Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-31
BLIND TIGERS AND BLIND-TALKERS
III BISHOP w. A. cANDT ER.

/ tain blind takers VINO nave nau mucn 10
say about the existence OF blind tigers
as a reason for maintaining the licensing
OF saloons and opposing prohibition.
They have had eyes to see very small
''tigers" at work under prohibition. and
have sometimes seen double, counting two
| tigers" where there was one only. But
| they have had no eyes to see the "blino
tigers" which stalk abroad under the IL
cense system.
1t is well enough to call attention to
some facts recently brought to light in
4 Alabama, but which these blind takers
Irefuse to see.
AS is well known, Alabama adopted
statewide prohibition a few years ago.
Later under the influence of personal
politics, and by reason of other adverse
conditions, the law was repealed. and
the license system was restored. The
advocates Of this backward movement
protested in the campaign which led to
the repeal of prohibition that they were
the friends OF temperance and the es-
pecial enemies of blind tigers. Even
the brewers and dlstillers now profess to
be the friends of temperance and the
foes of tigers; and. of course, the poll
ticians who desired the return Of the
saloons to Alabama were as good friends
of temperance as the brewers and dis
tillers. Just as good In fact, and no
better
But neither the politicians, nor the
brewers and distillers are very busy just
now discovering or catching the blind
tigers" which are abroad in Alabama as
never before. The kind of tigers now
roaming around in Alabama seem to be
the pet. tigers of tie Hquorites, and they
do not desire their pets to be disturbed,
| But we in Georgia may view the crea-
lures at this safe distance as the objects
OF some interesting study of the natural
history of blind tigers.
The Montgomery Times of recent date
says:
| THE saloon keepers in the city are
violent in their protests at the alleged
| fact that blind TIGERS are just as
| plentiful here as before the local legal
tax of $500 for the legal sale OF liquor
went into effect. In discussing the
matter a saloon man said this morn
ing: What can we do? We met and
registered our protest to those, whose
/ duty 1t is to suppress the tiger. The
saloon man cannot make arrests.
| Suppose we should work up cases,
what would II amount to? A nominal
| fine would be imposed and that would
be the end of it,
/ ct am satisfied continued the sa-
/ loon man, If we had known the rough
deal in store for us not half the appli-
/ cations for license would have been
made. II is wrong, it is unjust to US
| to pay $500, to the city and state to
do business when men who are not
| paying cent are running wide open.
| 1t is no secret. Everybody knows it.
What can we do except grin and bear
it""
Surely saloon keepers will be accepted
as reliable witnesses concerning the ex-
istence of these blind tigers under the
license system. But there are other wit
| nesses.
| In his charge to the grand jury in
Montgomery on October End. Judge Arm
istead Brown is reported as saying, "the
| blind tiger continues to defy the license
law as he did the prohibition law"
The day after Judge Browns charge
to the grand Jury was made the Excise
Commissioners sent warning word to
the liquor dealers Cboth wholesale and re-
tail dealers) in which they said. This is
the second notice we have mailed to you
| that we have reason to believe the whole
sale people are selling to blind tigers
knowingly" 1t seems that the Commits
sioners had knowledge of the violations
| of law before Judge Brown said anything
| to the grand jury on the subject and
"got busy" again after the utterance of
the judge After referring to former
warning they go on to say, We are
again calling your attention to this for
the reason that we have cause to believe
you are violating this ruling" The COM
missioners add, 1.-THE Excise Commission
has reason to believe that some of the
retail dealers are giving out packages on
Saturday night to be peddled on Sunday.
The gentle commissioners then kindly
say, this is our last warning.
Press dispatches from Mobile of Sep
| tenlber IL say that there the Excise Com
mission ''had grave suspicious already
about the violations of the license law.
Sheriff McAdory OF Birmingham has re-
Gently uncovered shameless violations of
the law In that city also. Meanwhile
the Excise Commission issue mild warn
ings to the liquor sellers that they must
proceed at some early day to "be good.
And these are the results of the license
system under which all blind tigers"
in Alabama were to disappear In night,
| IL not sooner!
All parties may as we'll recognize the
fact that the whiskey is by Its very ma
ture a lawless interest, and that there
can be no worse policy than temporizing
with it. Under any system there Will be
.blind tigers until the liquorites are
given to understand that our laws were
made to be obeyed, and that men who
persistently defy law will be sent to pris-
on They have been dealt with far too
| tenderly under all systems; and when
thew are given an inch they Immediately
take an ell When have they respected
the laws forbidding the sale Of intoxi-
cants on Sunday, or on election days. or
| to minors, or to drunken menu They
cry for local option down South, but up
North they demand wide open towns" i.
what they mean to do is to sell all the
liouor they can wherever they can and
whenever they can and to whomsoever
they can. -
The policy which some have proposed
In Georgia that the state repeal all the
laws which the liquorites are disposed
to break is nothing short of a proposal
IN substitute anarchy for government
and allow the liquor interests to dictate
orr statutes. Where would such policy.
If adopted end? They violate license
laws: shall all statutes requiring license
he abandoned? They violate the statutes
designed to protect the Sabbath day and
| election days; shall those laws be aban-
doned? They sell to minors and drunken
men and then dump their products Of
debauchery into the homes where heart
broken mothers and wives wait and
ween. shall the laws intended to protect
| these helpless ones be abandoned be-
cause the liquor dealers do not obey those
statutes? s, ...,,.