The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-27
Liquor and Life

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
 A friend of mine in a city the other
 day said to me: You fellows down
 there in the woods (meantng sumter
 county) ought to gel plenty liquor to
 drink" And that expresses the pre-
 vailtng idea of the situation.
 As matter of fact booteggins, like
 many othe" unlawful professions.
 thrives best in the cities. In almost
 any city in this section of the country
 a man can sit in his office and order
 almost any quantity of liquor over the
 phone and have it delivered in a few
 minutes, Not so "in the sticks Ev-
 erybody knows everybody else's busi-
 ness They know that it is unusual
 for Bill Spivins to drive to Jim hicks
 farm after dark and they will not rest
 until they find out the reason why
 Tn the eyes of rural prohibitonists the
 unpardAable crime is V. r, L. At the
 fall term of court in one blackbelt
 county two negro women were tried.
 One for murder. The other for at
 tempting to manufacture liquor The murderess was convicted and sen fenced to one year at hard labor. The other was convicted and sentepced to
 two years at hard lapor. m another blackbelt county one negro man plead guilty to murder and was fined one cent and costs. Another one plead
 guilty to murder and was fined 500 and costs but all those convicted O. illicit distiIling were sentenced to two , years at hard labor.
 In the county in which l live there , has not been q hanging in over 20 years. nor has there been but one ivnching When a white man kills a white man. he is usually acquitted. When a negro kills a negro, he is usually sent to the penitentiary. When a negro kills a white man, few ot the white mans friends go out and quiet ly shoot the negro, and when a white
 man kills negro nothing IS sald about it.
 l Nobody condemns this state ot al- fairs because it seems to be the best l way to handla the delicate situation existing between the two races. Ot course many injustices are done, but [ in the long run "it works" The con . science of q rabid prohibitionist may | lie dormant through many murders but let someone say "stilF' and hls ! conscience goes on rampage Ihe fellows who make the poorest liquor
 arc the ones who are caught-some of them ought 10 be hanger, for the vile , stuff they make-because they are the 1 most ignorant. A great army of pseudo moonshiners are attracted by the enormous percentage or profit in making liquor. A j0-cent lard can, 75 cents worth of pipe and 25-cent trcugh comprise the mapufacturing plant A bushel of meal at $l,25 and three 9allons of molasses make six quarts of liquor that brings 8 a. quart f O. b. still making a total of SIS on S5 investment and the plant paid for in one run. Could Ponzi beat that2 This infant ndustry--illicit distill- ing-is getting on better basis ev- cry day. As said before lots of the poorest makers are being caught, the smarter ones are improving their pro- duet and the buyers are becoming more and more discriminating every
 day Prices aro gradually working lower and the problems of distribution
 are being smplified. But in the long run it may take years. Uncle sam and
 the prohibitionists will win Thou sands of old drinkers die every day and
 the young men do not learn to drink
 now as they used to. Right now
 booze hunting is a fortunate sport. Men are telling more lies now about booze than they ever did about fish ing Many of them try to kid them
 selves into believing. they like the stuff while deep down in their hearts they know it looks bad. tastes worse and smells worst. When the present fad wears itself out. small percent age of the old timers will settle down to good consistent drinking, and the others will let it alone
 J. D. ENNIS livingston December 22 1920