The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-03
Anti-Saloon League Super intendents of the South to Assemble Here for
 Conference
BEGIN ACTIVE WORK r OR RATIFICATION
 OF THE AMENDMENT
Understood Nothing Has so Far Been Done as to Per- sonnel of Delegations
 10 Legislature

What is planned to be one of the biggest ratification meetings ever held in Alabama has been arranged for Janu- ary P in Birmingham. It is sponsored by the prohibition forces of the state and will be in the interest of the ratifica- tion of the prohibition amend ment to the constitution.
 The chief drawing card for the ratification will be the presence of William J. Bryan, who will deliver an address and will perhaps speak more than once here on that day.
 Another feature of the day is
 the fact that all of the superin-
 tendents of the Anti-Saloon league
 
 in Birmingham for conference
 with Dr. F. A. Baker the general
 superintendent of the national
 And-SaloOn league.
 The details for the ratification meet ings and conference have not been en- tirely completed, but will be announced within the next few days. One of the embarrassments of the presence of MT. Bryan will be the fact that it is thought there is not building in Birmingham large enough to hold the crowds which are expected to wish to hear him speak, For this reason it may be that more than one meeting will be planned and arrangements made to have MT. Bryan deliver more than one address. It is felt that this can be done if buildings arc selected which are close enough together.
 ARRANGED LAST MONTH
 As for the political aspects of the forth coming meeting it was pointed out ses- terday that the anti-prohibitionists might remark on the fact the meeting is to be held the same day upon which some of the anti-amendment forces have called a conference in Montgomery. However. it was announced that the presence Of MT. Bryan was arranged for last month, although the fact that he is coming has just now been made public.
 Those attending the ratification meet ing and conferences of the prohibition forces are by no means to be confined to Birmingham, but representatives of the cause are expected to be present from all over the state in addition to the offi- cial representatives who will come from all of the southern states
 BEGIN AMENDMENT FIGHT
 The meeting is also regarded as definite notice that every effort is to be made in Alabama to send a legislature to Montgomery which will lose no time in ratifying the national amendment when it assemblies early in 1919.
 So far as can be learned, nothing definite has been done by the prohibi- tion forces as to the personnel of those who will go to the legislature and the efforts for the present are to be confined to arousing sentiment in favor of the adoption of the amendment. In fact It was pointed out yesterday that the con ference of Anti-Saloon league superin- tendents is in no sense to be In the na- ture of convention with this object in view In fact, it is said to be the view of the leaders in this cause that the state campaign this year will be vefy short and that for the time being a4 efforts should be concentrated on quietly arous- ing sentiment throughout the state in be- half of the amendment.
 STATES RIGHTS NOT ISSUE It was further learned yesterday that the prohibition forces of Alabama do not look upon the question of state1s rights as being involved In any manner in the submission of the amendment to the peo- pie for ratification. They regard the prohibition question as entirely aside from any such issue, for instance, as woman's suffrage, inasmuch as they claim a prohibition state which ratifies the amendment is simply protecting itself in the enforcement of it's own laws. They feel that whereas suffrage is in no sense dependent on conditions in neighbor- l ing state for enforcement prohibition. | on the other hand. is in a measure at | the mercy of q neghboring statd, which | insists on sending liquor into prohibition 1 territory.
 They also feel that prohibition has now become a national question in such gen. l eral sense that fight for the national l amendment is simply a fight on the part 1 of each state to see that its own lAws can be properly enforced and observed.