Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-03-17
WEBB LAW WILL
MAKE GEORGIA
WRIGHT
Prohibition Leader Sure Meas
ure Will Close All Bars and
Clubs in the State.

Hon. Seaborn Wright. former iegis-
lator. noted orator and lecturer the
father Of prohibition In Georgia ana
the one ever vigilant arch-enemy OF
the Demon Rum everywhere. talked
most interestingly and significantly to-
day Of the probable effect Of the Webb
law in Georgia. when st goes into ef-
feet on July I
According TO the Floyd county man,
who is on his way home from filling a
lecture date in Athens, the Webb bill
has teeth in t. so Tar as Georgia is
concerned, anyway, and that those teeth
are exceedingly sharp and hard az steel
He predict, that the Webb law win
Berve to put every nedr-beer saloon and
social club operating a locker system
within the state completely and alto
gether out Of business He says that
only the election or the appointment of
utterly unwilling and incompetent state
and Federal officials can prevent this
sure climax of prohibition hopes lu
Georgia
Il do not know 20 much about what
will happen in other prohibition states "
said Mr. Wright to a Georgian reporter
today, but { viii go on record right
now as saying that the Webb bill is
going to make violations OF the prohi-
bition law in Georgia exceedingly per
ilous undertakings.
''The webb law. which seeks to pre-
vent the shipment of liquors from wet
into dry states for illegal purposes,
has long, sharp and decidedly hard
testh in it. and / can tell you why.
"The laws Of Georgia make the pos
session Of a Federal liquor License
urima facie evidence of an intent to
break the state prohibition statutes
Hence every shipment of liquor made
10 the holder OF a Federal liquor license
presumably is made to q person in
tending 10 violate the prohibition laws
Of the state.
License Denotes Guilt
"The very minute the Federal gov
eminent issues liquor license in
Georgia. It provides the person, firm or
club accepting it the very evidence the
state requires to set up case to
which the Webb law applies directly
In these circumstances We will be
able to get at every near-beer saloon,
locker club. drug store. person, firm or
corporation holding Federal licenses
and receiving shipments OF liquor in
Georgia
u do not know The exact figures to-
day but year ago there were l,S2O
holders OF Federal licenses in Georgia
Is rectihers. i,427 retail liquor dealers.
los wholesale liquor dealers, 6 brewers.
GOT malt liquor retail dealers. and 81
wholesale malt liquor dealers. Quite
some total Of liquor dealers-now hid
ing behind the Federal laws, eh?
"a good deal depends OF course, In
getting the fun benefits OF the Webb
law. upon the quality of Federal offi-
cials we draw under the new arrange
ment OF things in Washington. II our
Federal district attorneys are men who
wink and blink at the Webb law the
returns from the same viii be linz
tied II. on the other hand. those OIL
GERS an, appointed from the ranks OF
those Nhu win go right after the men
who propose ana viii undertake TO
evade on ignore the provisions Of that
law. there will be a mighty rattling OF
bones i'm Georgia soon.
1T has been said in an effort To dis
credit the present state wide prohtbi-
ton laws. that moonShjning' is on the
increase in Georgia Is that So 1t
would be- interesting TO know the eNde,
truth of the assertion As that is a
wtalIy important collateral proposition
a real active -to-know district
attorney might help some In getting az
the facts in the cast
You see. am merely emphasizing
the desirdoility. il not the positive ne
cessity. of having Federal officials in
charge of the revenue laws who will
wish to enforce the Webb law, espe-
cially provided for their benefit and as
sistance.
Congressmen Laughing.
Il understand that some OF our con-
gressmen are laughing in their sleeves
and actually Dragging that they voted
for the Webb law, knowing there is
nothing in it-that III is without teeth
one congressman has gone SO ran as TO
say il does not affect near-b beer sa-
looms and locker clubs In Georgia al all.
MAYBE these near statesmen are
right but ] win promise them this-I
will undertake to guarantee, with the
help of the Webb bin. that no near
beer saloons OF illegal locker clubs shan
exist in my county And If !. a private
citizen. can guarantee that. and make
good on my guarantee the sworn OIL j
GERS of the Law, state and Federal can
do as well I'm their respective fields of
endeayor
I will promise that the Webb bill
will bite and bite hard. i'm Georgia,
and after July ! those who think other
wise shall see how sadly they are mis-
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