The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-17
BOWIE'S DISPENSARY ARGUMENTS FAIL TO CONVINCE VOTERS THAT
 EVILS WILL BE CORRECTED
trade. Moreover the dispensary encourages the use of the most ardent and intoxicating liquors and discourages the use of milder stim- ulants-such as wine and beer.
 The Saloon System the Issue

dfscourages the use of mlder stfm-
 ulants-such as wine and beer.
 The Saloon system the Issue | MT. Bowie says that prohibition was es tablished in Jefferson county because the saloons had snned away their day of grace. Prohibition was established be- cause there was in effect no laws which secured any regulation or control Of the saloon. There was no restricted area or regulations except those of the crudest and most inadequate character. It was Ithis absolute want of regulation and con trol which was largely responsible for the lprohibition sentiment that was created in Jefferson county. If I believed that un- der the Smith regulation bill the same con ditions would prevail I would not sd- lvooate the restoration of the saloon. l know. however, that the Smith regcla- ton bill has surrounded the liquor traffic with every regulation which our exper- fence, as we'll as that of other states, could suggest. and I am convinced that under the system which it provides the liquor traffic will be regulated and con- ltrolled, that blind tigers will be driven from existence and the evils of intenper- ance minimized as far as Is possible by human Legislation
 It seems to be the stock in trade of the Saloon Opposition league to denounce the Smith regulation bill as vicious and
 
 defect and to misconstrue the meaning of the plainest and simplest sections. Yet while do not claim that the Smith bill l is perfect. I do assert that nearly every attack which has been made upon 1t is unfounded and that, in my judgment. 1t lis the wisest and best conceived system of regulation to be found upon the statue books of any state in the union, and that it's operation will end the reign of law lloct hat YiStG fa better conditions than have ever obtained in Alabama under the old saloon system, under prohibition, or under the dspen- sary
 If the Smith bill was so vicious and defective 1t Is most singular that pone of the ardent prohibitionists found in tke lrecent legislature of Alabama ever sug- gested a single improvement. The lccal Ioption leaders earnestly invited the pro- hibitionists of that body to suggest bet ter better wiser or more stringent regu- llations and the fact that they failed and | were unable to do so Is conclusive proof that the real and sincere prohibitonists believed that no improvement was pcs sible.
 Thes local option leaders stated
 that the regulations could not be | made too stringent, and earnestly
 invited any suEgestions from the l prohibition members of that body
 and were ready and willing to
 cept any suggested regulatfon
 which would more completely re-
 strict or control the traffic.
 This but tends to show that the war now being made Ton the Smith bill is somewhat insincere and only inaugurated for campaign purposes and to mislead the l public I do not believe that any man who will impartially read and study the Smith bill will honestly say that he agrees | with MT. Bowie that 1t Is vicious or in oefensible. Mir Bowie wholly falls to state wherein the bill Is vicious or in | defensible, but, astute lawyer as he is, IT. the absence of any real basis of at tack. contents himself to deal in gilt tering gensralities.
 Prohibition
 | Mir Bowie admits that prohibition is a | failure. Therefore, it follows that If pro- hibition is failure the only alternative | Is to legalize the sale of liquor If | legalized there are but two methods by which liquor can be sold: By private | dealers under license or by dispensary- 1 He asserts that 1t Is impossible by human | legislation to regulate or control the sale of liquor by the individual and that, therefore. there is no choice but to adopt the discredited dispensary system. In no state in the union. does the
 dispensary system prevail. It is | d 1 In South Carolina. The system of sale by licensed dealers prevails in nearly every state in the union, in Canada and Continental Europe, and
 yet, according to MT. Bowie, practi- cally the whole world Is wrong and only the few counties In South Carolina are right. Yet these coun- ties would no donbt repudiate the system if they had any alternative. The present governor of South Caro : lima, in his message to the legislature, l said that the dispensary was simply a supply house for blind tigers and ad- vooated Its abolition. He was elected on a. platform which advocated the aboli- ton of the dispensary, and his eleo- ton shows that an overwhelming ma Jority of the people of that state are disgusted with that system and desire Its complete overthrow. Yet Mir. Bowie, who professes so high a regard for the public will, as expressed by the ballot, defends and advocates a system which the people of South Carolina have re- pudiated.
 | The dispensary closes when the work ing man finishes his days labor-6 | o'clock Mr Bowie seems to think that this is one of the peculiar advantages of the dispensary system, in that 1t necessarily deprives the workin gmen of the opportunity to legally procure a l CT his hours of labor. l can not con cur in this view. Mir. Bowie says that the removal of temptation is ono of the petitions in the Lords prayer. and hence infers that the closing of the dispensary at o'clock would remove from the working man the temptation to drink. On the contrary, instead of removing 1t would increase his tempta- ton. The closing of the dispensary at the very hour when he could, without interference with his labor procure a bottle of beer would not qrench his | thirst but only tempt him to visit some blind tiger where that thirst could be satisfied; instead of removing 1t would but increase temptation and tend to la awlessness
 As Judge Lane wfsely said, the
 working man who wanted . nickle
 glass of beer, under the dfspensary system would be denied that Op- portunity and would be forced to
 spend 15 cents for . bottle and , drink 1t hot in some blind alley. We cannot understand how such . system would either tend to tenn perance or morality, or law or
 order.
 MT. Bowie insists that the allied liquol ! interests oppose the dispensary because 1t reduces the amount of drinking, and to that extent curtails their business. The 7 last report of the United States government shows that notwithstanding the mum
 Der of states and counties where prohi Z bition prevails the per capita consumption : of liquor has in the last few years reaahet