The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-03
"Down in Alabam' "


 The San Antonio Light, misled by an article about prohibition in Bir- mingham published by the Survey, in- duloes in a satirical editorial based on this city's alleged financial condition and the supposed demoralizatlon o1 the city government as a result ot the liouor laws. The liquor dealers have flooded the country with grossly eX- aggerated and misleading stories about Birmingham. Their motive IS clearly one of self-interest. The Sur vey was probably victimized by some one of the liquor dealers publicity agents and did Birmingham a great injustice under the impression that it was stating facts, when 1t was dealing almost entirely in fiction.
 The Light assumes superior air in discussing the woes of Birmingham, which is rather amusing because it's entire editorial is based on a pro- found ignorance of the true situation here. It says, in part:
 This time the lamentations ema- nate from Birmingham, Ala, a city of 150,O0O (2O0.o00) inhabitants. whose latest claim to wisdom finds a basis in the dissatisfaction which some of the citizens are expressing at the results of Alabama's state wide prohibition law. That the pro- hibition law does not prohibit goes without saying. If one doubts this to be the case in Birmingham, we'll authenticated photographs of the city's thirst line" may prove con- vincing. The "thrist line" at one of the express offices in Birming-
 ham, as depicted by recent proto-
 graph looks like a "bread line" in larger city during winter period of unemployment.
 But the fact that prohibition does not prohibit is not the greatest wor-
 ry of Birmingham and it's people,
 Though liquor advertisements are
 forbidden to be printed in the Ala bama newspapers-and publicity
 cannot be blamed for creating such
 lengthy thirst lines"-the people
 "know where to get it." and some of the citizens of Birmingham have taken up permanent residence in
 cities where the. getting" does not
 In6ippi-
 fled conduct as elbow warfare in a "thrist line" Birmingham's lamen- tations rise from a deeper friev-
 ance. The city is on it's uppers, with
 prospects of losing even it's uppers-
 Some zealous prohibltlonlsts might interrupt here to say, as if
 with the authority of knowledge, that dust does not prevail in pro-
 hibition city; that garbage does not
 accumulate there; that city phy-
 sicians, health officers and milk inspectors are superfiuous where Iiquor is not sold; that bright illum- ination of the streets is not needed in a saloon-free town; that school children can learn more rapidly un- der a prohibition regime; that only drunken folk patronize the libra ries: that where mems liberties are restricted police departments and fire stations represent so nuch
 wasted money, and that, In grand conclusion, Birmingham can prac- tice wholesome economy as result of the prohibition law.
 The Light incorporates in it's edl- torial excerpts from the Survey which are already familiar and have been disproved by President Ward of the city commission in formal statement and by the Birmingham newspapers prohibitionist as well as local option ist. The thirst line," which seems con- elusive proof to the Light of the far cical nature of prohibition here, is not an evasion of the law It is quite the opposite. No attempt has been made to cut off liquor entirely and the "thirst line" is composed of persons who are waiting to receive their legal allowance, two quarts every two weeks. As for the enforcement of the laws, Birmingham has never been so "dry" before in all it's history. It is almost impossible te buy liquor in the city except at sucf exorbitant prices that few can afford to pay it. Four and five dollars quart is the average price the "bootlegger' charges for "gentleman's whisky, and visitors have frequently offered