The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-08-22
TEMPERANCE TOPICS
OPINION OF ONE OF THE
STRONG MEN OF ALABAMA

Judge Weakley. leading jurist of |
Alabama. says:
Il am pleased to advocate a cause |
Walch means 80 much and attribute |
your reception of me TO your zeal for |
the cause. We stand at crisis in the |
history Of Jefferson county today. |
Four years ago we carried prohibition !!
in a free and nntrammeIled election !
Local option is a principal which has |
been applied to the liquor trafhc's |
control. We expressed our option |
against liquor, but the other side did
not 81 ADMIT to our laws. \ city official |
told Us that the minority cannot con-
troll the majority. They tell us frank |
~ that they will violate our option It
is heads we win and tails you lose
The other side charge US with the
defense of the blind tiger 1 pronounce |
this a vile and wicked Islander to
boost a wretched cause. It is abso-
lutelE untrue. One of our city COM
missioners in a recent statement that
was one Of the best prohibition argu-
ments | ever heard has denounced
liquor as a curse, an evil and an alb
omination.
we call upon our officials to use ev-
cry means to extermfnate the blind
tigers | invite the opposition to ap-
point fifty men 10 accompany fifty of
our side to call on our city, county and
state officials and ask that the tigers
be driven out. They have never done
anything 10 destroy the blind. tiger
The question to be avoided is Are
you in favor or against the sale of
liquor? If you favor the sale the
Smith bill is the only means by which
it can be sold. The other side objects
to the illegal sale of liquor by the
blind tiger. We object to either illeg-
| al sale
Because the sale of liquor is not
entirely suppressed it is argued that
| the law should be repealed. Has the
commission suppressed gambling, bur
glary and stealing? Then. why not
| license gambling and burglary This
| would bring the city in considerable
revenue. Slot machines cannot be sup
pressed; then why not license them?
Chicken stealing has not been sup
pressed; then why not pass a law pro-
hibitins chicken stealing after eleven
o'clock at night?
The Smith bill before the legisla-
ture, simply summed up. reads as fol-
| lows: The free and unlimited sale of
beer You can rest assured that the
| big breweries and distilleries are ia
miliar with the provisions of the
| Smith bill
| Judge Weakley pointed out that
| blind tigers existed in cities that had
the sO-called regula ted saloons.
THE other side says that we are not
defending prohibition. 1 want to say
that prohibition has given Birming-
ham the cleanest. purest and the most
| orderly thoroughfares of any city in
the South. There is no longer a crowd
of buns hanging around our chief cor
ners and leering at our wives and
daughters as they walk the streets
Some of the former corners that for
mer1y a woman couldn't pass by in
safety are now occupied by clean and
legitimate business houses. One well
regulated saloon will sell more liquor
than fifty blind tigers
In commenting on Bodeker's state
ment about arrests, Judge Weak1ey
established by former Chief Of Police
c. w Austin, who on the stage,
that there were 1000 arrests in 1902
under the saloon when Birming cham
had population of 40, 1000, while there
had been only 70S arrests in 1910 under
prohibition, with a population Of 140.-
600.
In speaking of the dispensary, Judge
. Weakley said:
, II am opposed to the dispensary per
, Sc. If they force me to express my
. choice, l shall vote for dry and then
; choose the dispensary. l am opposed
to snakes in my front yard. but II my
: neiehbors, against my will, force we
to take snakes in my yard and give me
/ the choice l will take the blacksnake
in preference to the deadly RATHER. We
would be aiding and abetting in get
ting the saloon if We failed to vote
against the saloon
Judge Weakley spoke of the war
8 which the Chinese government is MAX
ing on the use of opium in that coun-
try. The effective work of the Chi
nese police is in sharp contrast with
the imbecile and helpless admissions
of our officials that they can't enforce
the laws against the sale of liquor
; Why not get some Chinese then. and
make them policemen.
Judge Weakley stated that the pro.
Ihibitionists had won many recruits
= since the last fight. Not one of the
- committee Of 100 property owners tina
signed the address against prohibition
four years ago are taking any active
part in the fight against the cause thi:
year Many of them are raising theil
Ivoices against liquor"
CHALLENGE