The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-16
By HUGH ". ROBERTS

the enactment of that provision, the leg islature by unanimous vote, or practically unanimous vote, was coached into ratify- ing the prohibition amendment to the fed eral constitution. The prohibition amend ment declares that the manufacture o. spirituous, malt and vinous liquors shall forever be prohibited.
 It required a constructive and conserva- tive legislature to talid one action one day, and another action, vitiating the former, the following day. And inciden- tally. the good fnrmers sl wife, made safs by state provision, may manufacture five gallons of vinous liquora each season. but she shoudi be warned by the members Of the law giving body that she must keep her eye skinned" for federal authorities Otherwise, she might spend the remainder of her days in Leavenw,orth.
 FEE SYSTEM RESTORED
 But that provision is las nothing The constructive legislature breathed into the dead carcass of the fee system the breath of life and made it stand on it's feet And whereas, in other days, it was of most vicious countenance, it today constitutes a menace to all the institutions which the state has been reared to regard as sacred
 We set the constabulafy on the would be violators of the prohibition laws. And we tell the constabulaTy that of all it comes into possession of it may have for it's own certain great fraction. In other words, the constructive legislature schemed to arouse in the breats of the poorly paid constabulary that primitive instinct of cupidity which has in the past been the scourge and baHe of the world.
 The members of the legislature, despite their ultra morality, had evidently for gotten the Biblical stories of the tax gath erers According to those stories, one of these soft-fingered gentry would pay the state so much money for a certain territory, and having paid, proceed to gouge the people of that territory for the return of his principle with blood inter- est. It was a delightful state of affairs which developed. And there should be no great wonder that the rhan held in even higher esteem than Pontius Pilate or Ju- das Iscariot was he who fell upon his fellow-man and under guise of law filched from his pocket and the mouth of his babies their sole source of susten- ance.
 THE VISIBLE SIGNS
 The effect of that Legislation was soor felt. There were outward and visible signs, and inward and invisible signs. The constabulary instituted a statewide 'search and seizure.' until a man whose oause was just, loomed up. This man had the temerity to protest to point to the legal violation of horrid constitution. In consequence, the state was shocked. It took a mental reckoning with the con- clusion that it had better call a halt. 1t did call halt, and now we Lave returned to those dead and proaljc days in which a man without process of law is not to be disturbed in possession of life and prop erty.
 To what extent the finding of an illicit ho pIa tat f.f ba forefront of the prohibition movement may have contributed to the general re- suit, is unknown. However, there is no record extant indicating that the plana tion of the aforesaid gentleman has been subjected to the process of confiscation.
 THE PELT HUNTERS
 But the invisible results were even more heinous The entire story of browbeating the fearful and the ignorant will never be told.
 But it can be established that members of the constabulary, alone for adventure in mo mans land,' as it were, were wont to ride out on public and oft-fre- quented highways for the purpose Of hunting"
 And these members searched every au- which rolled along, searched them even if wives and daughters die scream in indignant protest; even if there had been no indication that they con- tained contraband iquors What mat tered it if 10 were innocent, just so they captured one that was guilty? Especially if a part of the money representing the value of the offending car was destined for their individual pockets?
 The Bonner bull bill.' Note the quaint alltentionl
 The Bonner bull bilp' is before every session of the legislature, even il it's ap- pearance is changed, and 1t answers 10 another name.
 The legislature which is constructive is an independent legislature. The legisla- ture which acts in accordance with the direction of any man or set of men Is not In the very nature O. things it cannot be.
 The man who permits another to thinr for him can never hope to build or even dream. He eventually concludes th:-: thinking constitutes an unnecessary wearing and tearing of the tissues.