The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-23
.SPRAG|NS THINKS MOODY SHOULD RUN Huntsville Man Has No Desire
 to Enter Fight TALKS OF MOODYS RECORD Says That In Coming GubernatorlaI Race Local Option, as Laid Down
 In Platform, Should Be
 Issue.
1ALkS OF MOODYS RECORD
By ROY o,NEAL.


 Huntsville, January 22.--(speciaI. )-state Senator Robert E. spragins. who was regarded as one of the strongest leaders for the anti-amendists and a probable candidate for governor. is out in an in- terview urging Senator Moody for the nomination.
 Are you going to run for governor?- Senator Spragins was asked.
 ''Oh, do not know" he answered. Personally. have little desire to get Into the fight. At this juncture the best man in the state, in my opinion, for us to get behind and to insist on his mak- Ing tho race is Senator Moody. His tenn perance record is known of all men in Alabama, and no one. though differing with him, would be so intemperate, as to charge that he was actuated by any but pure and high motives. Really. he Is the father of the temperance moye- ment in Alabama. In other respects he Is eminently fitted for the exalted position of governor, a man of great ability, hon esty. conservatism and strength of char aoter, whose motto. like Gladstones, is to do what he believes to be right in each case and let the consequences take care of themselves.
 I would be very glad to exert my self in the matter and support Mir Moody. He Is one of the best and safest men l ever knew and always has the cour- age of his convictions. believe the con- servative, level-headed temperance peo- pie of the state would be glad to sup port him.
 How should the issue be presented?' was the next question:
 "I would not change the fraction of an inch. but stand for local option as laid down by the democratic platform. With each county as unit, according to the declared policy of the present legislature, we all thought that the true temperance position at the time, the amendment peo- pie as well es the anti-amendment peo- pie, was the true governmental prin- ciple. l was perfectly sincere about it. ] thought so then and l think so now. If the legislature had stood loyal to the platform tho people of Alabama would have been spared much trouble, turmoil and dissenson and the cause of tenn perance would have been better served"
 "Rut, Senator, would not that give the open saloon a chance to be rehabilitated?"
 "I think not Can you find anyone who seriously thinks the open saloon a pos sibility in so of the 87 counties? Mad ison and few other counties with large towns in them would probably establish dispensaries, but the great majority of the counties would probably never seek to change from prohibition.
 "It is possibility that Jefferson. Mont gomery and Mobile might prefer the sa- loon with high license and severe reg ulations but my judgment is that they would settle on dispensAries. There are points in Alabama today under the most drastic prohibition laws ever known where prohibition is an utter farce. as I am ad- yised. I do not believe that prohibi- ton can be enforced in any county un- less the sentiment of the people of the county strongly favors It's enforcement, and I certainly think it better not to have prohibition unless 1t is reasonably we'll enforced at least.
 'The general prohibition statute has had a history in Alabama very similar to the experience with such laws in other states. It has been effective where local sentiment Is behind 1t. It is not suc- cess where 1t is not supported by the public opinion of the locality. So in a great measure local option practically pervails though not written into tho statute It is very hard to make any law success in locality where pub lie opinion disapproves of 1t. Local op- ton simply recognizes tho practical wis., dom of needing the wishes of locality. Merely putting a general law on the statute book does not destroy the pref erence of people for the privileges of local self government
 'srhe principle of local option is un- changed. The situation only is changed in this: When local option was written in tho platform as one of its most vital blanks the license system was the estab- lished order; now prohibition rs the es- tablished order under the principle of local option, the principle of statewide prohibition would and should remain un- disturbed except as changed under a general local option bill by a majority vote of county.
 'sThe fact that the democratic party would be relieved of the burden and dan- ger of prohibition as an Issue by stand ing for local option appeals to me also. but in a less degree"