The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-18
COMMITS STATE
 ID LOCAL OPTION What Passage of, the Parks
 Bill Means VICTORY IS NOTABLE Regulation Measure Will Probably Be Introduced Next Week-Hope
 to Settle Whole Matter
 By March 1
VICTORY IS NOTABLE
Fly BERRYMAN G. BETTY

By BERRYMAN G. BETTY Montgomery, February 17.-(Special. )
 Passage of the Parks local option bill
 In the Alabama senate today merely
 commits the state to the policy of local option. In view of the severe liquor
 entanglement which the commonwealth has not been able to avoid for three years, however, the victory is con- | sidered a notable one.
 | Local option has been written in the platform of the state for several ad-
 ministration, but during the Conner regime, just ended, the course was
 swerved from, and state wide prohibit tion was thrust upon the citizens. First defeat administered to the statewiders
 was given them when vote was taken
 on the question of writing prohibition | in the organic law, constitutional change for, which the electors would not stand. The attempt was frustrated by decisive majority, and following
 upon this election the status has re-
 mained unchanged up to this time. The Parks bill which was passed to- Noy III Aiit upper DTdnCn or AlaDama g Legislature, and which went through the house last week, authorizes local option throughout the state, with the county as the unit. Regulations for elections, license. etc, are to be legis- lated by bills yet to be introduced. Even the most conservative local op- tionists and prohibitionists admit that on these regulating measures the real fights are to be waged Many there are in the house who favor high li- cense and restricted saloons, while
 there are just as many who favor a more conservative license, with restric- tions as to the number of saloons to
 be allowed per thousand population
 The same conditions prevail in the sen-
 ate as in the house.
 A significant fact about the campaign
 which has just come to close, in part,
 is to be found in the condition that only
 two cities of the state-Mobile and Mont
 gomery-were overwhelmingly in favor of
 the return of the saloon. The majority
 of the counties and towns, it is believed
 would have preferred dispensary, if a
 vote of the people could have been taken
 Birmingham, 1t is believed, would vote
 for dispensary if the question were put
 up to that city.
 Opponents of the dspensary bills got
 in effective work by insinuations that
 such regulated saloons are susceptible to too much graft. Many who voted for the Parks measure are known to
 have entertained these views.
 | It is confidently expected that the first measure for the regula tion of local op- | tion elections, licenses, etc., will be in- | troduced early in next weeks session | of the legislature. Chancellor Parks, who wrote the local option law, may himself introduce the first regulating measure, though this has not been decided. At any rate, the attempt will be made to have the whole question settled by | March l, if it is at all possible Should the question be settled by that time the chances are that the legislative session
 might be split. the solons not taking up the general revenue bill before the second term.
 
 a dispensary for Madison county and local option for the state.
 C. w. Brown Speaks Senator c. w. Brown of Jackson coun- ty got the eye of the speaker immediate ly following upon the address of Senator SIragins. He immediately assailed the previous administration of Gov. B. B. Conner, referring to that executive his eXtinguished excellency. The senator held iii his hand the message of Governor Co., mer and pitched 1t into the waste paper basket as indicative of the way that prohibition should be treated In his other hand he held the message of Gov. Emmet O'Neal. to whom he referred in most glowing terms. The speech of MT. Brown was along bitter line, especially wien he referred to prohibition as a poll icy. When you inject prohibition into a state," he said, you pull the sweet milk of concord down to hell"
 The Story in Detail Senator Brown then told of being ap. preached by one of the prohibition lobby ists and finally stated that he hoped some day to see laws punishing such men as those who influence jurors are punished. Next, he poked considerable fun at Mr. Seed and Congressman Hobson, making special fun of the 'corpuscle' speech of the latter. In concluding his preliminary remarks, he declared that neither lobby | ists nor Congressman of scientific predilic- | ton can influence senators or deter them | in the discharge of their duty His sub T eTology' repeatedly convulsed the gallery. l Senator Brown then spoke against pro- | bibition and the rule of state by church. | In closing he stated that the local option | sts will continue to fight for principle | forever.
 Question a Serious One Senator Fite then spoke concerning the seriousness of the situation, and of the | effect the result of the decision will have | in every county of the state. He then detailed the progress of the fight of the prolibitionists in 1907, and passing through | the amendment campaign, cited the con- ditons existing today.
 | He then read from The Age-Herald | statements made by Senators Bankhead and Johnston, after the prohibition
 amendment election. tending to prove | that the result of that conflict did not mean a popular desire that prohibition be repealed. He followed these state ments by ardently defending prohibition | and denying the charges that the present condition is lamentable. He spoke neither
 fin defense of or opposition to the Mood, till declaring that 1t contained no pro | vision for the getting rid of saloons after | they are established.
 | Passage of the Parks bill, said MT. Fits | would be lamentable in view of the prohi | tory laws under which the state has beer operating for the past three years. Tho speaker said that he never failed to tel
 his people that he was against the return | of the saloons.
 Not Long Speakers
 l Canator Norman who folIowod Mir