The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-22
). B. McClary and Judge Gas
ton Thinks Dispensary Is
the Proper Solution
TOMLINSON THINKS
THE IDEA rs WRONG.
Says state and County should Not Go
Into Liquor Business But Leave
That for Individuals TO Ham
die Under Restrictions

That there is a constantly growing de-
sire among the people of Birmingham to
have the liquor problem wnrSt d out in
some more satisfactory way than exists
interviews with prominent citizens being
presented to Age Herald readers
J. B. McClary and Judge zell Castor,
both prohibitonists believe a dispensary
would be the best thing for Birmingham.
On the other hand Col. John w. Tom
linson believes the dispensary is wrong
in principle and that individuals should
conduct the business under proper re-
strictions.
Il am prohibitionist. a state wider
and constitutional amendst but 1t is
my honest opinion now that the dispen-
sary offers the best solution for the Ii
quor problem" said Mr. McClary yester-
day.
II was a citizen of Sheffield when four
dispensaries displaced the open saloons
in Colbert county. One dispensary each
was located at Sheffield, Tuscumoia,
Cherokee and Leighton. Before the es-
tablishment of the dispensaries there
were seven saloons at Sheffield and seven
at Tuscumbia
1.-The result of the dspensaries in these
two cities was something marvellous.
They cleaned up the dives in the two
cities and made every street respectable
and safe for women and children to
travel at will. They were not SO before
the opening of the dispensaries.
"There was but little drunkenness and
practically no rowdylsm The condition
was ideal as compared to that existing
with the saloons
Financial Benefits
Besides this great improvement in the
| financial benefits the towns and county
| were able to secure a revenue from the
dispensaries that was of great benefit
| in improving the schools, the streets,
court houses and for other public i'm
provements.
THE well managed dspensary puts the
sale of liauor absolutely under the con-
troll of the authorities and greatly re-
duces the evils of liquor drinking and
selling. Through the dispensary the
quality of liquors can be guaranteed and
the poisonous stuff that people get from
blind tigers is excluded.
1.-The MANAGEMENT of the Colbert coun-
| ty dispensaries was ideal in every re-
spect so far as l was able to know. The
men who managed the affairs of the sys-
tenn were high class. honorable citizens,
who were strictly temperate. Their chief
aim was to regulate the sale of liquor and
i 70 nj mr. n jpcraa
sales. This is the way the system should
be operated. If the people will drink see
to it that they get nothing but pure IL
ouor and as little of 1t as they will take.
with my observation of the operation
of the dispensaries in Colbert county and
the conditions that have arisen under
state wide prohibition | feel thoroughly
convinced that the dispensary is the best
and only practical solution to the ques-
ton.''
Thinks 1t Wrong In Principle
Col. John W. Tomlinson said:
II think the dispensary for handling
the liouor traffic is wrong in principle.
When the county or state government
goes into the liquor business it savors
too much of paternalism to suit me.
"Why has the state or the county or
the city any more right to go into the
liquor business than In any other line
of commercial endeavor? These things
are for individuals and it is for the state
to work out laws suitable for the regu-
lation of the various lines of CONNER
cial endeavor and not undertake to con-
duct the business itself. The dispensary
it not my idea of the proper promoting
of individual effort in our economic life.
at am Just like thousands of other men
of Alabama, in that I don't want to sea
any such conditions here as We had be-
fore the open saloon was abolished. But
I am by no means hopeless of the states
ability to handle the liquor problem under
such restrictions as are necessary for
minimizing the evils.
Here in Birmingham one of the chief
things we want is to encourage the whole
sale trade. Why should our people send
away thousands of dollars which should
be kept. at home? Big, well regulated
wholesale houses would help to fill the
many splendid stores now being erected.
Why should our breweries remain closed
when under the federal constitution beer
will continue to be shipped to Alabama?
81 believe Alabama can work this prob
lem out some way, but I do not believe
the dispensary is the way to go about
It, However. If Huntsville, for instance,
wants a dispensary, ] am in favor CO
Huntsville or Madison county having
what they want"
Wise Plan Yet to Be Tried
IT voted for prohibition when the ques-
ton was submitted to the people," said
Judge Zell CASTOR, but l did so with
considerable doubt as to the wisdom of
attempting to control the whisky cues
ton that way l had seen prohibition
tried in south Alabama and 1t was a
failure, as it is proving to be failure
here. But / thought even blind tigers
would be preferable to the outra geous
system of dives that were operated in
sections of Birmingham. and for which
some of the breweries were responsible
However, I am sure a great majority
of our people will agree with me that the
wise plan for controlling the liquor prob
lem has not yet been tried. l would like
to see a dispersary, and let the proceeds
go to public schools, streets and roads
| would also give to first class restau-
rants and hotels the right to serve with
meals beer and light wines, under proper
license and with strict regulations. Then
any person who violated the law should
be put in the penitentiary, not fined.
am a tee-totaler myself. and perso nally
have no use for liquor in any form, but
realize that the question must be dealt
with from a common-sense standpoint,
free from prejudice or sentiment"
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Cunnner at ingram Wells