Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1911-12-05
JUDGE FREEMAN
WRITES A CARD

The Constitution has received the
following open letter to Judge W. X
Hammond and Col. b. S. Wiling
ham, written by Judge Alvan D. Free
man of Newman in answer to certain
recent publications:
publish this letter feeling that
both of you know that entertain for
you feelings of friendship and high
est regard, and also, if can, to coun'
teract the influence OF your recent
public utterance touching the guber-
material contest
1t is needless for me to say that J
am surprised at the position you oc
cupy in the present gubernatorial
contest, because of your former ct
forts to have enacted statewide
prohibition law for Georgia.
Now, after years of great strug
giles, and disappointments on the par
of the very best people in our state,
we have secured the law, that you
should advocate the imperilling OF
the same by an unheard-of method
to our system of legislation, and the
repeal of laws that the people disap-
prove is a surprise to me and youl
other brother prohibitionists.
We had no referendum connected
with our law-makng power Yor
have heretofore declared that the sal.
of intoxicants was the crime Of the
ages, and had produced more suffer
ing, woe and want than war, famine
and pestience, and wish you would
explain why you favor making this
one exception in the interest OF tins
gigantic crime. Is not the law RICH
and should it not remain upon tn
state book and should not such law
be upon the statute books OF all thf
states and nations, because it is righi
and conserves the best interest OF
individuals, homes and states?
If so, why do you approve any
method that imperils the law? The
moral and upright people of this state
secured the privilege Of this law at
ter hard struggles, in fair and open
way. and by methods known to oul
law? No advantage was taken OF any
one. 1t was passed. as all other laws
had been and will be in the future
until our system of enactlng law"
has been changed. Should not all men
who favor the law, or one similar TO
it. do their utmost to keep the same
upon the statute book and resist any
effort looking to its repeal by any
method, whether it be new or old
You say a vote of the people will set
tie it? How do you know? II the
votes of the people should approve,
do YOU not know that the liquor men
and interests would commence anoth-
er attack upon it? call your atten-
ton to recent events in Maine.
The liquor interests will never
cease to attack the law. they DO
not care whether the people at the
ballot box adopted Il or whether they
through their representatives, enact
ed it.
AS we are in duty bound to hold
the opponents of such laws to me
usual methods of repeating laws
You are making an exception i'll IA
vor of the most appalling curse that
ever belted the earth with sorrow,
destitution, suffering and death, and
am surprised and panied beyond
measure. Your position in the prem
ises only serves to help defeat your
brother prohititionist, Hon. }. Pope
Brown, and thus gives the opponents
of this law an excuse to declare that
the prohibition sentiment in Georgia
had declined and thus encourage the
fence riders to get on the wet SIDE.
Your position also tends to the dis
organization of the prohibition forces
and to cause them to lose confidence
in the stability of each other. intend
also to sound the alarm in the ears
of the friends of this law and warn
them not to be led off and induced to
vote against Hon. ]. p Brown, on the
idea that his defeat means no harm
to the enforcement and perpetuatlon
of this law. and will have no intiu-
ence to defeat the Tippins near beer
bill.
ALvAN D. FREEMAN.
Newman, Ga