The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-10-27
WHAT ABOUT ALABAMA


Some day ago the Iimc>-pispatclI, the ''Su2
iFeme" IA Virginia INDUCED III editorial
ehuc4sle of delighted dcri~iun al The failure ot
prohibition IA Memphis, which city Is generally
admitted 10 be ttt most laVle-s city iii the South
tn lJgt,aa45 called the attention OF the "sa
prelur" ia lie fact. concerning DalNlic city
af Virginia abeut 10 miles distant and point
I'd nat that following out it, own logic jhc 'sH-
/ RENE" mus @Titt an editorial the Failure
Of the Licensed Saloon in DaRille
3ul the '~upr.mc" can moi think Of discuss
ug ANYTHING as pro-aic a facts especially if they
are taken from public record@, and il has up 10
this time declined 10 tell IL II adeF- about The
failure Of the saloon in DarvIIe. Or perhaps
indeed tho @Snpfeuc' doe- not read The
itrqjnja and really is ignorant Of the facts.
In It's editorial columns If tie 18th the "Su-
premG continues with It's text sPfohibition Fail
ures, and concludes upon the testimony ot one,
Mr.. j. +. bearing, in an interview in Birming-
ham paper that prohibition i failure III the
South lhs i sweeping judgment TO pro-
HoHnec upon The testimony nj ouv man. aud
Of course Mr.. bearing is AN emiIient otutistican,
or d man of great ability and especially Is he of
necessity known 10 lie an entire y impartial and
Hnpre JUDGED man. Other fben have given SINH
lar testimony during the past few years. and up
on invo.tig ation II has been discovered that they
had been paid large sums by the Liquor traffic 10
traycl through" Tho South. and then To give out
interviews. concerning the failure al prohibition
which would be eretdily published and commend
ed IN editorial columns by papers which. like the
supreme receive large revenues from liquor
advertising. Then it sometimes happens that as
sertons are lnade aS 10 the failure Of prohibition
/ by travellers who have been greatly inconyell-
/ fenced because they could not step into nicely
/ furnished saloon and order their customary
miHed drinks. and they have most feelngly de
carod prohibition to be a failure
What are Air bearing eminent qualifications
witness He is unknown in This parl OF
the country, and the "Suprt4ne itself states we
do not know who Nr. Bearing i, but we have
little doubt a. 10 his statements Of prohibition
conditions in orr sister States Of The South" To
he sure, o. course Thc supreme has no
doubts about any testimony concerning the fail
urc of prohibition 3ut Tta Eir9iaian has,
In direct opposition To The testimony of This
admitted unknown benevoIeni traveller who
made an examination Of conditions ;nI submit
ted to an interview for the public { = good cal
though il may be=barov possible tEat h. ha, FAT
check for hi. falk), The l4qiataa presents The
+ following eiunts, made By Mr., Robert G..
llidon, Weil-khown newspaper man of Hiun~
ingham who i Weli-kuown also in Richmond.
having been OH the staff Of the "Suprcme' in
other days
Mr. IIiden say: Admitting that certain
amount Of Whiskoy is going To he sold in any
State, matter how drastic the laws. a, long
as the stuff Is made and Federal statutes do not
prohibit the shipment of iutoXmant9 from wet
state into dry territory, It is safe and fair to
say that Alabama answer 10 The question as 10
whether prohibition is practicable is in the af-
firmative. Alabamas answer To the question as
to whether ii pays is that it docs pay aud hand
solnely al that. To reach this conclusion this
State only has 10 consider its wears record Gov
tering the general increase in efficiency of labor
in it's industries and agriculture, the reliability
# is working citizenry. the decrease in costly
accidents on railroads and al industrial plants,
he Iowercd public expense in tie detection and
punishment ii criminals and IN the care of pau
per-. imbccilos and unaic- Even churches and
other Charities lind that their field of work which
was formerly lax ha- greatly diminished The
work Of prohibition IN the matter of public
moral, aid il effect in making this State a bet
Ter place in which to 1--we. can hardly be reduced
Ia uHafs altd fts, lHl II Is one 81 the great con
zId5ration@ :,
Mr. Hidden pcrtncnty says:
Several newspapers and magazines have sent
pccial representatives to this State for the pur-
Eea.e OF studying The effect of prohibitions Most
ii lhcm publications controlled BY interests
closely related 10 the sale manufacture of liquor
~ beer publications. that are known 10 be
friendly 10 The traffic. The conclusion II lio,t Of
The investigator, is that prohibition l. a fail
are. To be sure
Mr. Hiden CONTINUES Not long ago a bi2 cast
IRON pipe manufacturer said that he was getting
out mere work with four hundred men since The
sale Of whisky was stopped tlan he die with
more than seven hundred under lie old system
+ He wa one ,of the men who did moi think pro
hibitjon would be a good thing Hi, is the ex
tRtriencc Of nearly all men who employ large