The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-04-28
pRoHIsITIoN A FAILuRg
Former Antisaloon League Leader
So declares.

Evansville, Ind, April 27.-The
Rev. DR.. W. c. Helt founder Of the
AntiSaloon Leagues work in Indiana
and whose recent resignation from
district superintendency in the leag
ne work created a sensation has just
returned from still hunt through
the South. This eminent temperance
worker who refused to continue long
er in league harness because he be-
lieves statewide prohibition is the
height of folly at this time, in the
state, toured the South to observe
the condition prevailing under state
wide prohibtory laws in Tennessee
and Alabama. He comes back to his
home more strongly convinced than
ever that the Anti-Saloon League is
two generations or more ahead of
time in its statewide propaganda.
Doctor Helt quit active service in
the league work when the state direc-
tors declared two months ago that
the leagues next fight in Indiana
would be to get statewide prohib-
ition clause in the constitution. Doc
tor Helt then declared, and now more
tlupudtltdilg ludn tNti dooIlNoi hhoe
this movement threatens to wreck
the cause of temperance in Indiana
For more than % years a minis
ter of the Gospel and still in high
standing with his church. supported
| by the Christian men of Evansville;
strong in his convictions and courag-
eous in his utterances, Doctor Helt's
utterances are being deeply studied
and the following account of his
| trip South is of unusual interest.
The Southern states offer a more
favorable field for the operation Of
prohibitory law, than any other
section of our country There are
but few comparatively large cities in
! the prohibition states There is al
most no foreign population and the
negroes are practically disfranchised.
If we find that such law Is non-ef.
fective under these favorable condt-
ions what must be expected of the law
in our Northern cities, which are
made up largely of foreign born peo-
pie and their children. Many of them
are among our most respected citi-
zens, yet they have their own ideas
in reference to the drink habit, and
are opposed to prohibition.
in order to get facts first hand,
and to satisfy myself as to the opera
ton of prohibition in the Southern
states. I recently visited three rep
resentative cities, viz. Montgomery
and Birmingham, Ala, and Nashville,
Tenn. / shall endeavor to give an
unbiased report of facts in reference
to conditions now prevailing in these
prohibition cities
Montgomery is one of the most
beautiful and attractive cities in this
country. 1t Is made up OF a high
class of people whom one would nat
urally suppose to be in favor of pro-
hibition and the enforcement of law.
There is not a more wide open
city in any wet state In this country
than is Montgomery Every room
which was used for a saloon under
license law, is preserved intact with
bar, furnishings, etc. These places
are being operated now as formerly,
with the exception that a few soft
drinks have been added TO the regu.
ldI SiOth vi lililOIs ne law UlOUlU-
its screens and none are in use.
These places arp now called soft
drink emporums. To test the mat
ter as to whether or not any other
than soft drinks are sold | stopped
in one place and had a little chat
with the bartender who informed me
that they sold only soft drinks. Be
fore leaving | said to him: Could you
not accommodate me with something
more than soft drink? Yes,
guess ! can, he said, what would you
like?' | was then up against It. good
and hard ! did not want to make
the confession that | never drink liq-
uor. after calling for It and excused
myself by saying. II is now my sup
per time and | am not In the habit OF
drinking anything just before eating.
II all kinds OF liquor can be procured
in one place. they can be procured in
the one hundred and more other pla-
ces in the city running wide open.
Upon arriving in the city. the
first business place | saw was a gor-
geous saloon I had not gone one
block before | met a man who requir-
ed the entire width OF the sidewalk
for him to get along. | stopped In
one of the pool rooms to see the men
play and a fine looking man asked
me II would not keep count for him
while he played. His tongue was so
thick he could scarcely talk and he
was very unsteady on his feet. The
pooroom was In connection with a
saloon. where he had evidently pro
cured soft drink Everybody
knows that these places are saloons,
pure and simple. where any person
can get any kind OF liquor he may
order. And this is In a prohibition
city.
Some people will endeavor to an
swer this fact by saying that the
fault Is not In the law but in the Off
GERS whose duty Il Is to enforce the
law. This is true. II we were liv-
ing under ideal political conditions
with every officer n man who would
do his duty, prohibition would be
made success But unfortunately
we do not have such ideal conditions
In our municipal governments. We
are forced to work under conditions
as they are, and not under what we
might imagine ideal conditions to be
Conditions prevailing In our cities
are such as to make the successful
enforcement OF prohibitory law
practically impossible and Il is un
wise 10 attempt to secure such re