The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-18


 whether intoxicating liquors are kept therein, in violation of the law. Win the people surrender this right, and confer on Nthe Legislature this power7 While 1t may be true that some men drink to excess in their homes. ahstne- ing sorrow to their wives and children. as we'll as setting an evil example to their children. stfll every one Is bound to concede that this Is the ex- ception and not the rule. This being true should we. by adopting the amendment. place it in the power of the Legislature to pass laws prohib- ifing the keeping of liquors in all the hones7 Because e few men see fit to drink to excess from liquors kept in their homes. shall we give the Legis- iature power to pass laws authorizing officers Of the law to invade with search warrants every home in Alabama for the purpose of seeing whether intoxi- cants are kept there. and subjecting our wives and daughters to the shame and humiliation of having their prf- vate wardrobes searched by unfeeiing oficers. spurred on by the fear of im- and the desire of gain? But the advocates of the amendment insist that such laws will never bo passed. I sincerely trust that they are correct. but in reply I beg to say that under the provisions of the Fuller bill homes in. Alabama have already been, search ed and citizens have been subjected to indignities. and this Is only the be- ginning. Section 6 of the Constitution as 1t now stands. provides that the people shall be secure in their persons, houses. papers and possessions. from unreasonable seizures or searches. and that no warrants shall issue to search any place, or to seize any person or thing, without probable cause. sup ported by oath or affirmation. This has been the fundamental law of the State and Nation from their founda- tions. I submit that under the Com stitution as 1t now stands. 1t would not only be unreasonable, but an out" rage, to allow a persons home to be searched for the purpose of finding whether he kept intoxicating liquors therein for legitimate purposes. If the amendment is adopted, the Legfs- Iature will be clothed with the power to pass laws prohibiting the Keeping of Intoxicating liquors in the home for any purpose. and authoriseig the such law has been violated. Touch- ing the rights of man in his homo. 1t was said by Lord Chatham, a re- nowned English statesman, "That the poorest man in his cottage may bid de-
 fiance to all the forces of tho crown;
 it may be frail: It's roof may shake;
 the wind may blow through 1t; the
 storm may enter: the rain may enter but the King may not enter. and all his forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruineds tenement. If the amend ment is adopted, the barriers which have been thrown around the home and guaranteed to us through centu- ries will be broken down and the cit- izenship of the State will be placed at Az "A ' eaIa &ss~a xr1l.s have power, as above shown, to pass laws authorizing officers to invade our homes and bring shame, humiliation and degradation upon our loved ones. Can the people of Alabama afford to surrender a right that was bought with the blood of our ancestors and handed down to us from the very foundation of our Government? 1.
 But if the objections above set forth to both sections of the amendment are not well taken. still. from practical view of the matter. the amendment should be adopted. We have already enacted into law statutes as strong as can be written against the manu- fracture and sale of intoxicating liquors in the State. These laws have been only recently enacted. Though some who take an extreme view of the mat ter insist that Statewide prohibition is a success, all thinking men are bound to concede that 1t Is still In its ex- perimental stage. Before any att tempt Is made to make it part of the organic law of the State. the law should be fairly tested. The defects should be cured by porper amend ments. The officers and courts in ev- cry county throughout the State should see that the law Is properly enforced and endeavor to the utmost of their ability to carry out its provisions; but until the law is fully tested for a suf- ficient length of time for us to know that Statewide prohibition is the pol- icy of the State. 1t should never be incorporated in the Constitution.
 It Is said. however, that the sub mission of this question is, letting the people decide on 1t. This is true. and while 1t is unfortunate that the fight should be precipitated at time when. as stated above. statewide pro- hibition is but an experiment, the people should not shirk the issue. The question should be fought out up n principls. and tke people inould abide by the result when their will has been expressed at the polls. But the argu- ment that state- wide prohibition will he endangered because future Legis- latures, by undue influence. will be in duced to repeal the present laws, Is not only unsound, but is a reflection upon the voters of the State. The same people who are to vote upon the Constitutional amendment, and who will decide whether the same shall be accepted or rejected, will also vote in the election in 1910, when the mem- bers of the Legislature and other State and county officers will be elected. It smacks of demagoguery and insin- cerIty, and Is an Insult to their fntelli- Rence as well as reflection upon their Integrity, to argue that the peo- pie can be trusted in the election to be held on the 29th of November, when they vote for the amendment. but when they go to elect members of the Legislature and other State officers there Is danger of their being corrupt ed. and that members of the LeEisla- ture will be elected who will not car ry out their wishes.
 The advocates of the amendment al- so insist that the real issue in this fight is Liquor or no liquor; saloon or no saloon" There Is no such issue. Fhether the amendment is adopted or defeated, Alabama will still have state- wide prohibition. with statutes for It's enforcement as strong as could be written. While some of the advocates
 of the amendment denounce all who oppose 1t as being allied with the
 liquor interests. and. as above stated,
 contend that the issue is Liquor or
 no liquor" I respectfully insit that
 they cannot mean what they say. On
 the contrary, they will insist. if the
 amendment is defeated. that state
 wide prohibition is still In force. and
 call upon the men w<m they are now
 denouhcing as being allied with the
 liquor interests. to assist them in en-
 Fc,oln.. Oh. lau- Nntusi4hsto n .3tu.- Aha