The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-10-15

Ialrgrounds without seeing the secre- tary, Mrs. Harris and I met him a week before the fair opened I said;
 Mir. Dent. we have never had a state fair without a rest room.
 He replied:
 "'Go ahead. I'll give you the space in front of my office if you will build your own booth and let me send lost children there. Mrs. Harris asked, How about our sandwiches and pies?' MT. Dent replied:
 That will be all right, so you don't do any cooking!'
 we expressed our warm appreoia- tion. The Wood Lumber company said 1t would build the booth for $75. After trying several lumber com panies, the Wahouma Lumber com pany donated the lumber delivered, and the booth cost us only s1o for fec.
 We did not see Mir. Brown. pres ident of the State Fair association. until Saturday before the fair opened The ladies were decorating the booth Mir. Brown came up and demanded:
 What are you doing?"
 "I replied;"
 This Is your rest room. Aren't you proud of it?"
 Literature
 
 pose of our booth. He said, Don't do any cooking We had planned to have hot coffee. but after this we cut 1t out. although all we could have used had been donated. Inasmuch as the purpose of our booth had been stated so many times. I had not the least idea. of course. that there was any objection to our distributing temper ance literature. In all that was said about our not cooking there was never . word of objection about the literature. Each time distribution of literature, both over the phone and by personal interview, had been stated as the first purpose of the booth. Before prohibition in Ala bama the w. c. T. U. had booths at the fair several years for the pur- pose of distributing literature and giving away foe water.
 Been to Fair Often
 .T have been to the fair every year since 1t was opened. in Il years, al- ways coming away with my hands full of varied literature. Suffrage literature has been distributed all over the grandstand. This year, on several days, 1 saw an old man with basketful of ads of one of Birming- hams largest stores going all over the grounds. I asked this old man if anyone ever objected to his distribut- ing literature. He said No
 When I went to the W. c. T. U. booth Friday at 5 ?. m. there was all most a half-peok basketful of ad- vertisements of an electric sweeper. Two of my assistants and I stood out in front of our booth and distributed many leaflets containing the Athe- nian patriotic oath--that they would v n n hnfr nff t1 eration better and greater than they had received it; also a statement from one of the worlds authorities on food--Harvey Wiley-about beer, etc. I made two trips to the woman's building to see the exhibits, taking a handful of literature. Wednesday evening a friend and I. eager to have temperance airplanes go up deco rated with law enforcement slogans, flags and carrying W. c. T. U. litera- ture that would be dropped over ths crowds, walked over to the aviation field to see the captain of the ayia- tion fleet. We wanted a W. c. T. F; member. representing womanhood of our city and state, to go up in one and Boy Scout, representative of youth that must be guarded from in- temperance, to go in another. Mir. Messer said he would be glad to take us up and let us distribute literature. but that must see the president of the Aero club, whom I would perhaps find in the secretary's office the fol- lowing day.
 Met President
 Thursday at noon went to ths office and met the president of the State Fair association. I asked if ne had seen Mir. Walton, the aero president. He replied:
 NO, haven't seen him. What am doing seeing him? What's that you've got in your hands?'
 told him, w. C. T. U. litera- ture.' Then he said. in a tone he might have used to negro on the ground:
 "I don't want this propaganda distributed don't believe in pro hibition. I am in favor of light wines and beer. Birmingham is oyerridden with preachers now. I don't believe in woman's suffrage
 q replied:
 MT. Brown, take some of this tributing'
 "He replied:
 Mrs. Hankins' View
 don't want to see it. Don't be proselyting me-' in the most dis courteous tones I had ever had used to me In my life. I had not asked the president of the State Fair as- sociation his opinion on prohibition. preachers or woman suffrage. It came as great surprise to me. The only reason l could give for 1t was that Mir. Brown was, I presumed being bothered by the Christian forces of the city in attempting to carry out some of his money making schemes directly contrary to the laws of the state in whose name his state fair had been widely advertised presumed. say, that this is what had put him out of humor. I do not know.
 q being the only visible person Christian forces. bc would express himself fully to me. Il replied to MT. Brown. hurt and aroused at his attitude:
 MT. Brown, there is no use in your using such discourteous tones to me. You certainly shall have some of this literature simply to see what we are distributing. I'll send It to your office.
 "He snapped:
 "'Tm not discourteous, I'm just positive.'
 "He certainly was discourteous- insufferably so.
 T went back to the booth. After discussing 1t with the ladies we felt we had been insulted. and the cause We represented trampled upon.
 Asking Permission
 The Aero president afterwards came to .the booth. He said he would take the temperance airships up if we would get permission of the commissioner of public safety. Sc Mrs. L. A. Daniel. state superin- rendent of anti-narcotics and I came to Commissioner Cloe and got let ter to the Aero Club president giving him permission to go up.
 Tn spite of the fact we had been