Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-08-27
THE LIQUOR INTERESTS AND
JUDGE RUSSELL.

THAT Judge Russell stands for local
option q special news dispatch is sent
.out from Atlanta to various papers eX-
pressing the belief that the liquor in
|terests Will not support his candidacy,
that the brewing and distilling inter-
Iests. the beer and whisky men, will Oe
hands of in the gubernatorial fight.
The dispatch in question seeks to
disseminate the idea that the liquo:
men of both classes referred to are
not at all anxious for the question of
local option to be fought out in the
/ gubernatorial race, that they realize
( the governor could be Of little service.
To them. and they would prefer that
| the question be held in allegiance until
the next Legislature is elected. The
! present General Assembly in both
I Senate and House, is conceded to be
overwhelmingly prohibition in spirit,
or at least opposed to anything look
ing like a concession to the liquor in
terests. A governor elected on a local
option platform would have no power
so tar as liquor legislation goes. The
legislature as now constituted would
give scant consideration to any rec
concentrations he might make. The
election Of a local option governor
would accordingly be a fruitless vic
tory, it is pointed out and the only
effect would be to weld anti-liquor
forces of the the state more com
pactly and arouse them into more in
tense feeling when the legislative fight
comes off
There is doubtless a measure of
truth in this statement But it will ne
hard to convince Georgia that the
liquor interests will not be found sup
porting with money and brains and
votes a local option candidate for
governor against a pronounced pro-
hibitionist, if there is one in the field.
The election of local option gov
ernOr would be acclaimed to the world
as unmistakable evidence that Georgia
was weary of prohibition, that the peo-
pie recognized the futility of prohi
biting the sale of liquor, and would
immeasurabIy strengthen the liquor or
local option party not only in this
state but throughout the South.
1t is probably good politics to dis
seminate the idea that the brewers and
the distillers do not particularly favor
Judge Rusell's candidacy. The truth Ct
the matter is, local option candidates
would at any time be strengthened
very much by the apparent absence Of
strong efforts on the part of the liquor
interests to carry the state for them.
But it is hard, very hard, to believe,
| that when the fight is really on in dead
earnest money will not be forthcoming
from the liquor interests, and that
there will not be determined, even
though underground, efforts to carry
the state to their way Of thinking. The
liquor interests are not in the habit If
sitting with folded hands when such a
fight is on, and Georgia, in this year of
our Lord is not apt to prove the eX-
ceptional instance.
In the meantime the state is waiting
to hear more from Judge Russell rs
to what he really means by local op-
ton, what restraints and restrictions
he proposes to throw around the lii
uor traffic, what measure he would
take for the enforcement of the stat
laws if local option once more became
the law The mere announcement that
he believes in local option might m 2ar
one Of several ways Of looking upOG
the regulation of the liquor traffic
What is needed from Judge Russell il
a definite statement of his full views
and what he would aim to accomplish
if governor, in the handling of the liz.
uor trade once it became the policy o.
the state to legalize it again. Upon his
further statements depends the SUP
port Of thousands of Georgians who dc
not favor prohibition and who yet
would not return to the reign of thc
5 old time saloon, the flooding Of dry
2 counties from the wet ones, or the con
, tempt for state laws shown in the wet
iCities. Georgia may wayer in the bal
ances on this question if Judge Rus.
, sells further views appeal to this largo
class Of voters.