The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-05
The Nuisance and Danger Of
 Drunken Negroes on Our Roads

Editor The Advertiser:
 It has always been 8 belief of mine that the best time for a people to get together is immediately after they seem to have been unreconcilably di- vided-that the best time to correc, misapprehensions was immediately after erroneous statements had been made or erroneous beliefs fostered. That the best way to correct glaring shake hands with my friends. the enemy. and get together In the fur therance of that which is near to the heart of every good American citizen of whatever creed ore political belief, that is,. the ,furtherance of good gov means the enforcement of the laws upon the statute books, no matter how distasteful these laws may be. simply because they are laws.
 In the recent election I voted against the amendment; previously was against Statewide prohibition; today I am heart and soul in favor of the enforcement of the prohibition ment where bad liquor is sold to the negroes.
 For short time after the passage of the prohibition laws the country ne- groes were orderly, little drunkenness was seen upon the public roads and those who owned lands in the country took notice and freely praised the ex- isting state of affairs
 Today there is almost as much drunkenness as ever before and espec- ially on Saturday afternoons the ma jority of the negroes leaving town are plainly under the influence of liquor. cious thing. this selling of bad whis- key to the country negro. Common decency and the love of white supre- macy and the chivalry which calls for NlNn NAfn nG a eRldren f in the Country Soa goen districta aa should make us hesitate to send drunken negroes Into the night upon our public roads. It Is vicious ten- the already brutal natures of our ten ancy, the laborers on whose shoulders | so largely rests the agricultural. and therefore the cities prosperity and | growth.
 It shows a criminal lack of good business On the part of our farm own CTS to stand supinely by and see our more worthless by the grasping whis- key dealer of the suburbs: this even before prohibition came into effect.
 And nov with ths stringent r eit izenship pledged and our officials sworn to uphold the law 1t Is doubly vicious. this selling of bad liquor to hinder by the white man to the ne gro that the breaking of the law is a simple and safe thing; this double crime of the fostering of drunken ness and law evasion upon the should CTS of an inferior. initiative and nat urally vicious tenantry with whom we have to live and work.
 biggest @ iand % owners. s With his wife was thrown. into ditch and their buggy demolished by drunken ne- groes in a four-mule wagon. And al ways and all the time It Is danger | ous and annoying to ride upon oui beautiful bikes either on Monday ol Saturday evenings.
 And so In my blundertng way, I an no politician, as citizen and land owner and one vitally interested ir 1 the growth of our beautiful country want to urge in some way coop the suppression of the treble crime oi endanSering those who live in the country, of debauching by bad whis- key an already lowered tenantry and to the law and order of our beloved county by the fragrant breaking oi the law by white men in the face oi l the negro.
 | We all want one thing-good gov ernment: we all want one thing-re- spect of law; we all want one thing l the safety of all our citizens from viciousness from whatever cause: we all want one thing-the upbuilding oi our citizenship. of our farm tenautry of our city. and of our county and 1 we all, those who were against as well as those who were for. want the triumph of morality and Christianity | in our midst.
 Cannot We all in some way clasr l hands across the breach. we are all friends, we are all good fellows and 1 in some meeting in which past ami mostly is laid aside. and harsh words | forgotten. can we not crush out those who would for paltry, temporary gain delay progress. depcpulate our coun- ties of white population. encourage 1 lawlessness. throttle the cities grow tn and flagrantly and with impunity break the law.
 i voted against the amendment, but l with all my heart and soul I want to see the laws upon our statute books enforced.
 Cant we all shake hands across the breach and get to work?
 Benj Bosworth Smith.