The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-31
PROSPERITY Of DRY
ALABAMA IS SOURCE
OF LIQUOR ANXIETY
philadelphia and Chicago Brewers
Show Activity in Investigating
Industrial Conditions.
BLAME PROHIBITION
FOR poor BUSINESS
Men Have No Trouble in
Refutlng Articles Which Have APP
peared I'm the Northern Newspapers
and Magazines.

Birmingham, Ala, Jan. 3O.--Ala-
bama's prosperity under prohibition
regime is a source of great worry
and tribulation to the wet interests
AT least, judged from the activity of
their publicity agents in spreading
nationwide the sad story of business
failures and industrial woe in gen
eral, such is the case. Only recently
brewers associations of Philadelphia
and Chicago have become tremen-
dously interested in Alabamas well
fare. and have gone to the trouble
to ondFct private Investigations Of
business conditions under the dry law,
The results OF the wet investigators
have been surprising. They have
formed the backbone of several alarm
ing stories which have appeared III a
magazine known as the Hearthstone,
of Chicago, and another from Cleve-
land sailing under the high-sounding
title of Finance. Another method of
the booze DULLES have utilized in scat
tering the pernicious falsehoods of
their investigators over the country
is the use of paid advertisements In
large city dailies -beWailing the a.
nanciai and business conditions OF the
South. and pointing to prohibition as
the cause and the saloon as the RENE
dy.
IAes Multiply.
Speaking of these latest methods of
the liquor interests to discourage the
cause of prohibition. Judge Samuel d.
Weakley, a twenty nine-year resident
of Birmingham, says. These lies now
seem to be multiplying more rapidly
than the boll-weevil"
Concerning a paid wet advertise
ment which was inserted in the Phila-
delphta Public Ledger in December by
the liquor men in regard to condi-
lions IN Alabama. Judge Weakley says,
TT is absolutely false that the present
Covernor has ever said that prohibit
ton cannot possibly last through an
other Legislature. On the contrary,
IT Is today the concensus of opinion in
Alabama that prohibition Is permanent
and that persons living will not see
another licensed saloon In this State.
Lost Only sS5.0e0.
at Is not true that tho Prohibition
Legislature made appropriations in ex-
cess of the revenues of tho State of
So. 0oO, 900, or for any other sum In ex-
cess of such.revenuesi net only that.
but the deficit OF the State today is
not $4,000. 200, nor anything like that
sum. Only a few days ago, the Btrm-
ngham Age Herald, which has opposed
prohibition, stated that the deficit now
was only about s1.5000 600 The people
Of this State have just overwhelmingly
voted down a proposition TO issue ST.
100000 bonds to pay debts, because
they did not believe 1t was necessary.
but that the debts could be handled
without the issuance of bonds; but as
the State gave up only $50, 900 a year
for whiskey licenses by the enactment
of the present prohibition laws you
can see that small amount cuts very
little figure In our revenues. II is
absurd to say that prohibition has cost
Alabama IS. 900, 600 in seven years time;
seven years licenses al SIS 600 per year
would amount to less than 100000. But
the gain to Alabama has been enor-
nous from prohibition and is so now.
The State saves over $4,000 year in
jefferson County alone On the Item OF
feeding, prisoners from the greatly
reduced number In Jail
IF you want to find out the truth
about Alabama. you cannot expect 1t
from the Philadelphia Lager Beer AS
ISOLATION, or from any other, associa-
ton designed 10 defeat prohibition.
II am surprised. however, that so much
activity Is shown to defeat prohibition.
when the brewers and diatillers claim
that they sell more liquor in dry ter
rftory under that system than they
had under the saloon system. II their
claims in this respect be true, they
are making great mistake. since
their activities should be confined to
wet States In the effort to induce them
TO enact prohibition laws. so that they
would sell more of their product in
such territory. The great activity Of
publicity agents of brewers and dis
tiilers ali over the United States show
that those interests are alarmed and
are fighting desperately for their ex-
istence. The rapid spread OF prohibit
ton in the South, and the splendid
results therefrom, are giving the brew
ers and disttllers IN the wet States
fearful pains and hence they resort