Newspaper Page Text
SATURDAY. JULY M. Wt.
'
THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE COMMENDS THE GEORGIAN
HELP THAT WILL COUNT.
I have read with profound satisfac
tion the numerous editorials In your
distinguished paper, in the Interest of
prohibition, and can not longer refrain
from expressing to you the humble
gratitude of my heart for the stand you
are taking In this great measure, which
Is of such vital concern at this time.
Thank Ood for an editor and publisher
that are bold and brave enough to
stand for the right, for/peace, for sup
pression of crime, for God, for home
end native land, and may The Georgian
tive on till it has seen right triumph
over wrong, and this evil wiped from
the record of the grand good state of
Georgia. Thank God for representa
tives true and brave enough to stand
for the right, regardless of. powerful
opposition. Rest doubly assured the
Christians are with you and you are
With God In this great fight. And may
the God who hears the piteous cries of
the suffering add strength to the cause
until It shall ultimately result In an
overwhelming victory.
I shall try to help you with my fee
ble prayers and with my Influence to
Attain the highest paid circulation of
Any dally published. I shall ever be a
subscriber to The Georgian as long as
your flag Is hoisted and your banner
streaming and your policy right, re-
S ardless of consequences. May God
less The Georgian and its worthy
tprce, is my prayer. Youra tor state
wide prohibition and the right.
* J. ELBERT O’QITINN.
Alma, Ga.
tolerateTno DELAY.
To the Editor of The Georgian:
The Georgian and News, the most
praiseworthy of all dally papers, has
again made another noble declaration—
“Let the legislature do It now." Pro
crastination is the thief of time and If
the whisky men can get them to steal
ing time it will give Me liquor men that
much more time to try to buy up some
more of our representatives. The peo
ple of Georgia know that If the prohibi
tion bill Is defeated It will be a sell-out
game.
I do hope the memners of our senate
and legislature who favor the prohibi
tion bill will make all possible haste to
pass it. They know the great mass of
the people want It. The Georgian and
News Is right in urging all possible
•peed, and the people are with The
Georgian. C. B. RROGDON.
THE DIABOLI8M OF
PREDATORY WEALTH.
To the Editor of The Georgian:
Centralised wealth Is the i*rent of pol
lution nnd the forerunner of oligarchy.
The word* of Edmund llurke will con
tinue to echo udown the aisles of time—
those word* uttored In Ills ‘•Conclilntlon
with the American Colonies,’* vis.: “80-
det.v, In order to exist, must have a con
trolling power placed upon will nnd none-
tlte; and the less of It there is within,
the most there must lie without." His
problems so Insistent for solution. The
iiroiier solution to these teeming snd Ti
tanic problems means no less than the per-
pci ill tv of the republic. Let us, therefore,
revere the nobility of antiquity-coronal the
nnst with the poppy chaplet of love and
fruity for the good it 1ms given us, It
legatees, yet ought we to remember th<
pubice of promise l« still beyond; let us
iimreu townrd the mansion of fnllllhiicnt.
f,ef 11 supreme purpose preside over the
very citadel of life. In the appalling rush
for riches, too ninny are Inclined to lend
their sympathy to the "Interests," Hut
GREATER ATLANTA
AND PROHIBITION
By HON. ALVAN D. FREEMAN.
And some have actually had
ing in Atlanta, and it waa proposed
not to press the matter of extending
the city limits so as to create what is
termed "Greater Atlanta” until after
the legislature adjourns and it Is
known what that body does with the
liquor traffic.
And Mr. DeGIve will not convert
his $300,000 Into a great building if
this legislation Is had.
In a few days this body will pass
the bill and Governor Smith will ap
prove, and these gentlemen can go on,
creating "Greater Atlanta,” and Mr.
DeGIve can go on nnd build, Just os
If they had not attempted to defeat
needed legislation by such shallow
pretenses.
How these men could have imagined
for one moment that such proposals
could In the least have Influenced the
vote of one member of the house or
senate Is beyond comprehension. It
will require logic and reason, based
on facts, to Influence their action, for
they are men of backbone nnd deter
mination and of sterling character.
Doubtless they laugh at such proposals.
It Is really a reflection on their Intel
ligence to suppose that they can thus
be swerved from the discharge of their
solemn obligations to the state.
fs there anything In the statement
that to make Atlanta "Greater Atlan
ta" It Is necessary to get revenue from
the sale of liquor? The burden of
proof Is upon the one who so claims
to show that there possibly can be any
permanent profit derived from that
business which Is under the ban In
every enlightened nation. It Is pro
nounced dangerous by the enormous
taxes exacted from It. and the restric
tions thrown around It. There can
10 profits to the general public in
How wJJJ nny one be hurt if At
lanta Is not legislated Into "Greater
Atlanta?" And who will It benefit?
