The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-16
Regarding n s1 ,ooo, ,ooo Hotel

We have been hearing for seNeFa years past that one of Birmingham greatest needs was fire-proof moderh' skyscraper hotel-a hotel costing s.Voo'"t or more," said a member of the Chamber of Commerce Such a hotel was said to have been in sight as far back as 1906
 T happened to know that the plans TOT s1000,0o0 hotel were completed In l9o1' and that the project fell through because Jefferson county voted dry. Two years ago two or three hotel schemes were | 'agitated,' but there was nothing doing. '"w. J. Dangaix, who owns the valuable property at the northeast corner of Fourth avenue and Nineteenth .street, told me Just before sailing for Europe that he had all of his plans made for the erection of a handsome skyscraper hotel condi- toned on the local option election result ing in victory for the saloon side. He estimated the revenue that the leasee of hotel would derive from buffet priv ilege of not less than $25. 000 yeaR Such considerable item would naturally af- feet s1,o0o,OO0 hotel proposition. MT.
  Birmingham about the middle of Septem- ber. and that if Birmingham had saloons he would lose no time in pushing his hotel project otherwise he would drop his hotel ideas.
 Prohibition is doubtless a good thing for a small town where the majority of the people believe in a dry policy, but se fl,i for Cft tty as large as Birmingham. As Judge Lane pointed out in his admirable address to the people, a dry town Is a dull town. He said this from his own observation and information. Of course, big town a city-is referred to. Atlanta is one of the most prosperous and attractive cities In this country, but if Atlanta. situated would be as dull as the next dry town. The sale of the most popular of all bev- erages, beer, Is licensed under the name of near-beer. Atlanta is famous the country over as beer town. Those who wish strong drink have it at the clubs. and there are many clubs in Atlanta. If the Alabama prohibitionists had been less
 
 campaign might have been kept off for several years. It was the drastic nature of the Carmichael and Fuller measures thatsbrought about a violent reaction. Had Alabama politicians been as wise as the Georgians, real temperance would have been spared many stabs.
 But reverting to the hotel question, + hehnnyaS xx,hn haliaua hat mingham really needs a large, up-to-date hotel, to vote for the licensed saloon rather than for the dispensary- blind tiger system. If morals in general were inn proved by prohibition, 1 would say let us all vote dry, but. as Judge Lane know, the present state Of affairs is mak- ing sneaks of our young men; and dis ponsary will not improve the situation but, humanly speaking, will make far worse conditions.
 ''I think it pretty safe for young man who Is In doubt as to how he should | vote on August 24, to vote as the mem 1 bers of such business organizations as the Chamber of Commerce and the Busi- ress Mems league vote. While there are quite a number of prohibitionists and dis. pensary advocates in the chamber, 6 large majority are outspoken for sa- looms. The Business Mems league, one ot the most spirited and helpful business or. ganizations here-an organization that brings trade to this town-is, I am told practically unanimous for saloons