The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-08-04
AS TO THE EFFORT OF CERTAIN
POLITICIANS TO EMBARRASS GOV
BROWN WITH ALEXANDER BILL
From the Albany Herald.

! Word comes from Atlanta, and we
have seen it reported in at least
three newspapers of the state
through their Atlanta correspond
ents, that former Gov. Smith and
those members of the legislature
who are willing to do his bidding are
doing all in their power to embar-
rass the administration of Governor
Brown in every way possible, and to
block all the legislation that he has
recommended. 1t is asserted that
the injection of another prohibition
fight by the Introduction of the Alex
ander bill to outlaw near beer is
part of a political scheme to embar-
rass the new administration
The Alexander bill may have the
effect of adding to the congestion al
ready apparent in the legislature,
and may be used to so clog the
wheels of legislation that very little
can be accomplished at the present
session, but if Governor Browns en-
emies imagine that he can be en-
barrassed by the passage of the Alex
ander bill or of any other measure
amending or in any way changing
the present prohibition law they will
in our opinion, find themselves great
ly mistaken and will meet with dis
appointment.
The prohibitionists exacted
pledge from Governor Brown wh:1a
he was candidate for the office to
which the people of the state have
elected him by an overwhelming ma
Jorlty that he would veto any bill
amending the present prohibition
law, and it will not embarrass him
one whit to stand by the pledge. The
prOhlb1tlonists, having eXacted that
pledge from candidate Brown at a
time when it was being charged that
he was the candidate of the LIQUOR
interest, are the last people in the
world who ought now to be pressing
a measure in the legislature which
he could not sign without stultifving
himself. DR.. John Z. White, one of
the committee of prohibitionists who
called on Mr.. Brown last year to
sign the pledge referred to, takes
the proper and only honorable view
OF the matter. In a card to the At
lanta Constitution he states the case
fairly and expresses his view clearly
as consistent prohibitionist and
honorable man. His card follows:
Editor Constitution: | was in
vited by the chairman, DR.. Hardman,
to attend a meeting of the temper
ance committee of the house on yes
terday, where the interests of pro-
hibition in Georgia as affected by the
near beer business were under dis
cusslOn. When called upon | took
the position that the prohibition law
OF 1907 was not responsible for the
near beer situation, but that the
near beer license tax of 1907, con-
trary to the expectation of prOhibi-
tionists who favored this tax had
proven injurious to prohibition.
argued that the place to get rid of
that trouble was where we got into
it; that we ought to get near beer
license out where We got them in.
viz, in the tax act. That seems to
me good prohibition sense. If we
were wrong in giving the color of law
to the sale of beer limitations, as we
were, the course to pursue now is to
get right where we got wrong. ex-
pressed my opposition to the bill of
Mr.. Hooper Alexander on the ground
that it was trying to cure the meas
beer evil by amending the prohibit
ton law, whereas that evil was to be
cured by amending the present tax
act. l think that is good prohibit
ton sense. | opposed the bill of Mr..
Alexander because it was a confess
sion that the Northumberland
bill, which is now a prohibition law
was inadequate for prohibition. It's
proposition was in effect to substi-
tute an Alexander prohibition law
for the Observation-Disclosures prohibi-
ton law. l believe the Hardman-