The extension of the city limits will
not bring any more wealth and pop
ulation or build more shops and facto
ries than are now In Atlanta and In
the outlying territory proposed to be
taken In. Everybody knows that a new
census will be taken In 1910, and the
people having the thing In charge are
getting ready for it.
The people are proud of Atlanta, but
they feel that Atlanta should remain
crime ever perpetrated upon a nation.
The pages of history are blackened
With the recital of this enormous
crime, and the record stands as a bea
con light warning us against similar
acts, the liquor trAffic.
In 1898 Newman, Georgia, was re
ceiving $5,000 per annum for two
quart shops.
An election under the local option
law' was ordered and efforts were made
by some to keep these shops. And a
great deal of wealth was on that side.
One party insisted that the city would
be ruined if she lost this $5,000, w'hlle
on the other hand. It was claimed that
the merchants In legitimate trades
paid this money In the failure to sell
as many goods and to collect for what
they did sell, because so many of their
customers could not pay for family
and fancy groceries and tor liquor, too.
One of her aldermen was a merchant
and could not see how the city could
do without this money. He admitted
that It was wrong, but claimed that we
were driven to the necessity of taking
this money. Prohibition won, and dur
ing the first month after the Iaw^went
Into operation he took In, in cash, $95
more than he had ever taken in In
any month in the thirteen years of
his mercantile business life. This sum
continued to Increase till It reached
some $300 per month. So he was fully
Satisfied that he and the other mer
chants of the city had lost mpre than
the $5,000 by reason of these two
shops. Here was u conclusive demon
stration that money spent for liquors,
when they cannot be conveniently had,
goes to bulb! up all other lines of trade.
During the last nine years Newnan has
had Increased and ever increasing
prosperity. We cannot furnish houses
for all the. people who come here to
live. During these years Newnan
never did enjoy such material growth.
Then she had- only two bunks; now
there are four. In 1905 we built for
cash a court house, beautiful to behold,
•Ht of some $72,000. Last year
several fine residences were erected and
also one oil mill and two factories at
a cost .of $600,000.
What Is true of Newnan and the
other smaller cities In Georgia would
be true o( Atlanta and the other large
cities. Prohibition never had a fair
chance in Atlanta In 1885-86, for reason
that thero was a systematic effort made
she Is today, If to make her greater to break the law down preparatory to
iorror.
ARNOLD II. HALL
F»:OM THE COUNTY OF GRADY.
My heart swells with pride to know
that we have one great dally In the
great city of Atlanta that has the back
bone to declare openly nnd above ward
for state prohibition. Tho great mass
of the people of Georgia are rising up
In their might and demanding Hie driv
ing from our borders the accursed li
quor traffic,' and I am proud to know
that The Georgian Is to champion our
cause. In my opinion, you will gain
rather than lose by tho noble stand you
ire taking, for.you are fighting for a
noble cause and one that commands the
support of everyone who Is a friend to
morality and who desires to see wick
edness put down and righteousness pre
vail.
We of the county named for our im
mortal Grady are watching the fight
with much interest, and may God give
us the victory. Yours very truly,
R. L. VAN LANDINGHAM.
Cairo, Ga.
FROM AN ADOPTED GEORGIAN.
\V<- nre passing the summer months, us
1 you know, nt ouo of the most benu-
perhnpi „ r , ^ _ ,
tlful of the more than one hundred lakes
of Steuben county, In Hooslerdora, on the
Michigan snd Ohio Hoes, where we hope
some time to Iw joined by some of our
R h charn«*ter of
m has always,
I knew It, appealed to my reason
snd my letter nature. Hence, of course.
It follows me here, and It Is my pleasure
<0 circulate it among acquaintances. f uni
F rompted to write this fetter uot beonuse
am entitled by long years of active life
In Georgia to claim a voice in the eon-
duet of her affairs, but because, having
married a wife from old Edgefield county,
Routh Carolina. and having made some In
vestments In the South, nud having adopt
er) Georgia ns my home. It seems right to
me 40 speak thus publicly my appreciation
for the magnificent moral courage which
has inspired The Georgian to take Its
•mud on the side of right In this ques
tion of the liquor traffic. My own mind
has long Ihm*ii at rest upon this subject, but
I have awaited with n good deni of Interest
the position The Georgian should assume,
for I have realised that It meant so much
to the cause of temperance. I know that
many of n»y most Intimate club frleuds
frill he surprised to rend that I am In
sympathy with your view* upon this ques
tion. They know that 1 am not a teetotal
er:. neither do I subscribe to all of Dr.
