The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-13

iohS every piece or mall matter going out of Birmingham will bear this ad vertisement.
 "The stickers-100,000 new ones which will soon be distributed by the league, will also materially aid the campaign of advertising now being conducted through the local and out of-town press and by steel signboards scattered throughout the northern half Of the state and by other means known to up-to-date advertising"
 Regarding Views and Facts
 T was one of those who voted wet in 1907 when an election was held under the local option law, but who would now regret to see saloons in Birmingham again. said a well-known citizen. If we ever return to local option-and trust we will get rid of the existing statewide prohibition laws as soon as possible I would greatly prefer some reasonable way of allowing beer and wine to be served in hotels and bona fide clubs and have other liquors sold only in public dispensaries. It may be that in the course of time the saloon of reformed type will be tried again as the best solution of the liquor problem but for the next few years We should legalize middle ground such as have suggested. Drastic prohibition such as we have in Alabama now seems intolerable to thousands of worthy men. Such laws as are now on the statute books could not be strictly enforced un- less practically all the people were spend pf in sisting the officers to enforce them. A city of considerable size would have to have a constabulary force out of all pro- portion to ordinary demands in order to keep down the liquor traffic. Wherever prohibition has been tried anything like strict enforcement of law is only by spurts. Look at Maine. Look at Kansas Look at Mississippi. Look at Alabama ! If so-called prohibition ever minimized the liquor evil in a permanent way, would be slow to favor material modi- fication of the laws: but the statistics that prohibition agitators might bring forth to justify this position would amount to nothing unless these statistics were so related as to present all sides of the truth. Certain it is that from the ob- servation of those who see life as it is prohibition in Birmingham is very much of farce.
 'The Free Lance, published in Birming- ham, is supporting earnestly MT. Mallory | for governor but in it's last issue it has | this to say editorially:
 | " This publication has consistently op- posed so-called prohibition, and still be- lieves in the democratic doctrine of local option With that purpose in view, 1t in- | tends to use whatever power 1t has in the election of a legislature which will modify the present drastic laws and which will enable self-respecting citizens to buy light beverages, just as they do the habit breeding drugs at-the present time. The saloon in Alabama is a thing of the past The blind tiger we have with us. The whisky business has been driven off the sidewalk, in many cases, to the second story. A man can buy all the mean liquor he wants in Birmingham at the | ordinary price. He cannot buy bottle of health-gving blood-making wine noi can he buy those nutritive beverages such as beer, without paying almost two prices Beer is selling today in Birming ham at 20 cents per bottle. Those who are dsposing of it do not have to pa, any license. nor do they have to keep ex pensive establishments, with plate -glas. mirrors and mahogany furniture. as O old
 q am aware of the fact that many prohibitonists are perfectly sincere il
 holding the views they do. They are, too
 consistent in defense of their views Bu
 feel confident that great majority O the men of Alabama. no matter hoy
 strongly they oppose saloons, are libera
 enough to favor a modification of tn
 Fuller and Carmichael acts passed las summer under the pressure of profession
 ally worked up prohibition elamor.