The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-14
Remarkable Meeting of
 Protest. A. G. SMITH PREsDEs;
 POINTED SPEECHES MADE Opposition to Amendment Takes
 Material Form.
Audience Gees Wild When Governor Jelks speaks-sid Bowie ana Bowman Expose Hypocrisy
 of Politicians.


 z,. Birmingham. Sept. 1s-tspeciaL)- eEyery available seat in the Jefferson Theatre was taken tonight at the mass meeting held to express opposition to khe constitutional amendment and the Egreatest of enthusiasm was mani Tested. The audience In the main was made up of the most prominent citizens of Birmingham. doctors. lawyers. business men, manufacturers, mining company officials, real estate dealers and others. A. c. Smith. one of the most promi- nent attorneys of the city, presided. and delivered the opening address. On the stage sat men prominent in all walks of life. Among them were Frank Nelson. John c. Smith, Culpep- per Exum, Sydney Bowie, B. K Camp lbell. Judge J. H. Miller. E. M Tutwiier, lJ. F. B. Jackson, O. P. Gaut, T. H. Mol Iton, A. Latady, Julius Davidson, and Eothers.
 A. c. Smith was cheered as he ap- Eproached the front of the stage. He said that 1t was not intended to attack tprohibition or the prohibition laws which are now in an experimental stage. While there was no denying the fact that prohibition has reduced acme small crimes and misdemeanors. there was no use for a constitutional tgotten beyond the experimental stage.
 The fact that there was no penalty hn the amendment brought up the question as to its good. He said that local option was the proper course. |. First the Governor favored local option 1, end then moved over to Statewide Ntprohibition. Then he called a special session Of the Legislature. said Mir. Smith, to cover up the cracks 2 Favorn Local Government.
 T don't want any experiments with pur Constitution" he declared. caus- ang an outburst of enthusiasms "The Constitution should be declaration of principles"
 The speaker said he was always in | favor of local self-government-
 "When speakers favoring the arnend- ment designate us deluded lot of people," he said, T can answer them py saying if they think a non-penalty Am6HuInent 1b kOtu8 tO ubNO 6Ac@S CA- feet in the long run they are the worst deluded people of the whole lot"
 "The trouble has been on since the days of Noah" he declared. 'Tf Conner can stop the agitation with the consti- $ tutional amendment he will do more than Kings. Queens. potentates and rulers have"
 MT. Smith commended the recent let fer of Messrs. Campbell and Bowie, which was received with great ap- plause. ed his address the people were stopped from entering the theatre save In the upner part and then there was not much left there and the stream was still going down Second Avenue.
 Cheers for Bowie.
 Sydney J. Bowie was introduced amid cheers. He spoke with much reehns and introduced resolutions against the constitutionaI amendment and provid- ang for the appointment of e committee 10 name delegates to the convention to he held in Montgomery Wednesday He said that the advocates of the a. mendment were not willing to put on the election for twelve or eighteen months and save the people the trouo,e and hardships and expenses of the ad- ditional election. In closing he said that he felt like the man who delivered the address "woodman spare that tree
 P. c. Bowman. was the next speaker. He said, that the reason that there was objection to putting off the cleo until next year was because in the meantime something ever 100000 men could qualify for franchise and that fhe school fund could be increased sev- aral hundred thousand dollars" etc. He said that 1t was not al- together a question of prohibition but whether e9,ooO people should rule. 10o.-
 He said that announcement was made that a big State meeting would he held in Birmingham on Thursday of 4hfs week but when 1t was seen that big delegations were being named to ro to Montgomery on Wednesday the Announcement was changed to "trus- tee meeting in Birmingham.
 ssThey will hold meeting in Birm- sngham of thirteen preachers and four teen laymen" he said and continuing MT Bowman said:
 when Governor Jellks. who is on the stage left the ofice there was a surplus of over a million two hundred thousand dollars. Today there Is e. defcit, Governor Conner says that he can borrow money. Of course he can borrow money but 1t Is by giving & mortgage on your house and my house."
 
 Fees for Lawyer Friends.
 governor Conner raised $12o,ooo for Legislative purposes" continued MT. Bowman and paid $loO.ooO to two lawyers to draft some laws and then hired the same lawyers over again to axe up the same la WIS. The election heid in November will cost the people TO,0oO when 1t could have been held a year later and not have cost the Deople anything.
 ''There will not be five counties for the amendment Tho amendment is meant to throttle thousands and thou sands of people. Comer has quit on prohibition and Is now cussing out Tom Jones. Tom says that Conner doesn't know the common courtesHes of life. Jones gave Conner strong lambast- ing"
 Mir. Bowman said that a meeting would be held in Birmingham a few weeks later and that no hall could hold the people present and that bet ween thirty and thirty-five thousand people would gather to register their protest to the amendment.
 Dem0nsfRatiOn for Jelks.
 IA.