The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-02-22
Prohibitionists Are , Proud of AnnistoIl

It cannot be said .therefors. that the city officials and the county officers have no difficulty in enforcing the prohibition law. They had difficulty to begin with and are yet experience ing 1t.
 The influence of the saloons is yet to be felt fn city politics and will not likely die for . good while to come. But 1t has not Ieterred Mayor Thomas has not swerved Sheriff w. c. Le- Grand from performing his duty. No untoward power seems to have affect ed Judge T. W. Coleman. IT,. of the city court of Anniston. or Recorder J. T. Greene. in their interpretation of the law and their duty towards its enforcement Each of these men as we'll as Chief of Police J. M. Sweets. has moved unequivocaily against the violators wherever found. The execu- tive officers have brought swiftly to justice many . vioiator of the law. The judicial officers have dealt stern- ly with them on all occasions.
 And ali this has brought signal re- suits in Anniston and the county that cannot 20 unnoticed. During the last year of the saloon era there was a total of 3,ss4 arrests in the City of Admission for all offenses. Tn 1908 which followed. the first twelve months of prohibition. the arrests had decreased to i.1sa, the difference being 2.6si. But more pronounced is the difference between arrests for drunkenness during 1907 and 1908. Whereas in the former period the police docket was sumbered with no less than 1.25f arrests for this of- fense. the number for the latter year fell to 1e6. showing . decrease of r. 0Ss This makes >en almost incredible reduction ih drunkenness of 8eS per cent
 These results outstrip Birmingham. the Decaturs and probably all other cities of the state.
 Several Csnvictions.
 It is significant that with this achievement the court records, unlike Morgan county. show several convic. tions for violating the prohibition law The, police court has put on the streets men found guilty of the violations Recorder Greene has hardly let a con viction 90 by without infficting . fine of 9100 and sentence to hard labor of three months. JMdge Coleman, of the city court. has invariably given a fine and from thirty to ninety days Mayor Kiiby. who by the way. ia one of Anniston's most successful business men and manutActurer. was abkco how he managed to enforce the viola tors His answer was prompt. He seemed not to dodge the query but treated the matter in the business. like style that characterizes the man T find but little difficulty in enforc. ing the prohibition law he replied Tt is not harder to enforce than any other criminal law. provided. of course the men charged with responsibility | really care to enforce 1t. 1t believe that the police in all cities win do al their chiefs bid. have found tha'
 what their superiors want done, the, are disposed to do it. When I became mayor, I let 1t be known that the pro hibition law was as much law as an,
 other anj that 1t must be enforced
 That was we'll understood by the polio,
 and they have been doing their dut,
 towards enforcing 1t so far as car sec" And he mayor sees a long distance
 He has not Jagged with time sine,
 prohibition went into Geffect. Thougl
 he is not the judge of the police case,
 -this being the part of the recorde t-Mayor Kiiby may be seen often 1,