The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-23
tIks' Theatre eat Huntsville Scene Of Very Lively Farley Between
 The Two Speakers
SPRAGINS SAYS GOVERNOR
 FORMERLY SOLD WHISKY
Weakley Says There Are Several Kinds Of Local Option and PrevaiIino Kind in Alabama Is Designed
 to Restore Liquor Traffic.

Huntsville, September 22-tspecial.)- Judge Samuel D. Weakley candidate for governor on the constitutional prohibition issue and State Senator Robert F. Sprag ins, who Is regarded as one of the guber material possibilities on the anti-amend ment issue, debated the amendment in the ELK theatre tonight The theatre was almost filled and the debate was heard by over 1000 people.
 Judge Weakley took occasion to state that he was the author of the Fuller hill and said that he had spent night after hlght boring over it and shaping 1t up so that it would purify the state.
 Senator Spragins incidentally told Ji,doe Weakley that if he had tied his political aspirations to the constitutional amen.- ment it would take Fuller-Iieker 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 a quarter for reply and Judge Weakley quarter of an hour for re- joinder Judge Speake introduced the speakers aa being two of the brightest and most prominent in Alabama
 The appl-ase s,ven both speakers was most libora. 5ush several times during the address ci -aso Weakley there were misses and el, eal4 tnI cheers for sprag- | ins.
 Review Of Police Provisions.
 Judge Weakley opened by reviewing the Nr,If1
 constitution of the state and said that compared to the saloon, lottery which is forever barred from the state is A blessing sent from heaven He deride5 the prohbitionists in the state who are not ready to embody their principles in the constitution
 He enumerated the classes that assem. bled in Montgomery and said some of those who attended that affair were dis pensary advocates. some for prohibition. While others of them stand for the re- establishment of the old-time saloon. He declared himself as being against the liquor traffic root and branch. He said the adoption of the statewide bill was not a Violation of the confidence of the peo- ple but on the other hand the legislature was following the trend of public sentf- ment. The anti-race track gambling and the lottery sections of the constitution were mentioned as parallels of the pro- posed prohibition amendment. He said the amendment is necessity because un- der present conditions there is no such thing as beat or county sovereignty It will stand for the protection of the laws against the assaults of organized bands of lawbreakers in this state such as bogus clubs, near-beer saloons and the mean devices with which the violators are all too familiar. The stringent proh- bition laws having been passed for the purfication of the morals of the peopla of the state, Judge Weakey said he now stands for the adoption of the amendment so that the last capstone could be put upon the peace and quiet of the law abiding people.
 Record of MT. Spragins.
 He reviewed the record of Mir. Spragins on the dispensary question and claimed that MT. Spragins was weak in his advocacy of that institu- ton. He had no kick specially against the saloons and no specal shou for the dspensary. Replying to Judge Weakley's question, Senator Spragins said he voted against the state-wf5le bill in 1907. Judge Weakley charged that all the people of the state who are off color in politics were in sympa- thy with the Montgomery convention and hoping for a return of the saloons to the state. In October 1908. he charged Senator Spragins saw that prohibition was a paramountS -,,e soon to be decided upon by a voteN the people. He charged that MT. Spra.ins wants to be governor. and was here in- terrupted by prolonged calls for Sprag- ins.
 He said there are several kinds of local option and the prevailing kind in Alabama at present is that which Is designed as a scheme for the restora- tion of the liquor traffic. He asked Senator Spragins whether he stood for local option, whether of the beat or county unit, and how many elections he proposed to have before the ques- tion is finally decided.
 He asked Senator Spragins if he op- posed the Carmichael bill because of Its club provisions He then asked tn e senator to tell in his own time how he would vote if the liquor question ever resolved itself down to a question be- tween statewide prohibit and sa- looms.
 Denounces Dispensay System.
 He denounced the dispensary system of handling liquor rotten and in variably voted out by the people who establish it as soon as they get the opportunity. South Carolina was cited as an example. Tn Madison county. he said, you people had a test of the revenue of the dispensary but you ,~d { not have it long enough to realize the great evil of the system"
 He claimed that nearly every Aga bama county that had dispen ries had done away with them before the pro- hibition law was thought of. That system, he said, is no way to procure temperance. He asked who made the ~{ +1x 4
 CONTINUED ON PAGB kl