R. s deductions, much as I admire him. nut
1 do lielleve in “the greatest good for the
greatest numl*er,“ and If prohibition enn be
made to prohibit the manufacture and sale
of liquor In my adopted state, I shall Ih»
only too glnd to accept the results for
the' sake of the good which I know will
follow to the multiplied thousands who nre
cursed by the demon drink. I>o yon know
that It I* such splendid patriotism as that
Which breathes throughout your article of
_ often met with In
North. For the Democratic or Repaid!-
i party to call ita primaries for the dls-
. ither partv would have
the moral courage to Invite the opposition
represented by the combined Interests “
the distillers, the brewers, the wholesale
and retail liquor dealers, and the bnnkers,
merchants, lawyers, doctors—aye.
in t
preachers, too. who own atock In and reap
dividends from thla delating traffic. I blush
for the section of ray native land which
Rave me birth, and can only think of her
vaunted progress with acorn, as 1 behold
Texas. Georgia. Kentucky, and other South
ern at a tea taking gigantic strides toward
the suppression of tne greatest evil that
ever threatened the perpetuity of our na
tion. I t*elleve It the duty of every reader
of The Atlanta Georgian to stand by you
In this grand contest, and may the I»eur
Father “keep us Nteddfnst." ami give u«
th»* victors'. Sincerely yours,
CHARLES T. PAGE.
306 l'«iire DeLeon Avenue.
Until September 1 at Ray, lud.
ahe must be allowed to (leal in liquor.
Euppone the general assembly enacts a
law that requires all the license fees
paid to sell In city and county to be
paid Into the state treasury for the
payment of pensions to old soldiers;
what would you do? Would not that
dampen your ardor? Buppnae they
should pass a law so reducing the
sum charged by any city that the poor
man could buy the right to get rich
out of It, then what?
No, the whole purpose Is to let At
lanta grow rich with moRey from the
outside for which no value Is paid.
Remember how Christian England,
years ago, at tho mouth of the cannon,
forced the opium trade upon China and
thus made dopes of many of her peo
ple. This was the second greatest
another election in 1887. But let the
law be general with no hope of a
change till the legislature repeals the
law and the people would adjust them
selves to It, and In a few years men
who now' oppose the law' would wonder
how they could be so blind as to Ihlnk
for one moment that this debauching
and destructive traffic could be a
wealth producer. The liquor houses
will give place to other forms bt mer
chandising and the money that sus
tained the men and those dependents
engaged In the liquor business would
sustain them In other lines of trade.
Who, then, could estimate the joy
and happiness and plenty that would
fill the hearts and homes of your peo
ple?
Newnan, Ga.
IHMIMHHMIMMIHMIK
A STORY AND ITS MORAL
iocKioooaootK}»ooooooooooor;
a
0 FROM NATIONAL BUREAU
0 OF PROHIBITION PRESS. 0
0 0
O Mr. F. L. Seely, Atlanta, Oa.: 0
0 Dear Sir—You certainly deserve 0
O the slncerest praise and heartiest 0
O commendation tor your brave edl- 0
O torlal stand taken Saturday, July O
O 6. Tens of thousands, not only In 0
0 Georgia, but In America, will 0
0 thank God for your fearless es- 0
0 pousal of this great cause. The fj
0 battle against the liquor traffic is
0 rapidly becoming national In scope 0
0 and the day ot’flnal freedom from O
0 this legalised curse, we believe. Is 0
0 already dawning. , 0
O With best wishes for the sue- 0
0 cess of your splendid journal, we 0
0 are, Cordially yours, 0
0 - FRED D. L. SQUIRES, 0
0 Manager. 0
0 Chicago, III., July 11, 1907. 0
0 O
00000000000000000000000000
0 SAYS NO SUCH FIGHT 0
O EVER WAGED BEFORE. 0
0 0
0 Hon. John Temple Graves, At- 0
0 lanta, Ga.: 0
O Dear Mr. Graves—No syeh cam- 0
0 palgn against organized Iniquity 0
0 has ever been waged as the one 0
0 now In which The Georgian Is en- 0
0 gaged. Sufely God looks ahead 0
0 and "prepares for war In times of 0
O peace!" God grant that you may 0
0 have added yet many years to 0
0 your brave and glorious life; but »
0 If not, It Is enough to have lived 0
O ns you have these past ten dayB. O
0 Thousands of brave and true men 0
0 have lived long lives without ever 0
0 entering upon such an opportunl- O
0 ty or being equal to It when It 0
0 came. Benedlctiona upon you! 0
0 My love for you grows with each 0
0 day! C. A. RIDLEY, 0
0 Pastor First Baptlet Church. 0
0 Live Oak, Fla. O
0 O
00OO000000000O000O00OOO0O0
0 o
O FROM THE EDITOR 0
0 OF THE MERCERIAN.«S
0 0
0 I rejoice In the noble and cour- 0
0 ageous stand taken by your splen- 0
0 did paper In the state prohibition 0
0 Issue, and congratulate you and 0
0'nll other workers upon the well- 0
0 deserved victory thus far achieved. 0
1 am proud of such a Journal, and 0
0 sincerely wish that It might be In 0
O the hands of all the students here 0
O as well as elsewhere. With cor- 0
% STIRRING ADVOCACY
• OF ST A TE PR OHIBII ION
By E. P. THORNTON.
