The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-10
DOES OWN THINKING
 IN MATTERS OF STAH
No Need sf Prshbiiisa in ors,nie | Law.
Irreparssle wross Hss Be<. De.e . Lars. Nsnber sf vsteru h AIa- bam.--Asaiyses Ffrst Ana
 Second seetie.s .s B1lu.

following letter from Senator John Fl Bankhead. addressed to the Editor of The walker County News. in respcnss to request for the Senators vssws on the proposed constitutional amend ment. appears in the columns of that paper today:
 Mir. Frank V. Evans. Editor Walker
 County News, Jasper. Ala.
 Dear Sir:--Bsfore making reply to your request. for my views upon the proposed constitutional Amendment. ! beg your indulgence while T mako . few preliminary observations. am now CT years old. was born and reared in one of the hill counties ox Alabama on ., farm. I soent four os in the Confederate Army. where the rank and file were subjected to many temptations. have spent nearly the whole of my life since the age of 90 in the associat ton of public men of tho State and the nation--the last twenty five at the National Capitoi~-and during all these years. no man has ever seen me under the influence of strong drink of any kind. During ell fhis time have advocated and voted for prohibition. and I am now heartily tn tAHIEf VI t0t 4ARkAHH1t %tt0 " +&S Of intempersnee, an1 win contrihute towards their endorsement In every way possibie
 I.have been nienzb6f of the Meti,o- dist Church and the Masonic Order for fifty years. and have tried to five up to the teachings and preccpfs Of both. I love the church and her mtniatera. and have contributed as much as my nieans will allow toward, the support of her institutfons. The preachers are as rule aincere. God loving and God fearing men. have no criticism to offer because of the fact that nany ciergyman have exercised their eonsfI- tutionay prerogasive Of Axrre4sir6 their convictfons on this Issue The mints- ters and mambers Of siis the churches. kf6hold In YliNh asteef1i. t ..,s z x <
 rn fnattsta os staite. however. must be pefmitted to do my own thinking. and 1 must follow the admoniticns of my own reason and Judgment If after mature deiiberatton and refiee- ton I conclude that my duty. to my self and the State requfres me to pur- sue certain courne. and do particu- lar thing I must move in that airae- ton. or else 1t may be trnthfuily said of me that have neither the moral nor political courage to express my honest convictions--A charSe fhet am unwilling to have esfah1ished by my further silence upon the matter of the adoption of the proposed conFtitutionai amendment
 II can not agree with the advocates of the adoption of the amendment that this is solely a moral issue. am led to this conclusion by the fact that there are on both sides of the question men of the very highest type of Chris- tian critizenship and civic virtue Ia whose conception of morality there could not, be such variance. if only q strictiy moral question were present- ed Neither is the question that of saloons or no saloons--they have de- parted from Alabama by the action of the peoples representatives anal nave no apprehension of their return.
 Time of Election.
 The time fixed for the election is 10 say the least most untimely and does an irreparable wrong to very large number of patriotic. honest. but unfor- tunate citizens Of Alabama. It IS snap judgment that does not compart win the justice and dignity of our great state, and the cause whose interest if was intended to conserve. do not in- tend the use of the words snap tuds- meht" in any offensive sense, put know of no other term that clearly ~ known as an off year in politics No election was provided for or expected during the year 1908. Last year. as every one knows. was an exceedingly hard year financially. Many thousands of good men were out of employment owing to the general depression in business of every kind. It was nara struggle with thousands of hard work ing men to keep soul and body tc- l hAt~ fho 4f~ port of the state and county govern ments Af4
 These unfortunate men naturally de- cided first of all, that they must have A living for their wives and children. Next they argued that no election Will be held this year and that it will not be necessary for me to pay my poll tax. and that I can use this e1.so to help me tide over a tight place, and next year when times are better can pay Sa Every one was saying the times are. beginning to ifnprovs-that prosperity Is returning, labor is begin ming to find employment and soon everybody will be at work and money plentlful Under these circumstances it was perfectly natural that the hard pressed head of the family would post pone the payment of the poll tax. In many cases he had no choice--the collector of state and county taxes whs Knocking at the door. and from him there was no escape. Owing to the fact that nof election was scheduled for this year there was not the usual reminding by the press and by candi- dates. and many of our best citizens overlooked this important duty until it was too late. I do not mean to as- sume that all men who have not paid their poll tax for this year would vote against the arnendment. for that would be an unwarranted assumption: but what I do say is that the calling of the election this year is a violent inc justice to all the voters who failed or were unable to pay the last poll tax, regardless of how they would have voted In the election. On principle. the wrong done the men on either side oi the question Is equally harsh and un' warranted. No great moral or politf cal question can be fully and flnaliy settled where a large number of ths electorate believe that they have been unfairly deprived of an opportunity to nartfciDate In It's settlement There Is