The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-18

taken to prevent the sale of impure and adulterated liquors. This is even more essential than in the case of re- tall dealers, for a dspensary having a monopoly of the houor traffic in the | county in which it is located. the forces of competition have ho play. 1 The books and accounts of each dis 1 pensary should pe subject to examna- ton and inspection by the state ex- aminers of accounts. It should also not be overlooked that the sole reason. as declared by ouf courts. which authorize the state or county to engage in the sale of liquor and thereby create a monopoly. is for the purpose of lessening the consump- ton of intoxicants and promoting tem- peranee among the people. To operate I dlspensary solely for revenue would be I contrary to the funda mental theory up- l on which such exercise of power by the county or municipality would be war | ranted
 To provide every safegard possible l against graft and all forms of dishon- esty in the management of the dispen- I sary, Is absolutely essential, If we heed the warning lessons of experience. l A general law on the subject should be passed, providing that every dispen- i sary authorized in the state should be subject to its provisions. This would
 
 tween the different counties and cities to secure greater and more liberal pow CTS than those enjoyed by the other and to the public detrment. | In my judgment no dispensary should | be allowed in any town of less than l 2500 inha abitants, nor should any dis l pensary be established by direct &C., | tion of the legislature except as to those counties where the local members were | elected upon the distinct pledge and promise 10 establish them by local bill
 Purity of Liquor l have made very careful efforts by conferences with some of the most emil nent chemists in the country to obtain | all possible information in reference to the proper regulations as to the purity of liquor that should be authorized to be sold. They all concur with me in the opinion that the principal evils of modern incompetence have come from drinking cheap, debased and adulterated articles of alcoholic beverages. One of the most eminent chemists in the country, whose fame is internation al writes as follows:
 "A pure wine made solely from the grape, a pure beer made solely from barley malt and hops. and distilled liquor, whether rum, whisky or brandy, made from pure materials and properly aged for four years. are not apt to pro- duce the evils of intemperance which so commonly attend the use of alcoholic beverages mixed with f1avors and arti- ficial colors."
 It is true that under the rulings of the United States government any mix ture of spirits distilled from grain, col ored and favored. is recognized as whisky. In the language of this same chemist:
 These are the cheap, and what I consider adulterated products which produces such habits, north and south, largely on account of their intoxicating principles and their cheapness com bined."
 All of the chemists and authorities whom l have consulted agree that all beverages compounded in whole or in part from alcohol should be prohibited. It is these mixed and compounded bev- erages such as absinthe and bodies of similar class. which, they declare, pro- duce the greatest habit of intoxication among the people.
 If the sale of liquor Is to be legalized, it is our duty to safeguard the morals and health of the people by preventing the indiscriminate trade in debased, cheapened and adulterated products which have been the cause of so much misery in this and other lands.
 I believe that if we enact law with the suggestions I have made permitting only the sale of that class of liquors which are indorsed by the leading chemists and health experts of the country, we will be able to give to tn e people of a community where liquor is sold, to those who desire its use, pure and, when taken in moderation, whole some product of a character which will not induce drunkenness nor any of the great evils toward which alco- hol tends, and a price which will per init only moderate drinking. even by those in moderate circumstances.
 The state of Kentucky has already taken steps of this character, as shown by the regulations made by the Ken lucky agricultural experiment station to protect itself against the very evils which we should cndeavor to prevent in this state. If Alabama will lead off in this direction other states will follow and gradually the evils of unrestricted commerce in beverages made principal ly from alcohol will be checked.
 would also urge that in addition to the above we prohibit absolutely the sale of absinthes and other alcoholic beverages of the cordial type, save those which are mixtures of pure brandy. pure whisky or rum, with sugar and harmless vegetable fiavoring and color and sold under distinctive names such as "ctocktails," ''cordials,' etc.
 The country is flooded, so l am in- formed with so-called blackberry wine" or blackberry cordials," which are made almost exclusively of alco- hol, with just enongh of the blackber- " flavor artificial or otherwise, to give it some semblance of the real blackberry wine, and all such beverages as these ought to be rigidly excluded from sale.
 The Saloon in Politics
 One of the chief factors which oper- ated to arouse tho intense opposition ts the saloon as formerly conducted, wat the activity and pernicious influence of the representatives of the liquor inter- est in politics.
 It is an automatic principle of law that the right to conduct a saloon is q privilege conferred by law, and not a natural right which the individual en- joys And it ought, therefore, to be ac- cepted without question, that the sa- looms and liquor interests must obey the laws of the state, whatever those laws may be. The active participation of the representatives of the liquor in- terests in political affairs for the pur- pose of domination and control, Is one against which we should carefully guard. And in order to accomplish that purpose the liqucr dealer, the brewer and the distiller, should be strictly con- fined to the business which the law per- mits them to, conduct.
 It has been wisely said: When the brewer. or distiller, or the wholesaler of intoxicating liquors is-permitted di- rectly or indirectly, to own, operate or control dramshocs, then there exists Il necessary combination of power that