The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-14
IndiscriminateSale of Drugs
and Liquor Produces
Change in Negro
SAYS VAGRANCY LAWS
ARE DISREGARDED
BOdeker Says Practice of Carrying
Concealed Weapons Responsible.
Legislature Should Correct
Inadequate Law

Il Lack of law enforcement and the in
discriminate sale of cheap liquors and
drugs" said Coroner Charles l.. Spain,
lis responsible for the present defiant
attitude of the. negro in Birmingham.
There is a change of attitude in the
negro at the present time. They are de-
hant of law and order and will kill on
the slightest provocation. The blame for
this rests almost entirely on the greed
for 'sordid gain ON the part of few
sorry white people.
Law Not Properly Enforced
IF the law was properly enforced the
druggist twho sells cocaine would be
placed in the penitentiary. The sale of
cheap whisky and gin to negroes would
be stopped and the lounging negro va
grants would all be placed in Jail.
"A condition of affairs exists on Eight
zenith street, between First and Fourth
avenues that is deplorable Here on
both sides of the street are found negro
loungers and hangers-on who have no
visible means of support and who OBJ
struct the sidewalk in front of pool
rooms and bar rooms. These negroes
must live. Where do they get the money
to play pool and drink? They do not
work, and therefore they must seal and
when a negro steals he will kill The
police should arrest and place in Jail all
negroes who cannot show that they are
working at some substantial calling
Same With Whites
ION Twentieth street, between Third
and Fourth avenues, the same condition
practically exists, only here it is white
men who @re hangers-ons and Migrants.
They infest the saloons and the pool
rooms and obstruct the sidewalks leer-
ing at all who pass by These mem do
not work. They must live and their mode
of living is not open to investigation 1t
is of such riff-raff that the record of
homicides in Jefferson county is made
what it is.
The negro problem is "a hard one to
face, but the problem of white people
making money off the negroes by selling
them poison is much harder one to face.
1t is to the indiscriminate sale of cheap
liquors and drugs, | repeat, more than
pistol toting' that the lust to kill con
tinues it's grisly toll in Jefferson county.
Bodeker Blames pistol Toter"
CHleI 6uuehef stated ttiat pistol tot
ing was responsible for the many muir
ders in this vicinity of late He explains
that he has always advocated law that
would make pistol carrying a felony
Il don't care who the man is, If he
carries a pistol he should be placed in
Jail for at least IL months. But this can't
be done under the present laws.
THE policemen have no right under the
present laws to even search a man TO
arrest man for carrying a gun. a COM
plant must be made and following that
nothing much is done, as the courts Will
only fine the offender.
The legislature should correct this evil
1t should take steps to pass a law con-
hscating all pistols found on the person
of any man, woman or child II should
also pass law imposing a sentence Of
at least one year for conviction of carry
ing concealed weapons and declare such
a practice a felony