The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-03-25
WEBB LIQUOR
LAW Is FATAL
TO VIOLATORS
GEORGIA PROHIBITIONIST SAYS
MEASURE WILL CLOSE ALL
ssNEAR-BEER'' SALOONS-CLCB
LOCKERS MUST GO.

Savannah. Ca, March 25-Seaborn
Wright, former legislator, known as
1.-The father of prohibition in Georgia,
talks most interestingly and signiff-
cantly of the probable effect of the
Webb liquor law in Georgia when it
goes into effect on July
According to Mr.. Wright, the Webb
law has teeth in ft-teeth that are
calculated to bite under exactly the
conditions that maintain in this State
He predicts that the Webb law will
serve to put every near-beer saloon
and social club operating a locker
system within the State completely
out of business. Mr.. Wright says:
st do not know so much about what
will happen in other prohibition
States but I will go on record right
now as saying that the Webb bill is
going to make violations of the pro-
hibition law in Georgia exceedingly
perilous undertakings.
The laws of Georgia make the pos
session of a Federal liquor license
prima facie evidence of an intent to
break the State prohibition statutes.
Hence every shipment of liquor made
to the holder of a Federal license pre-
sum ably is made to a person intend
ing to violate the prohibition laws of
the State The very minute the Fed
eraI Government issues a Federal Ii
Quor license in Georgia it provides
the person, firm or club accepting it
with the very evidence the State re-
quires to set up a case to which the
Webb law applies directly.
I'm these circumstances we viii be
able to get at every near-beer saloon,
locker club, drug store, person, firm
or corporation holding Federal Ii
censes and receiving shipments of Ii
quor in Georgia.
Il do not know the exact figures
today, but a year ago there were 1920
Of in Georgia
is rectiiers, l. 427 retail liquor deal
ers, los wholesale liquor dealers, s
brewers, 2o7 malt liquor retail dealers
and 81 wholesale malt liquor dealers.
Quite some total of liquor dealers now
hiding behind the Federal laws.
"a good deal depends of course in
getting the full benefit of the Webb
law upon the quality of the Federal
officials we draw under the new ar
Management of things in Washington.
If our Federal District Attorneys are
men who wink and blink at the Webb
law the returns from the same will
be limited. If, on the other hand,
those officials will go right after the
men who propose or will undertake to
evade or ignore the provisions of that
law there will be a mighty rafting
of bones in Georgia soon.
st understand that some of our
Congressman are laughing in their
sleeves and actually Dragging that
they voted for the Webb law know
ing there is nothing in it-that it is
without teeth One Congressman has
gone so far as to say it does not af-
feet near-beer saloons and locker
clubs in Georgia at all. Maybe these
near-statesmen are right but I will
promise them this: I will undertake
! to guarantee with the help of the
| Webb bill that no near-beer saloons
| or illegal locker clubs shall exist in
| my county. And if I, a private citi-
zen, can guarantee that and make
| good on my guarantee the sworn Of
Ulcers Of the law, State and Federal,
can do as weIIss in their respective
| fields of endeave&. 49,
| I'm this. free state of Chatham,
| however, there has never been any
| attempt to come within the provisions
of the state liquor law. Chatham
| county opposed prohibition from the
| first, and when the Statewide law was
| enacted over the protest of Chatham
! this county proceeded to violate it
| openly and with impunity.''
| In conclusion Mr.. Wright saws that
| there is not a more wide open town
| in the world than Savannah. Bars
| are licensed of course to sell near
beer, but it is no secret that they
actually dispense whatever kind of
| poison the individual may call for