To tho Editor of The Georgian:
There haM been a great deal said
about the lnrge amount, or amounts, of
money which liquor elements of the
state have In hand to Influence legisla
tion In regard to the prohibition bill. It
Is a snd commentary on public senti
ment that such a thing could even be
tinted at, and yet It la sadly true that
sometlmea men are found who*® Influ
ence and vote can be purchased, and
sometimes these are such as w'ould be
least expected to sell out.
Permit me to relate a true story
which happened some years ago to my
certain knowledge. It was In Louisiana
during the time when the great fight
was being made against the Loulalnna
State Lottery In the legislature of that
state, to drive It out forever. I had
been In attendance on the Baptist state
convention, and, returning therefrom,
was sitting with a party of ministers
and others In front of the hotel In
Shreveport, talking. One of the party
said to me: "What do you think of a
popular preacher In one of the parishes
of our state who has become very pop
ular by reason of his work, allowing
himself to be persuaded to run for the
legislature?" I replied: "My observa
tion has been that whenever a preacher
left his ministerial work to engage In
politics, he did neither himself, politics
nor the cause of God any good. He Is
not fitted for that sort of work." At
once my questioner turned to a large,
fine-looking minister sitting near me,
and said: "Do you hear that?" I pro
tested that 2 ought not to have been led
Into the expression of opinion without
knowing that It had personal applica
tion to anyone present, but took occa*
•Ion to emphasize what I had said, nnd
pleaded with the brother In question
not to yield to the solicitation of his
friends.
A year afterward I again visited the
convention, and missed the familiar
face of ^ the man whose friends had
sought to make a legislator out of him,
and sold to one of the brethren: "What
has become of — ?" He replied. In
substance: "Don’t you know the sad
story concerning him? He allowed hltn-
•elf to be persuaded to run for the leg
islature and was triumphantly elected.
The session he attended was the one In
which the great lottery fight was made,
and the poor fellow was tempted there
with sums of money he had never seen
or dreamed of, and he fell. When he
returned to his home he gave evidences
of being easy financially, but the people
utterly repudiated him. They avoided
him aa they would a man who had
leprosy, and the effect of his ostracism
was ao terrible «»n him that, great,
strong man though he was, he actually
withered away, until his cJothe* hung
unon him like bags; and In less than ft
year he died, despised and forsaken."
I had heard It rumored that members
of our legislature are being tempted by
a power as rich and fully ns evil (If not
more so) ns the Louisiana Lottery ever
dreamed of being. But the good people
of the state believe In their representa
tives and arei not expecting one single
one of them to yield to the solicitations
of the evil ones that shall seek their
ruin. T. P. BELL.
Editor The Christian Index
Atlanta, Ga.
