The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-11
After Local Option Becomes Effective

 1909. It was in that general election that the people of Alabama had their first opportunity of voting on any phase of statewide prohibition measure.
 There never was a hotter campaign in this state than that of 1909. Able. men were found on both sides, and on the hust- ings and in the columns of the newspa- pers prohibition was discussed earnestly and exhaustively. Had the question been simply that of local option or statutory prohibition local option would probably have won. While many men who were strongly opposed to the liquor traffic in any shape or form voted against the amendment because 1t contained clauses repugnant to the patriotic mind, many sold in the rural districts or in their own hcme towns were not in favor of forcing drastic measures on Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham or any other city where local sentiment might be plainly for dispensary or license and regulation.
 But no matter what one might think the result would have been had the fight ia 1909 been made on a plain statewide proposition, there was a democratic pri- mary last May in which Governor o'Neal. a local optionist, was nominated over Col. H. S. D. Mallory, who was committed to statewide prohibition. The local option ists cast large majority for the head Of the ticket, and nominated majority of local optionists for the legislature. Two weeks after the primary democratic state convention was held, and this con- vention was made up of delegates elected at the same primary that nominated Governor O'Neal. Not in many years had such a representative convention been held in this state as that which met in May, and after thorough discussion adopted platform containing an unequiv- ocal local option plank. The lower house o, the legislature performed Its solemn duty. therefore, when 1t passed the Parks local option bill Thursday The senate will doubtless ratify the action of the house by a good majority.
 Now as to what sort of regulation those counties that want liquor will have re- mains to be seen. The Parks bill being orly a general measure, legislation pro- viding for local option machinery must be considered and adopted. While a great majority of the counties will con- tinue dry. and should continue dry. some will have dispensaries, and few perhaps. very few. will vote back the open sa- Icon if the legislature affords the oppor- tunity.
 Many representative business men are cntspoken in favor of saloons for this city. The Age-Herald thinks the dis pensary plan would be far better; certain ply better as far as strong liquors are con cerned. When the vote was taken in this county in 1907 under the local option law on the question of saloon or no sa- loon, The Age-Herald opposed the dries But now that we are rid of the saloon it would be well to stay rid of them so far as it relates to the sale of whisky and other strong intoxicants. Exception, howe ever should be made everywhere in favor of beer and light wines. These beverages contain so little alcohol as 10 be In class entirely apart from such liquors as are responsible for drunkenness. Places for dispensing beer, either draft or bottled. should be licensed, but brandies, whiskies, and those other li- quors that have been often abused should be found only in dispensaries. The dis pensary would be a great revenue pro- ducer for the county. Ex-Governor Jelks in an interview published in The Age Herald not long since argued strongly in favor of dispensaries for Jefferson Many public men who have given this matter serious thought have come to the con clusion that even in as large a city as Birmingham the dispensary would prove satisfactory, provided that beer could be sold at retail and provided further that hotels would be allowed to conduct buff fets on the payment of high licenses. These are matters of detail, however. that will be thought over and discussed very generally by the people }before the time comes to pass upon them