Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-30
OFFICIALLY
BONE-DRY AS HARRIS
SIGNS DRASTIC BILL
According to Letter of New
Law Any Person With
Liquor on Hand Now Is
VioIatOr

Georgians walked up Thursday morn
ing to find that the bone-dry prohibition
law had gone into effect overnight and
that any person who has liquor in his
possession is guilty or misdemeanor
and liable to a year on the changing.
The bill. was finally passed by both the
house and the senate at 4:45 o'clock Wed
nesday afternoon and the legislature al
journed sine die. Governor Harris afflx-
ed his signature to the bill at IL o'clock
Wednesday night at the governors man
sion and IL then became a law.
The governor. had agreed with the rep
resentatives of the Southern Express
company to delay signing the bill for five
days, the period allowed by the state
constitution, so that the express COM
pany could deliver all packages on hand
and in transit and so that all personsN
would have time to dispose of any of the
prohibited liquors which might be in
their possession.
However. during the late afternoon,
the governor decided there might oe
some doubt of the five-day period apply
ing to a law passed at an extraordinary
session of the legislature and he tele-
phoned to the representatives of the ex-
press company and withdrew his agree
ment.
Upon receipt of the governors mes
sage the express company Immediately
issued a statement announcing that its
liquor depots would all be closed Thurs
day, that all shipments In transit would
be turned back at junction points and
that stocks on hand would be rushed
back to the consignors
EXPRESS COMPANY'S ATTITUDE.
The statement issued by the general
lows:
The express company had had an
agreement With Governor Harris thatJ
he would not sign the prohibition bill
until the limit of five days allowed I'M
der the constitution within which the
governor may sign Dill after it's pas
sage. Wednesday afternoon a telephone
message from the governor stated that
he was afraid he had no constitutional
five-day provision for a bill passed by
an extra session, and that. therefore,
he would feel constrained to sign the
bill at once.
The Southern Express company had
expected to make deliveries up to the
day the act was approved by the gov
ernor. Since the telephone message the
situation is changed.
The Southern Express company has,
therefore. ordered all shipments stop
ped at points of origin. All shipments
en- route will be taken off trains at
transfer points and returned to points
without this state.
I'm respect to any liquors in the de-
pots in this state. there will be no more
deliveries. All liquor deliveries in the
state of Georgia are now over. None
of our liquor depots will be open for
business Thursday.
Anything on hand in these depots
undelivered will be returned to the orig
mating points out of this state"
WIDELY DISCUSSED
The new law not only prohibits the
manufacture, sale, transportation, re-
ceipt and possession of beer, wines and
liquors, but ii prohibits the making and
possession of any kind of domestic
wines, such as blackberry cordial, grape
wines and also hard cider.
The law was being discussed more
than the international crisis Thursday,
and many criticisms of its alleged dras-
tic provisions were made. great many
people expressed the opinion that the
enforcement of the bone-dry law would
bring about a revulsion OF sentiment
and result in it's repeal or modification.
Section % was one of the most wide
ly discussed provisions of the law, and
a number of those who have studied
the measure expressed the opinion that
this section would absolutely make it
illegal to manufacture a number of the
present popular soft drinks, because
they contain slight percentage Of al
cohol for preservative purposes
This section reads as follows:
BE II further enacted. That any per-
son, firm or corporation who shall,
within this state, distill. manufacture
or make any alcoholic, spirituous, vim
Gus. matted or mixed liquors or bev-
erages shall be guilty of a felony and
upon conviction therefor be punished
by confinement and labor i'm the peni-
Tertiary for not less than one year or
longer than five years"
This section which was written into
the law by the house OF representatives
is said to have been aimed at moon
sinners Those who contend that it will
outlaw all kinds of soft drinks point out
that 1t is a separate and distinct pro-
vision with a separate and distinct pen
atty.
PERSONS OPINION.
Advocates of the bill, however. disa-
gree with the opinion that it will pro-
hibit the manufacture of the beverages
commonly known as soft drinks.
President ogden Persons. of the SEN
ate who assisted Governor Harris in
putting through the law, was asked for
his opinion Thursday and after stating
that he was giving only an off-hand
opinion. said:
with reference TO section 2S of the
act, prohibiting the manufacture of
what is known as soft drink beverages,
which contain a small proportion of al
cohol for preservative purposes only,
this criticism is not we'll founded for
the reason that the legislature defined
i'm section one Of the act the liquors
and beverag es whose manufacture.
transportation and possession is prohib-
tied by law. does not include any of
the popular soft drink beverages, for
the reason that same do not produce