O dial good wishes, • 0
0 Yours sincerely. 0
0 JOSEPH E. ‘FULTON. 0
0, Macon, Ga. 0
0 O
OOOO GOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Dg
0 COURAGEOUS DAILY PAPER. 0
0 0
0 (Wesleyan Christian Advocate.) 0
0 The Georgian and News, of this 0
O city, one of the strongest dally O
O papers in the state, has come out 0
O flat-footed for state prohibition. 0
O The Georgian has from Its foun- 0
O datlon refused to carry liquor ads, O
0 and now ns a matter of principle O
O nnd of patriotism it espouses the O
0 cause of the people of this atate 0
0 against that gigantic evil—the 11a- 0
0 or traffic. Of course, the friends 0
0 of the liquor buatnesa will do their 0
0 utmost to make The Georgian suf- 0
0 fer for its • courageous stand for 0
0 righteousness. They give no quar- 0
0 ter to anything, or anybody that 0
0 opposes the liquor traffic. Is It 0
O then asking too much, when we 0
0 urge the temperance people to 0
0 stand by the only dally paper in 0
0 the state that proposes to stand 0
0 by them and their Interests? Con- 0
0 granilatlons to the fearless, un- 0
0 purchasable makers of The At- 0
0 lnnta Georgian and News. 0
0 0
60000000000000000000000000
O REPRESENTATIVE 8TUBBS O
O PLEDGES HIS SUPPORT. 0
0 r— O
O F. L. Seely, Publisher The Geor- 0
O ginn, Atlanta, Ga.: 0
O Permit me to express my nd- O
O miration of the splendidly brave 0
O stand you and The Georgian nre 0
O taking on the prohibition ques- 0
O tlon. To have a great newspaper 0
O battling with us for the right O
O makes us doubly sure of victory. 0
O And that great majority of Geor- O
0 glans who are opposed to the II- 0
0 quor traffic . wfll surely be toq 0
O grateful for your help to let y( ur 0
O business suffer- because of this O
0 fight. For myself, as a member A 0
0 the legislature, I shall vote for tho 0 1
O prohibition law, and as a friend of 0
0 The Georgian. 1 hereby pledge O
0 myself to do all in my power to 0
O Increase Its circulation among my O
0 friends and acquaintances, and to 0
0 give what assistance I can toward 0
0 getting other business. 0
O With the heartiest of good 0
0 wishes for the prosperity of yjur- 0
fi self and The Georgian. I am, 0
To the Editor of The Georgian:
I have noted with interest the argu
ments for and against prohibition in the
different papers of your city, and I am
proud of the fact that we have one
daily in the city of Atlanta that has the
moral courage to stand up and speak
Its convictions on this all-important
question.
Pure whisky, judiciously used, for the
right purpose, Is-not to be condemned,
but the fiery liquid concoctions sold by
the whisky dealers of this day, for the
unrighteous purpose of securing money
and damning men’s souls, is the greatest
curse of the age, and it Is one of the
most formidable adversaries with which
a respectable, moral citizen has to con
tend. Whisky, as we find it, has no
legal nor moral right to exist, and
everything that can tie said to the con
trary only serves to strengthen the
prohibition side of this question. One
of the leading newspapers of your city
would have us believe that to do away
1th the liquor traffic in the state of
Georgia would virtually mean to cut off
$500,000 from the state's treasury,
which deficit, under our present laws
regulating the rate of taxation, could
not otherwise be raised, and in conse
quence of such legislation, our free
schools, charitable institutions, pension
ers, etc., wrould suffer an Irreparable
loss, for appropriations for these Insti
tutions would be considerably reduced
—If not entirely cut off.
In reply to this, I will say that If our
free schools and pensioners are in the
least dependent upon the money that
comes out of the pockets of the unfor
tunate liquor slaves for their support, I
would say, abolish them at once; for,
like a church that is sustained by
church fairs and gambling devices, they
are an abomination in the sight of God.
But such statements are misleading and
were devised for that purpose. Any
body with a grain of sense knows that
if the volume of money that is spent
annually for whisky was turned into
the legitimate channels of trade and
spent for the necessities and comforts
of life, w'here it properly belongs, we
would, as a people, be better off finan
cially, morally and physically, and the
question of raising taxes would, In com
parison, be a small item. The God
fearing, law'-ablding, peace-loving citi
zens of this state would be only too
glad to have their taxes raised In order
to have this liquor evil abolished. There
Is not a merchant who would object to
paying an occupation tax. and not a
respectable male citizen who stands for
morality, law' and order that would ob
ject to having his poll tax doubled In
order to rid the state of this vile and
cursed stuff, with the train of attend
ant evils that proceeds therefrom.
