Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-21
GEORGIA MORE
PROSPEROUS DRY
[Continued from First Page.l


suits in Georgia, as set out by
| prominent and influential citizen
to whom l went for the truth:
First. Greatly increased pros
perity.
! Second. Great decrease in crime.
Third. Change in sentiment after
seeing the law in full operation.
Georgia has always worked its
public roads with its convicts. At
one time. the state had more con-
! viCts than they could handle for this
work. To-day, they have been re-
| duced fifty per cent. and many hired
men have to be used upon the work.
In 1898, during the Spanish
American war, six thousand soldiers
were in camp here. at which time
we had one hundred saloons, and on
payday there was always a drunken
orgy. To-day there are forty thou
sand Pennsylvania soldiers in camp
here, and little, if any drinking
among them, none whatever that is
noticeable.
| Georgia Prosperous
Dire predictions were made about
the results of prohibition, when it
! first went into effect. but to-day,
Georgia is one of the most pros
porous states in the Union, and every
city tlourishing like a green bay tree.
| Notwithstanding the high price of
everything. the women and children
have never had as much good cloth
ing and food in their lives as at
present; therefore, prohibition is
really an untold blessing to the man
of small means, whether he be white
or black, because formerly the bar
room took more than half of his
wages, while to-day the same amount
of money goes into comforts and
necessities for the home.
Augusta, for instance, at one
time. spent a million dollars for
liquor, and laying aside the actual
evil of it. what good did it accom-
plish. 1t was really that much
money thrown away! To-day, at
least eight hundred thousand of this
money goes into food, clothing,
shoes and other necessities and COM
forts.
The change in sentiment of the
people of Georgia is absolutely mar
velous; formerly no man dared to
oppose the liquor people, or he would
be overwhelmingly defeated when
ever he made any attempt to be
elected to public once; to-day he
dare not run upon any ticket except
back into Georgia, would be defeated
by a vote of ten to one. Even the
best element of the liquor people,
who have good wives and growing
families look upon their former
occupation with disgust. and are glad
TO be doing other things that are
honorable.
Liquor Back of Lynching
LAS for the negro, the comparative
absence of liquor is to him probably
the greatest blessing. because when
poor, ignorant negro gets three
drinks of poor liquor, his first idea is
that he can whip any whit man. or
commit crime on some girl in lone
ly community. Liquor has been the
cause, therefore, of half the lynch
ing, and if we can still further stop
the sale of liquor through the boot
leggers, lynchings will be almost an
unknown crime, for there will be no
occasion for them.
"All the better element of people
of both races. are on the side of law
and order, which means the absence
of liquor. OF course, Georgia has
not yet reached state of perfection
in this matter. and there is still some
liquor being sold. illegally, but it is
a marvellous improvement on our
former conditions, when little cities
like Augusta. with fifty thousand
inhabitants, had one hundred sa-
looms. and some of them were as dis
reputable as those in the wild west,
during the pioneer days. Our courts
are doing everything in their power
to stop the illegal sale of liquor, in
many cases, refusing to fine the of
fender, but putting him on our
chain gangs to work. To-day in this
county, there are four white men
working on our public roads for this
offense, and others are going to be
put there. if they continue to sell
| liquor"
These facts We're CLEANED from
L. |. Hickman, born and raised in
Georgia, and who has had large ex-
perience with the working people,
! both black and white. and is con-
sidered one of their best friends. Mr..
| Hickman is man fifty-seven years
of age, and is the captain of the
| Home Guard of Richmond county.
He is known all over the state and
his testimony on this question can
be easily verified by any reputable
! citizen of the state.