The Washington herald., 1916-05-08
Prohibition in Georgia.

Georgia went dry the other day with more
liquor in the possession of the people than has
ever been known in the history of the State.
Such is the paradoxical news from Atlanta
That the State has gone dry may not be news
1t is so recorded every year. The people Of
Georgia adopted Statewide prohibition nearly
ten years ago and the legislature has been
amending the law ever SINCE trying to make
It effective The prohibitionists have admitted
that the brand of prohibition in Georgia did not
prohibit. The more rigid the provisions of the
law, the moro indifferent have been the people
to the law The indifference to the prohibition
law has developed an indifference. to all law. un-
til some respectable authorities in Georgia have
called the State lawless
The last legislature in trying to make proh-
bition prohibit, followed the example of the
farmer with the balky horse; when he couldn't
make the horse pull, he kicked an innocent COW.
The legislature amended the law so as to permit
each citizen to import two quarts of whiskev or
twenty-tour quarts of beer each month, and then
prohibited the newspapers of the State from
printing liquor advertisements 1t must be ad-
mltted that the law has more prohibition in it
now than it had before, but it is not against
the sale or use OF liquor. 1t harks back to a
time when Georgia placed restrictions on read
ing upon certain parts of the population The
/ GeOrgians may make liquor without taxation if
they can dodge the Federal revenue agents; thev
may use liquor and import it, but they must
not be allowed to read about it,
The principal agitation and preparation for
the new law has been in connection with the
prohibition and storing" liquors. The pcoDle
have assumed that the law could not be retro
active and affect liquors stored before the law
became effective, They have therefore been en-
gagged in storing liquors ever since the law was
passed, and it is reported that there is not A
family in the whole State without supply of
different kinds OF liquors stored to meet an
emergency The prohbtionists are said to have
become as cautious as the people who do not
believe in and practice prohibition Their excuse
IS that they cannot neglect the medicine closet
at time when the warm weather is bringing out
the snakes, and when green things eaten too
heartily may produce collie. They are not salts
ned with the allowance of two quarts of whisky
or twenty-tour quarts of beer a month, because
they may be too busy to go to the express Of
nee, or without advertisements, they NAV not
know where to place their orders in the future,
So all the people of Georgia have taken time by
the forelock and stored liquors against emer-
gencies.
The moonshiners of Georgia appear to be the
only people in the State who want the law to
be retroactive. They opposed to storing
when they are in position to supply the de-
mand from day to day. The economies of the
Internal Revenue Bureau have compelled a rcduc-
ton of the revenue agents in Georgia and the
cutting off of the pay of informers who last
year enabled the Federal Government to seize
and destroy about 1900 moonshine stills in that
State. With the curtailment of the efforts of the
Federal revenue officers and the sympathy of To-
cal prohioition officers the moonshiners feel that
II was miscarriage Of justice to allow the people
10 import and store large quantities of liquor be-
fore the law went into effect. Thev will rnake
an effort to have the law against storing declared
retroactive.
. N~,