speake introduced the speak
ers as being two OF the brightest and
most influential men in Alabama.
The applause given both speakers
was most liberal. though several
times during the address of Judge
Weakley there were Kisses and cat
calls and cheers for Spragins.
Judge Weakley opened by reviewing
the police provisions that are already
in the Constitution of the State and
said that compared to the saloon. a
lottery which IL forever barred from
the state. is blessing sent from
Heaven. He derided the prohibition
lists IN the State who are not ready
to embody their principles In the Con-
stitution.
He enumerated the classes that as
sembled In Montgomery and said that
| some OF those who attended that at.
fair were dispensary advocates, some
for prohibition. while others Of them
stand for the re-eetebiishmept of tbs
old time saloon. He declared hsnasel,
as being against the liquor trAfsis
root and branch: he said the ad0ptfot
| tion OF the confidence OF the people
but on the other hand the Legislature
was following the trend OF public sen.
timent.
The anti-race track gambling ant
lottery and the lottery sections of con-
situations were mentioned as parallels
of the proposed prohibition amend
| ment. He said the amendment Is q ne
cessity because under present condi-
lions there Is no such things as beat
or county sovereignty, It will stand fol
the protection Of the laws against the
assaults of organized banda of law
breakers in this State. such as bogus
clubs. near beer saloons and the mean
devices. with which the violators are
all too familiar. the stringent prohibi-
ton laws having been passed for the
- h.
pie of the State.
IL q capstone.
Judge Weakley said he now stands
tor the adoption of the amendment &c
that the last capstone could be put W
on the peace and quiet of the law -abtd'
ing people. He reviewed the record o.
Mr.. Spragins on the dispensary ques'
ton and claimed that Mr.. Spragins wai
weak in his advocacy of that insti'
against the saloons and no specla
shout for the dispensary.
Replying to Judge Weakley's cues.
ton, Senator Spragins said he voted
against the statewide DILL in 1907.
Judge Weakley charged that all the
people of the State who are of colo'
in politics were in sympathy with the
Montgomery convention and hoping fol
a return for the saloons to the State.
III OClOpCEs 4SVot lAO Sh&e 0cet SSA~sS'
Spraglns said. that prohibition was o
permanent issue soon TO be decided up
on by q vote of the people.
He charged that Mr.. Spragins was to
be Governor and was here interrupted
by prolonged calls for Spragins.
He said there are several kinds OF
local option and the perplexing kind In
Alabama at present was that, which IL
designed as a scheme for the restora-
he ~ Ha aQkad Gan.
ator Spragins whether he stood for To-
cal option. whether Of the beat OF
county unit and how many elections he
proposed to have before the question
is finally decided.
He asked Senator Spragins II he OPP
posed the Carmichael bill because OF
its club provisions, and asked the Sen
ator to tell in his time how he would
vote II the liquor question ever resolv'
ed itself down to q question between
statewide prohibition and saloons.
He denounced the dIspensary system
Of handling liquor as rotten and In
variably voted out by the people who
esta blished II as soon as they got the
opportunity. South Carolina was cited
as an example.
people had a test of the revenue OF the
dispensary, but you did not have II
long enough to realize the great evil Of
the system"
He claimed that nearly every Ala
bama county that had dispensaries had
done away with them before the pro-
hibition law was thought of that sys-
tenn he said is no way to procure tenn
perance. He asked who made the
most profit out out Of the Madison
county dispensary. the brewers and
distillers or the county which profited
$50, 900 out of total sales Of over a
quarter million dollars
Compliments States.
Judge Weakley complimented the
states Of Georgia. South Carolina. Ala
bama, Mississippi and Tennessee as a
domain of temperance that any king
would be proud to look upon. As to
the charge that there is no penalty in
the proposed amendment, he elaine i
penalty not necessary. a constitu-
tional clause being no place for penal
ties, this matter he said should be
left to the Legislature. by forever pro-
hibiting the state from licensing the
liquor traffic. He said the question
would no longer be one involving
finance and agitation. for re-esta blish-
ing the traffic would cease for all
time. He went into an explanation of
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