The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-12

He IT," said Senator Thomas from
. corner Of the room.
II take It that after joking for over
an hour on his substitute. he 10 not In
favor OF it" said Senator Merritt
That's right" said Senator Thomas
Senators he talks of making tho
Constitution dirty dish rag" contin-
uel Senator Merritt. What does be
propose to make Of the Constitution BY
his substitute? It's as light as air.
and yet II 10 exceedingly heavy. Not
content with joking about officials and
politics. he brings in the sacramsntaa
table.
HIS People Favor lt.
| II have q petition from all but two
of the citizens of my city, from the
business mon Of Union Springs, from
my whole district. and I would be re-
calcitrant from my duty, did not rise
here and ask that the Questio nof con.
stitutionai prohibition be presented to
the people.
Il have never in all my life heard
greater denunciation of that class OF
mon than that which fell from the lips
Of the Senator from Barbour, when he
criticized the ministers. When, I ask,
| did the Senator from Barbour. become
the keeper of the ministers Of the state
of Alabama? Who, under this docu-
ment (holding UP a copy Of the State
come to this body? When aid II be-
come a crime for these men to come?
did not hear the Senator denounce
those men from the East, West and
North. the brewers, coming into tho
State with barrels Of money to light
this thing. cloud applause from the
| gallery, and take II that he COM
/ M of
brewers are doing.
There's precedent laid down In this
Constitution for this provision. The
Senator says don't put It in because II
Is sum2tuary law. This Constitu-
ton contains a sumptuary law, Tread
ing lottery provisions). and the consti.
tutiona Convention In 1901 re-enactsd
this provision.
The Senator from Barbour says that
we say that 1t will stop agitation. We
| believe that. IL the people OF the state
say. and the opposition knows that
they'll SO say, that II shall be adopted
in the Constitution. Now let's stop the
wait until 1910.
They say that YOU have overridden
the platform. but say that we were
with the people when we did II. The
people are with us. for the Senators
here are Just back from the people
| ur&In8 COuBtItuIlonaI aItSE
the Statewide measure.
| ProAibitienists Not Cryfn9.
The cry does not come from the
prohibitionists to try the Statewide
a little longer. but from those opposed
to 1t. When this provision goes Into
the Constitution, think all agitation
will be stopped. Who ever heard o.
agitation for lotteries since It's prohib.
ition was written in the Constitution
| Nrx for Ynxr "a n
there be peace when we walk down tbs
streets and see these men coming from
| the saloons7 We are looking for the
kind of peace that finds happy mothers.
bright children, and home comforts.
1.-The opponents to the bill claim that
whip and spur of the ministers. I do
not believe that the Senator from Bar
bour Is correct in his statement.
| The Senator from Barbour says
that we are trying to tear down what
our forefathers built up. He forgets
that the Continental Congress two
years before the Declaration of indie
pendence, passed a resolution calling
attention to the pernicious influence OF
| drinking"
Senator Mcwhorter followed Senator
Merritt with the propositions: Can a
free people, who select their own rep
resentatives, control the liquor trafic.
mission to the fact that prohibition
does not prohibit" He insisted on the
right of the majority to rule.
Attacked the Newspapers.
He attacked the newspapers Of the
State. saying: ION the thirty first of
last month one of the oldest and the
| leading and ablest journals In the State
Of Alabama. The Montgomery Adver-
tiser. declared that no law can be en-
forced when any large prorSrtiop OF
the people were opposed to the law.
Now. Mr.. President, when such q
state of affairs as this exists II makes
the execution OF law difficult, because
every statement and expression like
that Is dangerous. 1t is dangerous to
obey a law. Unless IT steps. 1t means
the destruction Of our system OF gov
eminent. Such declarations as these
may light the flames of revolution In
any Spanish American government.
Sir 1t is not true that the minority
should defy the law, but even the ma
| jority should be taught that they
should obey the law until its repeal
can be effected in a regular ana consti-
tutional manner. Either this journal
has been betrayed into a hasty and
thoughtless expression OF opinion, or 1t
has proceeded to use its news and edi-
torial columns for the ignoble purpose
me FORMER nypothesIS Is PROBABLY the
true one.
THE Governor has no recourse but
to submit to the will of the majority Of
the people. I am glad that the Gov
ernor called this special session to
give the people chance to express
their views.
Bribery. corruption will be brought
to bear. The cause of whiskey, how
ever. Is doomed. All the eloquence of
hired intellect cannot save 1t. I do not
know to what length the opponents
will go to defeat this amendment, and
I have heard the arguments of but one
| Senator"
Senator PhIIIips's Maiden Effort.
| Senator Phillips followed Senator Nc
| Whorter and made his first speech up
on the floor OF the Senate, having been
elected to succeed Senator Lusk. He
said:
IT do not believe that there has been
or will be a bill OF more Importance
than the one which we are considering
at the present time. 1t is a question
to be settled here now, and I hope.
! forever. Talk about agitation. I wish
this question settled at once and stop
all this agitation"
| Senator Phillips is a minister, and
his speech which followed defended the
attitude which the ministers have ia
ken with regard to the question.
Senator Leith followed Senator Phil
| lips. He said:
=