The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-21
nY CHARLns s. LTvINCsrON.


 Enterprise. Ala. Feb 15.-There Is being SO much said about Prohibition" on both sides that II can refarin no longer from writing on this subject; I want to be thoroughly understood. in that I am in favov of any reform that is practical; 1, e. in bringing about the reform, 1t benefits. instead of being this in an intelligent and comprehen- sive manner, 1t is necessary that I look at the matter on its four sides. which will require space.
 To begin with. we see:--Throughout the world seething unrest, conflicting interests and cross currents keep civ- flized mankind in a perpetual state of excitement. The tsntion of nerve and mind becomes more intense week by week, almost; at short intervals some startling event shakes the political and commercial world with seismic force. and men realize what accumulated clements of disaster Turk beneath the surface of society. Politicians. while they strive to modify the course of these forces, frankly admit they can not thoroughly control them or fore tell their results.
 In the confusion of endless theories. proposals, experiments and prophecies, on two points the greatest thinkers are agreed. On the one Nhand they see impending a great catastrophe which shall convulse the whole world and shatter the present structure of poli- tical and social life, the forces of destruction having to exhaust them selves before the formative ones can reconstruct the social fabric on 6 surer foundation.
 On the other hand they agree that never did nations more long for peace or more clealy, see the duty and advantages of cultivating unity and fraternal concord, than at the present moment
 It is the same throughout the civ ilized world. All intelligent people see the dilemma more or less clearly, but few have anything to suggest as remedy. What then, Is the secret of this alarm over the approaching doom or system under which nothing can De done properly without doing it twice, which can do no business with out overriding it. which can produce nothing without overproduction, which In land full of want cannot find em- ployment for strong and eager hands and finally which gets along at all only at the cost of a total collapse every few years. followed by a finger Ing convalesence.
 Let us first inquire whether a re- turn to the old order of things. the free competitive system. is possible A brief consideration of the causes which have led to the present world wide movement for the substitution of combination in business for eompeti- lion, will surely convince any one that. of all revolutions this is the least likely to go backward As we see that the first great group of busi- ness enterprises which adopted the principle of combining instead of com petition. made it necessary for every other group sooner or later to do the same or perish. For as corporation Is more powerful than the individual. SO the syndicate overtops the corporation.
 The action of governments to check this logical necessity, of economical evolution can produce nothing more eddies in current which nothing can check.
 Every week sees some new tract of what was once the great open sea of competition, wherein merchant ad- ventures used to fare forth with little capital besides their courage and come nome loaded,--every week now see some new tract of this once open sea 1nclosed, damned up, and turned into the private fish-pond of a syndicate.
 So great an economic change as js involved in taking the conduct of the countries industries out of the hands or the people and concentrating them In the management of few great trusts. could not of course be without important social reaction: (and this is