The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-13
GUMsHOEs, NOT MEGAPHONES

From the Montgomery Advertiser.
| The Mobile Register chides The Adver-
tiser, because it appears to doubt the
declaration of the Anti-Saloon league Off
Gals that the league would take no part
in the present gubernatorial campaign.
This doubt which The Advertiser frank
| ly admits, is not born of scepticism, but
of confusion.
As The Register points out the pres
| ident Of the Anti-Saloon league did de-
clare that he regarded all candidates for
governor as having committed themselves
| In favor of prohibition and the league
would therefore take no part in the pres
ent campaign. But The Register doubt
| less recalls a more earnest and more
emphatic statement issued by the same
gentleman a short while after the amend
ment disaster, declaring that the whisky
| forces had started movement to win
control of the state government and call
| ing upon all true friends of the league
to rally as one man and elect state
ticket from constable to COVER
nor" The address of the superintendent
of the Anti Saloon league, in early De-
cember, at Chicago, his last public utter
ance. contained the determined declara-
ton that the friends of prohibition would
keep up the fight until the outlawry OF
the whisky traffic had been written in
the organic law of Alabama"
The Register, always reasonable, will
| admit that there is room for doubt, and
that il we accept the recent declaration
| of the president of the Anti-Saloon league
we must continue in doubt as TO the sin
certify of the first statement and we must
question the sincerity of the superinten-
dent of the Anti-Saloon league, who has
always appeared to be the fountain head
of its authority and the originator of its
plans-we almost said schemes.
The Advertiser could not fail to note
the presence at the recent Mallory con-
ference Of several prominent Alabamians
| who became prominent by advocating
not to say lobbying-for the legislative
programme of the Anti-Saloon league dur
ing the sessions of the legislature. Names
are as thick as blackberries and on COM
pulsion we could mention several gentle
men who were frankly recognized as
| gentlemen, VINO were llSluDeiS VI tue
Anti-Saloon league and who were at the
capital TO see that the Lawrence legisla-
| tive programme was carried out. Mr..
| Lawrence was not at the recent confer
ence but many Of the men who were
recognized as the right-hand men of the
Anti-Saloon league in its successful DOM
nation of the last legislature. No one
would deny them the right of political
activity, nor can The Advertiser be
denied the right to note and comment
on that activity as pronounced now as 1t
was when the amendment bill was pend
ing in the last legislature. In the face
of this activity we cannot but admit our
doubt that the Anti-Saloon league is
keeping out of the fight.
| We are, however, convinced that the
order has gone out to discard the mega
phones of last fall and lay in a supply of
gum shoes. But successful gum-shoeing
| is difficult and it takes remarkable politi-
cal legerdermain to convince the initiated
in Alabama that what they see is only an
optical illusion.
The Anti-Saloon league not in politics?
| Why the league is nothing but politics.
If the politics were mashed out of the
Anti-Salon league there would not be
enough left of it to take up collection.