The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-16
CONDITIONS NOW, NOT rnEoarD,

CONDITIONS NOW, NOT THEORIES.
 The Advertiser on this page gives space to a letter from an sErstwhiie Amender." Black Belt prohibitionist and reader of The Advertiser who com plains because prohibition has failed to accomplish the good which It's ad- vocates promised for 1t. The recent amender directly or indirectly claims that conditions on the country roads of Montgomery county about which complaint was made in the open let ter of Mir. B. B. Smith. published some time ago in The Advertiser. would have been improved by the, adoption of the amendment.
 The "Erstwhile Amender" forgets or ignores the fact that the present drastic prohibition laws. written by the same hand as the amendment and endorsed and passed by the same men that endorsed the amendment were written and passed with the confident amendment would be adopted and that features of those laws unconsti- tutional under the Supreme Court de- cision to which he alludes would be made constitutional when the amend ment was adopted. The only place in Alabama under acts of the Legisia- ture at which intoxicating liquors can be kept and stored is in the home, the building used exclusively as a dwelling. Unless the Supreme Court reverses itself in its decision of the Bessemer case this law win be un- constitutional. and until the Supreme Court does reverse itself the law is unconstitutional. But 1t has not been tested and the prohibition laws of Alabama now read as though the amendment had been adopted and ex- cept as to tho home they are as bind ing and as drastic as any. law that could have been passed after the adoption of the amendment. So far as Alabama's present prohibition laws are concerned the amendment might as we'll be in the Constitution.
 Whether the amendment was adopt ed or rejected. neither 'Erstwhile Amender" nor any other man could reasonably expect any more rigid pro- hibition laws than those of Alabama, for Alabama has the most drastic laws of any State in the Union. The statute books of Alabama have all the law that could possibly be needed to remove liquor and its evils.
 But white men and negroes still get whiskey and they continue to get drunk. not only in the cities. but in the towns of Alabama as well. To charge that the Alabama prohibition laws are violated only in the cities is unjust and incorrect
 The writer of the letter and those who believe with him no longer con- slider theory: they are confronting a condition. If prohibition did all that was claimed for it. if it abolished the by e State Legislature. if 1t made bad men good, and weak men strong by an act of the Legislature. no just or sensible man would have been justI- fled in opposing it. For prohibition would have made life in Alabama, one grand sweet song. Those who doubt ed the wisdom of the prohibition law did not do so because they were friendly to the liquor traffic or be- cause they wanted it to prosper, but they doubted 1t because they did not believe that it would bring the bene- fits claimed for 1t, by its zealous ad- vocates. They were opposed at the start to such sweepingt legislation. because 1t had not accomplished these benefits in other States where 1t had been tried. Maine, which has had prohibition for more than fifty years. had issued to Its citizens 1.600 liquor licenses last year-which was more than were issued in the State of Ala bama the last year of the open sa- looms.
 Prohibition, and prohibition under laws written in the light of the con- stitutional amendment is, however, upon the statute books of Alabama. It must be fairly and satisfactorily tried. for it was put there at a heavy cost. a cost of hatred and dissension, a heavy cost of money and of inter- nal peace. It would be folly for the State not to give it fair, honest and satisfactory trial, and to that end all citizens should unite to the faithful enforcement of the law. It is not question of legislative or constitution al authority for its enforcement- there is plenty of authority, both from the constitution and the Legis- lature for their enforcement The question now Is a united and deter mined effort to enforce the law. The Advertiser Is fairly and squarely do- ing it's part fin this big task. There is
 r1Rfy NA I