The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-19
D|SPENSARY NOT AS
BAD AS SALOON
Jack Crawford Discusses JAS
per Institution.
OTHER CITIZENS TALK
Result of Various elections on Liquor
Question In Walker County Have
shown Interesting Change
of Opinion
OTHER CITIZENS TALK
By WALTER HARPER

|
pensary is not as bad as the saloon.
This is what Mayor Jack Crawford OF
Jasper said in reply to the query of the
mayor of a Virginia town who asked
'is the dspensary better than the sa-
loon?"
The reply of Mr. Crawford who was
mayor of Jasper part of the time, the
dispensary was in operation, Is charac-
teristic of the man, but is very express
| i've of what seems to be the truth.
| Mr. Crawford declares that the dspen-
sary proved most disastrous as affecting
his emoluments as mayor. He says, Il
went into office three months before the
dispensary was established. The sa-
looms were in operation. My police
docket carried an average of So cases
each month during the existence OF the
saloons The mayor receiving 81 for
every case tried. My compensation,
therefore, from this source was $56 per
month.
Dispensary Established
ION January /, 1905, the. dispensary
was established and the saloons went
out of business. | was in office twenty
one months from that time and the
average number of cases on my docket
was IA. This, as you see, reduced my
salary from $50 per month to s14 per
month. How would you like such re-
duction in salary during these hard
times?
1.-The dispensary is a success as a
money getter for the town and county
in which 1t Is operated. But the money
| -. - -. 4
exclusive of the general moral tone of
the community. If the present prohibit
ton law breeds less crime In the county
or community the people should not be
influenced by the money getting features
of the dispensary.
'Lawlessness begets lawlessness.
When people get accustomed to violat-
ing those laws that are not supported
by public sentiment it is easy to go far
Their and violate other laws. The vio-
lator of laws is the greatest sufferer
He first loses respect for himself and then
speedily loses the respect of his neigh
bors.
Near the close of my administration
as mayor | received a letter from the
mayor of a town in Virginia asking If
l thought the dispensary was better
than the saloon. replied that the dis
pensary was not as bad as the saloon.
That is my opinion
Only One Arrest
S. S. Shores. the present chief Of po-
lice at Jasper, was chief of police while
the dispensary was in operation. He
said: 1T is my honest opinion that the
dispensary is the best solution of the
liquor problem. | believe that it causes
less trouble than any other system to
say nothing of the great value 1t is to
the town and county as a revenue pro-
rucer. During the existence of the Jas
per dispensary, only one arrest was
made in the dispensary. You cannot say
this of the saloons and under prohibition
we are constantly making arrests and
would make more if we could support the
charges with evidence"
w. C. Davis. circuit solicitor, said: 81
have had but little opportunity to study
the relative virtues of the dispensary as
between saloons and prohibition. I am
prohibitionist and would like to see
practical enforcement of the prohibition
laws.
Il can say, however. that the dispen-
ssry is better thon the open saloon. Be-
fore the establishment of the dispensary
in this county and while saloons were
in operation, there were. / believe, thir-
teen homicides in one Of the towns of
the county. During the operation of the
dispensary this number dropped to about
one year. This may be an exceptional
l.
practical result"
Rev. Longcrier Talks
The Rev., j. H. Longcrier, pastor of the
First Baptist church of Jasper assisted
In the campaign to establish the dis
pensary In Walker county in 1904. as
against the open saloons then in exist
ence He says: "Of course I am a pro-
hibitiontst and will always be for the
principle of prohibition. / favored the
dispensary over the saloon and worked
for the establishment of the dispense
res in Walker county. This was when
we had no hope for prohibition Now
that we have prohibition l would not
vote for dspensary for Walker county.
had rather see some violations of the
prohibition law than to legalize the sale
of liquor in any form. especially in a
county like this. 1 have several reasons
for this position. One is that prohibit
ton outlaws the sale and we have some
chance of furnishing violators. The state
and federal governments are then pos
sessed with power to enforce the laws
wherever 1t is possible. | do not believe
the prohibition with some violation. Is as
bad even as the dispensary.
IF I lived in Birmingham or some
other large city under different condi-
tions might not say the same thing"
Result OF Elections
The result of the various elections III
Walker. county on the whisky PROPOSE
ton may be of interest.
The majority for the establishment of
the dispensaries In 1904 was 100. The
dispensaries had the combined opposition
of both the liquor interests represented
in about 10 saloons in the various towns
of the county and the extreme prohibit
tionists who did not want the sale OF
liquor in any form. However. majority
OF the prohibitionists voted for the dis
pensaries as the "choice of two evils
When the election against the dispen~
sary was held December g. 1907. the state
was in the midst of the moral wave
just then at its height. The vote was,
for prohibition. 1852; for dispensary 1875.
On November 90 hardly two years later.
the people of Walker county voted $50
majority against the adoption of the
constitutional prohibition amendment
The vote in this election stood, for
amendment 1929. against amendment 20s9.
Those In position to know the pulse of
the people are strongly OF the opinion
that majority of the voters of Walker
county now favor a return of the dis
pensary system, not only with the con-
yiction that it would correct many Of
the evils OF liquor drinking and sale. but
that it is nothing but fair and Just that
the amount of liquor consumed in the
county should help to bear some of the
burdens that are placed upon the people.