The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-08
Paid Spies and Informers
 Are Denounced By O'Neal
(oontinued from Page Five)

1 that it is a matter of common knowl- | edge that many of the advocates of 1 the Volstead force bill" in their con l duct and personal habits, do not show l knowledge of the meaning of tenn perance, while many of the opponents 1 of that act are men who do not in l dulge in the use of alcoholic drinks | in any form; that it is not a question | of drink, but rises higher than this
 and involves the very structure upon 1 which the government was founded. l Referring to the reaction that has l followed the adoption of the drastic l enforcement law, the speaker said that | state after state has voted wet in pro- l test. though it previously had been dry 1 for years, and that the revulsion of 1 sentiment has reached the point of po- | litical revolution. He denied having 1 made the question an issue in Alabama l politics and said that those who are 1 responsible for the passage of the act | are responsible for the fact that pro- l hibition is again political issue in the | state and nation.
 SPIES AND INFORMERS
 1 The former governor was bitter in | his denunciation of the spies and in- l formers whom he charges with over running the country.
 1 Gaining friendship but to betray it. securing confidence but to entrap and l mislead his victim, in all ages and | times the very word informer,' has | been execrated and odious to all lovers 1 of justice and liberty. The sordid heart | of the informer is never stirred by any l sentiment of honesty and decency. I Fawning hypocrisy vile treachery and l insatiate greed measure his code of conduct. Such man would sell his
 very soul for a dirty dollar. In my opinion no man worthy of sitting on jury would convict the most degraded and odious man in the community on the unsupported testimony of so cor | rupt and so despicable a creature as a paid informer. A law which requires the aid of spies and informers to se- cure it's enforcement fully deserves public contempt and public indigna- tion. Yet today in the very glare of the enlightenment and civilization of the twentieth century Congress, under 1 the lash of the extremists of the Anti Saloon League, has invoked to aid the
 enforcement of what they proclaim the greatest reform of the ages, the vile methods and the system of spies and informers which have made the judi cial records of even Jeffries the dark
 est, most bloody and shameless in Eng
 fish history. Drunk with power and
 success the extremists of the Anti
 Saloon League, through their paid at
 torneys, drafted the Volstead act,
 forced Congress to do their bidding, and enacted into law and laid the | foundation for that storm of bitter re-
 sentiment and indignation now sweep
 ing over the country, irresistless in it's
 intensity and daily growing in power. 1 CONSTRUCTIVE LEGISLATION
 The former governor made humorous reference to public document recently distributed by Congressman Heflin as a part of the Congressional Record
 wherein was shown the many meas
 ures which the congressman has ad-
 vocated since he has been in Congress Governor O'Neal contrasted these eff. forts, which, he said, had been largely fruitless, with his own accomplish ments in the realm of constructive leg islatjon, in the way of child labor laws improved mining laws. and other meas ures that featured his administration
 as governor, as part of the executive
 programme.
 More personal liberty and less taxa
 ton" was the slogan and text of th' | former governors address and he con cluded with an ap.tal to those whi hold views similar tt his own to sticl together in the primaries of May II
 We divided two years ago and wha | did we get? he asked. '"The Weakle, prohibition bill and the income taxl' | Governor O'Neal will speak at Gull J man today Tuscaloosa and Buhl, Fri , day and Gadsden on Saturday. Mex | week he will make a half dozen O. more speeches in the southern part O the state, beginning Monday at Lu | verne.