The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-03-12

press and freight offices can pe
watched, and these liquors, when
brought into prohibition states for IL
legal purposes, can be Immediately
seized and destroyed, and the com
munity will be blessed thereby /
When we ask this right, who should
oppose it The people Of state have
a right to demand that heir laws Dc
enforced. Good citizens of every state
will sympathize with their brethren
in other states in the enforcement Oh
their laws.
If the liquors are received for per
sonal use they will not be destroyed
and only the law breakers, bootleggers'
blind tigers, and their sympathizers IN
my state and other prohibition states
can possibly find objection to the pas
sage of this bill and only the dlslH'
lers, liquor sellers, brewers, and thelI
sympathizers in other parts OF lne
country will oppose it.
The gentleman from Milwaukee (NI
Berger) says that the violation OF l'e
law has increased in the South since
the advent of prohibition, l inter
rupted the gentleman for queslioN
when he made that statement, but h'
declined to yield Surely he does MOT
desire to DO the prohibition states oil
the South an injustice and ! ann sun.
that this statement was made becaH-
of his ignorance Of the conditions
there rather than a desire ON his part
to misrcprcsent the condition tA.l-
will not attempt to speak ON t.t
question of an increase in crime since
the advent of prohibition in the oJhe.
states of the South, but coming, as B
do, from Mississippi, state that has
= within the last 10 years seen the open
t saloon and its effect and statutory
l. prohibition and its influence, | feel
l. that I can truly depict to this House
e the conditions in that state before
o and since the enactment of a state
d wide prohibition law.
p l served for two years as district
attorney in one of the districts OF my
It state where three of the counties had
n open saloons and legally sold liquors
e served for three years in the same
T. district with those three counties un
e der the statutory prohibition law anc
Of when the open saloon had been abol
N ished-for five years in the courts OF
lie those counties, two years of which
rs there were saloons and three years Of
n which we had prohibtion-and during
It, that time came directly in touci
re with the character and extent Of crime
ID that followed the open saloon an'
n prohibition. During the two years tina
ne these three counties legalzad the SAID
ar Of liquor, Mr.. Speaker, the Grimm.
e- dockets were so congested that it va
d. impossible to try all of Che ease
m thereon, and necessitated not Oh.
to holding the courts for their fun term
ty but often forced the circuit judge &c
ne call special terms to relieve the dock
ir cts. After prohibition came int
to those counties and was fairly triet
If out the dockets were no longer con
he gested, special terms Of court n
re longer were known, and the full lengtI
er of the terms assigned for holding o
on those courts were no longer required
I'M And what | have described relative t.
IL the extent of crime in those countie
in under the open saloon and prohibitio
he holds good in practically the sam
or proportion with respect to the charaC
nd ter of crime.
Oh Murder, poverty, unhappy homes
Sc, divorces, and broken hearts follow a
w. natural consequence the open 81
err Icon, while prohibition lessons mu
M ders, alleviates poverty, restores SUI
ely shine in unhappy homes, mends brol
icy en- hearts, diminishes divorces, ell,
We, Yates and enlightens a people, an
IN only by the presence of the bootlegge
ers and the blind tiger does prohibitio
ait cause a violation of the law.
hes Where reasonable majority, backe
in by public sentiment are for prohibitin
= the sale or use of intoxicating liquor
prohibition should prevail If the m
nority of the people of state, backe
lN by no sentiment for prohibition
jim should desire to place it upon Ii
people of a state, it should not pr
vail. No law can be enforced unles
reasonable majority Of the peop
be- of the state are in favor of it and
ed is backed by the sentiment Of the pc
ess pie But when the people of a stat
as in my state favor overwhelming
lie, the prohibition of the sale Of intoy
i've eating liquors, it is unfair to the