The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-22
LANE REPLIES ID
 MERIDIAN LETTER Explains the PSsition He Took On Question Now
 Before the People

Commissioner A. O. Lane yesterday made public an answer he made in re- ply to communication of D. s. liar rhon of Meridian, wherein the Mississippi gentleman refers to the previous state ent of Commissioner Lane as defense of the saloons"
 Judge Lane explains that he was under the impression that the correspondence Nil. Harmon was published he desires his answer laid before the people.
 IL follows:
 Birmingham. August IS, 1911. MT. D. s. Harmon, Meridian, Miss:
 My Dear Sir-Your favor of the 18th inst. received. It is so gentlemanly and reasonable in it's tone, and in such strik-
 ing contrast to the anarchistic utterances of a few persons of this city, that l take pleasure in answering it. I have rela- tives and friends in your city, and surely could have not the remotest idea of the slightest incentive to do your city harm. q think it a misnomer to call my let ter a defense of saloons If you have 1t and will read 1t again, you will ob- serve that I admit them to be evils. and that I deal only with the remedies to be applied. You will also observe from my statement that it will not do, for mu- | ricipal governments, to compare towns to cities-the conditions being so entirely different
 T cited the records of the courts here to show merely that I had done my duty in my efforts to suppress what is com monly known here as blind tigerism.' As I now recall, in the four months that l have been in office, my officers have ar re ed 106S ploprietors of blind tigers, there being among the number arrested many womens both white and colored. If you knew the conditions existing here and the importance of suppressing this direful evil, 1 believe you would agree with me that in a city of this size (more than 900 people, prohibition has proved a failure, and it must continue to prove | such.
 "rhe blind tigers are carried on in l private residences, in negro houses, un- der wash tubs and lard cans. concealed in l the houses of respectable white people by negro cooks; and in almost every other | conceivable way. As a direct result of | blind tigerism the youth of our land are 1 being demoralzed; young girls, as young 1 as 10 or F years of age, are being led | astray: and not only that, but they are | taught to lie and to sneak and to conceal | violations of the law. If l could have a talk with you 1 believe I could in | + minutes convince you that the course l l rt OIIt in letter is the best edy for the existing evils.
 'l accord to every man the right to | his own opinion; but when it comes to a minister of the gospel making a speech from the pulpit, in the guise of sermon, and using such incendiary language as ad- vocating the lynching not only of the Isaloonkeepers but of everybody who voted for them, making a holocaust In the county, and tilling the country with 5000 or 4o,00O orphans, you must admit that the party who utters such language should be so busy in being ashamed of himself that he would not have time to be ashamed of any one else.
 T am a strictly abstemious man. do not chew; 1 do not smoke. I have always stood for law, have always stood for morality; I state these things to you because you have been courteous in ad- dressing me. Without meaning to boast,
 
 four terms of two years each. and have Teen elected judge of the circuit court twice, without opposition: and upon my resignation to accept my present position received the highest ecomiums from the Lar for justice and fairness.
 That you may see I am not alone in my thinking, In a city like this (not a city like yours), inclose you under sepe- rate cover a copy of the Birmingham News; and l would be glad for you to re ad page 9, in which great number of business men utter practically the senti- ments expressed in my letter, and l be- lleve I would be safe in saying that if they had the opportunity, nine-tenths of the balance of the business men of this community would join in the letter.
 While my letter was written partly for the revenue that would accrue to the city, the paramount purpose was to bring about morality in this city. This is my supreme desire, and I shall use my best efforts to secure it. The present condi- tions are intolerable. Prior to my access sion to office, four months ago. blind tigerism had run riot. and had become so deep-rooted that it will take some time before it can be externlinated. I have materially reduced the evil but when have parties arrested and convicted they take appeals to the higher courts, and the result is that they are turned loose by juries. Naturally, they have no fear of me. If there were no appeals I believe could teach them such a severe lesson ss, to a great degree, put stop to the illegal sale of whisky. As it Is now, we break them up in one place, and they start up in another Sincerely yours,