The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-27
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
\ Live Question

A Live Question
 There is no question in my mind bu
 that the sentiment in Alabama gainst tn
 retail liquor traffic is very strong-strong
 CT than it was even two or three year.
 ago." said prominent citizen who voted
 dry in this county in 1907 under the olC i local option law But I do not believe
 the people of this state will ever be 1T | favor of such intolerable enactments as our hysterical legislature under radica leadership adopted in 1909.
 "When Jefferson county voted out li- quor three years ago I did not like the idea of closing up the breweries, for beer is regarded by many good citizens as a temperance beverages; and so long as beer would be consumed here I thought the 1 brewing of it a very desirable industry. But l was against the saloons. certain ly as they were then conducted, and therefore voted the dry ticket.
 statewide prohibition is not popular here, or in any other state with which I am acquainted. The democrats of Ala bama condemned 1t last May when by a decisive vote they nominated Colonel O'Neal instead of Colonel Mallory for governor; and at the general election in November the people ratified the choice of the democracy.
 Tn response to the protest against statewide drastic prohibition the laws will be repealed by the new legislature and the question is, what will we have in the way of legalized liquor traffic? hope the dispensary for whisky will be decided upon as the proper thing-the dis pensary in such counties as want liquor and the beer saloon without strong drink for all the cities. And, of course, I would favor the return of breweries. I would be glad to see 10 breweries, instead of two, in Birmingham.
 By the way, speaking of the liquor problem an instructive and timely article on prohibition is that which appears in the current number of the Ladies' Home Journal by Henry Smith Williams, M. D., IL. D. The editor of the Journal in predatory note says: The choice of Dr. Williams to discuss this subject in the Journal is due to the fact that he has made a special study of the whole ques- ton for many years, and has written au- thoritatively about It in his book on ''The Effects of Alcohol.'' He has att tended universities, medical schools and hospitals, both in this country and in London, Paris and Berlin; and as mem- Der of the staff of several state hospitals and asylums and particularly as medi- cal superintendent of the Randalps Is- Ia y1H roll t,, z, specialist in mental and nervous dis eases, he has had unusual opportunities to note and investigate every side of the problem
 'Dr. Williams takes a most positive stand against the habitual use of liquor He is in fact a sincere friend of the temperance cause He says he gladly rec ords his recognition of the good work which the great body of earnest and high-minded prohibition enthusiasts have accomplished and are accomplishing, through a multitude of channels, in pro- mitigating information regarding the evil effects of alcohol. Prohibition laws have not stemmed the alcoholic tide, but the educational propaganda issued under pro- hibition auspices must ultimately have an enormous influence for good.
 ''Now Dr. Williams shows by govern ment statistics that prohibition does not prohibit. He says that In the past 20 years the consumption of liquor has more than doubled in the United States. In 1S90.' he points out, there was compara- lively little territory under prohibition laws; in 1910 about half the territory of the United States is under such laws. We are forced to conclude either that one-half the territory of the country now consumes more than double what the en- tire territory consumed 20 years ago, or else to make the alternative concession that the "dry" territories are far enongh from being dry in any literal sense.'
 "This distinguished authority makes an earnest plea for temperance education. Prohibition fanatics may call pr. Will Hams a whisky head because he points out the fallacy of such legislation as has been enacted recently; and yet every open-minded temperance advocate, even If he calls himself a prohibitionist, must admit that Dr. Williams is right. All should read his calm discussion"