The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-15

tage of every American, and no govern
ment has the right to interfere with that
liberty for the promotion of supposed
moral or religious advancement unless it
conflicts with the rights of his neighbor
and therefore when it was proposed 10
write into our constitution an amendment
winch to me seemed to give the power to
the officers of this state. the right of in
tertering with the homes and liberties OF
this people, / chose to oppose that amend
ment and to do what / could to defeat it,
The homes of the people of this sta e
are sacred: their persons are sacred: their
individual liberty is sacred; and | am
therefore, opposed to any law which win
grant to any officer or set of officers
under the state government, the right to
search the homes of the citizens of this
state and to seize the personal property
of those citizens contained within those
homes which property was there for the
personal use of himself and his family,
and no law should be passed which would
permit fanatical government to oppress
the citizen.
Meaning of Local Option
Local option does not necessarily mean
the open saloon, and it rests entirely with
a majority of the voters in the commun-
1ty. No law can be enforced unless there
is pubic sentiment back of 1t in the COM
munity where it is expected to be admin
istered and enforced, and under our sys-
tenn in the state of Alabama the laws arc
administered by the counties and bv the
officers elected by the various counties Of
the state. Juries to try the criminal cases
are selected from the counties in which
the laws are to be administered and of
necessity, the jurors are taken from the
body of the people of these counties
therefore, our experiences have been that
in the administration of the prohibition
fha
largely opposed to the enforcement Of
those laws, no convictions could be had,
and lawlessnes ran rampant. The viola
tions of the prohibition laws led to an an
tire disregard for and violation of other
laws Officers were elected because they
would not enforce the law, rather than
for the reason that they would enforce the
law. Grand juries might indct, Judges
might charge, preachers might preach,
but the officers failed to get witnesses,
and the petit juries declined to convict,
until in such communities the crimes ran
from the small misdemeanors to the high
est crimes known to the law, and fre-
quently the conditions were those of an
archy rather than those of law and order
Therefore, upon the Judgment thus
formed and upon the principles of de-
mocracy. which have learned from such
men as William L. Yancey John T. Nor
gan, Edmund w. Pettus and William J.
Sanford. the last of whom was recog-
nized at least as one of the great Christian
governors of this state I am in favor of
local self government. and prohibition
laws to be applicable to the counties ac-
cording to the majority vote of the elec-
tors of those counties.
Believes in Temperance
But, even in those counties where ma
jority of the voters should declare in favor
of the open saloon it does not mean un-
bridled license, and. although the sale of
liquor should be authorized, it should he
by such fair and just regulation as win
reduce the evil to minimum, and to pro-
mote morality, temperance and an ODE.
dience to the law.
Those who know my past public life will
know that / am follower and believer in
temperance; that am an advocate of law
and order; that l Believe in upholdfng and
maintaining the laws of my state, and
wherever the sale of liquor is authorized,
1t must be by proper regulations, ana
those regulations must be observed and
the administration of those laws must be
placed in the hands of sober and moral
men.
Question of Lobbying
There Is much said these days alb out
lobbying, and 1t has been charged that
one exists at your state capitol No in
Ioi ~ volunteered, however.
its purpose, or as to what ii has accom-
plished. Bat when one of my opponents
declares as his only direct promise to the
people. so far made in this campaign that
he Will remove the railroad lobby from
the state capitol, he should tell you whom
| this lobby seeks to influence and what 1t
has accomplished. Does 1t not appear to
| you as rather ridiculous proposition that
one should go before the people of the
great state of a Il frl,
est office, with only one issue, and fail TO
tell you how this evil complained of had or
was affecting you?
He should tell you his attitude toward
all lobbies. 1t is not sufficient that he
refer to the record and say in the laws
are written my opinion on this subject.
I'm these laws are indelibIy slammed
the denial by the state to the unfortunate
children, that protection which is due
them and that which is necessary to give
them the mental and physical strengtil
necessary to meet lfe's struggles
rs 1t the purpose in crying Wolff
Wolfn to hide from you the fact that this
great wrong to Alabama's children was
the result of gum shoe lobbying? Or. is
1t to detract from your attention the for
nation of another lobby that intends to
move to the capitol for the purpose of de-
feating the demands of the people for A
just and beneficent child labor law?
when he utters his Macedonian cry
against lobbyists, let him state to the in
telligent people of Alabama whether or
not he includes this record. when he saws
his position is defined in the law.
ASK him who investigated the lobbying
against this law. and if the whole pres
tige and influence of the governors Of
flee was not concentrated to defeat this
law?
1T was claimed to be too drastic
Whose interests were at stake? | leave if
for you to investigate the records ana
reach your own conclusions
"His Own" Legislature
This was through Legislature the then
governor called his own And well
might he designate a legislature as his
own that could be controlled and rob the
helpless children of this state of that pro-
tec1ion which they have a right to de-
nand. Don't you think, fellow citizens. it
time that we were e1ecting a legislature
for the state. and one that would go
down in history as Alabama's S legislature
inetead of having them branded as any
mans legislators. They should belong to
the people only.
You want men who will stand for the
right, regardless of whose interests are eff
fected men of strength who will deny the
snarling demands of gritting teeth as
bravely and as quickly as they would turn
a deaf ear to the trafficker for office
good men, true men, who have the interest
of the state at heart. and men who will
not put the stamp of approval upon the
pro1igate appropriation of the peoples
money
I'VE have legislated to require fine build