The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-03

year, when the expense is put on us
from $4,000 to $50. 900. and that, too, when
the treasury Is empty? What is our
state constitution? It is the bedrock OF
the peoples rights; it is protection
against governor, legislature, judiciary
reservlng for the people rights bought by
blood.
"Once an officer went to the mouse OF
poor man, in his absence, and there
searched for papers in the boxes, the
beds and upon the clothing Of that fam
ly. When that husband and father came
home he found his wife in tears, ana
when she told him what the officer had
done, he said: Did he search this house
and your clothing in that way?' And the
wife said: Yes, he did-see for yourself.
And the man took an ak and cut that Of
fcer to pieces, and his neighbors came
in and some more officers came. They
drove them off, and from that day Tor
two years bloody war ragged, but they
never took that man. At last oand OIL
those determined men stood before KING
John with a paper and said, Sign this
And he signed it. 1t was the Magma
Charta, and today it is embodied In sec
ton Of the present constitution and
protects the greatest, most sacred rlsht
of the English-spealSing world protec-
ton of the home from unwarranted, un-
reasonable search.
"Who is it wants to change this? Where
did this hue and cry arise fromf Ihese
amendists claim the state OF Alabama de-
manded this change put in the constitu-
ton. Who demanded it? Did you? One
day last summer a little tWo-Dy-1our
merchant in my home town, who couldn {
get credit for $500, came rushing into my
office with telegram signed by rev
preachers and politicians of the Conner
crowd and asked me to sign It, l said
No, l won't do It. And what was that
telegram? 1t was a message from Brooks
Lawrence In Montgomery that we should
sign and tell our senator to pass the
bill submitting this amendment, and from
every town in this state that had tele-
graph office went that same message that
came from Montgomery first and Went
back to Montgomery saying Pass IT..
And they passed it. Did you sign that
telegram?
who wanted this amendment Did
Won ask for it? II there is single man
here that asked for 1t, raise your hand.
l knew you didn't 1t was Brooks Law
renee, one of the shrewdest politicians In
the state of Alabama today. And he
got it.
ST am going to show you we had
no need OF 1t by showing you the law
we already had. Breads parts of Car
michael bill and Fuller bid. Now, don't
you tn ink II they aimed at temperance
they'd have it under those laws? And
don't you think IL you can't make
blackberry wine or cordial or grape
wine with more than one-half OF l per
cent alcohol without violating that law
which Judge Weakley said you could
not do that you needed this amend
ment?
1.-THE Birmingham Ledger. which is
an amendist paper, but hasn't gone
crazy, says you can't make any more
wine. The Ledger is fair-Q did not
get that from the "News.o The truth
is you have already the most drastic
laws in this country and there are
but two ways for you to make your
grape wine and escape. One Is by
grand jury refusing to indict you and
another is for the governor to pardon
you He has promised to do that. They
dodge this issue in my town by saying
manufacture doesn't mean to make,
when II really means that 'manus,
'facio, Latin, made by hand, that is
the meaning.
1.-THE amenders would like to escape
their own intemperance. Friends. this
is sophistry. and sophistry is genteel
lying.
LET us look further into this Fuller
low. II you buy bottle, put one in
your cotton seed house, office, store
or barn, anywh ere not used exclusively
as a residence, the law presumes you
guilty, and when 1T proves that you
have done so, the state has rested its
case, and you have to prove you didn't
have 1t there for an Illegal purpose
The burden of proof is on you, not on
the state.
Now, my wife makes bottle of
black berry wine, she generally does, II
she puts it out in our roek house.
which we keep as cellar, and a
neigh Dor comes in and wants some for
sickness, she gives 1t to her. She has
committed three offenses-manufac-
turing it, storing Illegally giving it
away--and can be convicted for three
offenses In one. Do you think you
need any more than that? That's the
law now.
And this right of search. Yes it's
an old law. it has always existed for
certain grounds. If store is broken
into and goods stolen, and George IL.
Parker takes warrant out and has
my ouse searched for this stolen prop
erty, he can do that, could always do
that but If he swears falsely and l
can prove malice can punish nlIll % ut
in this new law, man can swear
falsely and you connot use his evidence
against him. Now do you need more
than that? Did yof you sign that
telegram to Montgomery?
"Why this great need, and this great
hurry to put the amendment into our
constitution?
They claim-these amendists--that
the majority of the people of Alabama
want it--demanded 1t. Did your
They say 1t Will stop agitation and
these are the only reasons they offer
for this amendment
II have shown you we had enough
law-didn't need 1t and did not de-
mand it. Now will 1t stop agitation?
twice to Maine, and there is but olle
Within the last IL months | have been
question Observation-Disclosures and nom
submission. The republicans are against
submission and the democrats for sub
mission. Day by day the people edge
up against the question and one day
1t will be submitted to the people How
are the laws enforced there? When a
friendly legislature is in every corner
has barroom; when they are out the
pocket barroom with a guard outside
furnishes men with whisky. Keep this
question In the hands Of tho people.