The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-12
City Clerk Of Birmingham Sends Let
ter Refutina Statements Made
in Regard to "Liquor
Line"
LAW Is BEING ENFORCED
Authorities Wore Elected Who Are
in Sympathy With Keeping
the Laws, It Is
Declared.

In a recent issue of The Gate City
appeared an article and illustration,
which had been supplied on what
was said to be thirst line outside
of the express office at Birmingham.
The Gate City is in receipt of a COM
munication from the city clerk Of
Birmingham In which statements
made are refuted. The letter Is civ
en- here:
1 am herewith enclosing you a
clipping taken from one of our pa
pers of an article written by the
president Of our city commission, CIV
ing the exact facts in regard to the
effect of prohibition in Birmingham.
Eight years ago when prohibition
was first inaugurated in Alabama on
local option plan, the blind tigers
held full sway, because Of the fact
that we had an aldermanic form of
government and the chief Of police
office was not in sympathy with the
law and the result was that the er-
fort at law enforcement was not we'll
directed or in earnest, and besides
the law itself was not as perfect as
the present statutes. The result was
that after an experience of four years
the legislature was elected which
repealed the prohibition statutes and
re-established the open saloon with
an excise commission to regulate the
saloon and to put the business on
higher plane than it had formerly
occupied. In the meantime sentiment
was gradually growing in the state IN
opposition to the whisky traffic, PEG.
pie were beginning to think of the
fact that there is no defense which
can be urged successfully to the
whole liquor business; gradually the
public sentiment Of the community
and the state became more and more
enlightened and more and more awak
ened to the unmixed evil following In
the train of the restricted use OF
whiskey.
So that in 1914 prohibition legis
lature was again elected which In
turn re-enacted statewide prohibit
ltion and put on the statute books Of
Alabama not only the most drastic
but also the most complete and salts
! factory prohibition law that could be
| imagined In the meantime COM
mission form Of government has come
into power in Birmingham and an ad-
ministration, though not prohibition
list, was in thorough sympathy with
|
police who is the very embodiment OF
law enforcement. The sheriff's Of
| flee was likewise in sympathy with
the law. The prosecuting attorney
of the county was elected on account
of his known sympathy in this move
ment and the result has been a rigid
enforcement of the law in so far as 1t
| is possible in a city of two hundred
! thousand inhabitants and a county OF
three hundred thousand more.
| While it is true that prohibition
did reduce the revenue Of the state,
county and city, which formerly were
received from the whisKey licenses, I
can truthfully say that the people
are more sober and more contented
than ever before, that there Is less
crime Of all kinds, less drunkenness.
| less debauchery. and I believe that
| the opposition to the prohibition
statues is gradually but surely less
ening and spending its force.
I beg to enclose herewith copy Of
reply to the article referred to in tho
Survey, which completely refutes
practically every statement made in
this article.
Yours very truly,
C. B. LLOYD,
City Clerk