And it strikes me as being a reflec
tion on the brains and the talent that
represent us In the senate and legisla
ture to say that ways and means can
not be provided for the raising of this
tax.. One of Atlanta’s noted criminal
lawyers calls the contemplated legisla
tion a rash, hasty and ill-advised
measure, nnd the advocates of this re
form extremists and sentimentalists.
and he says that the fanatics and hys
terical women are the ones who want
this law' thrust upon us. We didn’t
expect him to say anything else. If I
am employed by the devil on a fat sal
ary, I am supposed to do as the devil
directs; otherwise, I lose my job. It
is true that a great many women who
represent the moral side of this Issue
and whose husbands and sons are
drunkards, are the unfortunate, hys
terical victims to whom he refers, and
what remedy has he to offer to palliate
their suffering? He says perpetuato
the liquor traffic. We say stop it at all
hazards.
Paul says by the foolishness
preaching, men are saved. If by the
foolishness of fanatics, moral reforms
are brought about, we say give us
more fanatics. So far as the contem
plated law being drastic and revoiu
tlonary Is concerned, we only cite you
to the moral condition of the counties
ol Georgia now as compared with their
moral condition when whisky w'as rold.
The Intention of the law, as any sane
man knows, is not to circumscribe the
moral, religious or political rights of
any one, but simply to restrain men
whose minds and appetites run in this
channel, that we may have peace and
happiness, so far as In our fallen con
dition it is possible for us to have
them.
We don't claim that a prohibition bill
will entirely prohibit. Neither do our
laws against theft and murder prevent
thieves and murderers, but do away
with our laws, and see where we would
be. All honor to the men who, by their
lives, are trying to make the world
better. We can never hope to attain
to perfection under our human laws.
Not until Christ’s kingdom, the king
dom for which we are taught to pray,
has been established upon earth may
wo expect perfection. "Then shall
every knee bow and every tongue shall
confess his name, and the knowledge
of the Lord shall cover the earth as
the waters cover the sea." Then we
will not say to our neighbor, "Know
ye the Lord? for they shall all know
the Lord even from the smallest to tho
greatest." Then, says He,."will I make
of thine enemies thy foot-stool.” Then
will be fulfilled the statement, "Judg
ment will I lay to the line, and right
eousness to the plummet. And the hall
(righteous Judgment) shall sweep away
the refuge of lies, and the waters
(truth) shall overflow the hiding place,
nnd every hidden thing shall’ be re
vealed—Isa. 28: 17, Matt. 10: 26.
God speed the day when this shall be.
In addition to what I have written
here in reference to the liquor traffic,
I would also like to state that I am
personally acquainted with the Hon.
L. G. Hardman, one of the authors of
this prohibition bill. He Is a success
from every standpoint as a physician,
financier, moralist and statesman, and
if there is a man who stands higher in
the estimation of the people of north-
cast Georgia than tho gentleman In
question, I would like to know who
he la. Yours truly,
E. P. THORNTON.
Palmetto, Ga.
SOME TIMEL V ARGUMENTS
FOR STATE PROHIBITION
To the Editor of The Georgian:
It Is argued that prohibition will
paralyse business Is It not a fact
that sound business principles, moral
ity, religion, all demand prohibition?
It will paralyze the whisky man’s busi
ness and the Income of a few who get
high rents. The facts are that no busi
ness man wants a clerk that drinks—
no contractor, no telephone, telegraph,
electric light, street car company or
railroad wants men that, drink. No
insurance company wants them; no
church wants them. Why? The risk
is too great; the value of property and
human life Is at stake, and besides the
wrecks, loss of property and life, the
various companies have to pay heavy
damage suits.
The bankers are urotestlng. They
handle, it Is said, about $2,000,000 a
year of the saloon men’s money—quite
an Item—they do not wish to lose IL
No objection can be raised, but If you
inspect the source you will find It af
fects their personal Interest. Many
argue that the representatives from
dry counties and cltlsens from the same
should "hands off” and let Fulton,
Bibb and other wet counties alone, and
not try to force prohibition, because
their counties have it dry. Under local
option this would be true, but this Is
a state issue—a democratic right
every one Intesested wishes to exer
cise.
Yours sincerely,
J. B. STUBBS.
Ochlocknee, Ga.
000000O000000000000000000O
Hon. Clark Howell and Hon. Hoke
Smith were both candidates for gov
ernor of the state, nnd both were citi
zens of Fulton county, hut each felt
the entire state should be heard from,
as all were interested. Such Is the
case now for state prohibition. If
$2,000,000 Is spent for whisky and beer
In Fulton county, from whence does It
come, and ts there not ns much or
more Interest from that source that tie*
serves consideration ns compared to
the whisky men and a few property
holders? Money now spent with sa
loon men will go to merchants and
home sellers. It’s a question worthy
of earnest thought. If the city or coun
ty or state gets $1 from the whisky
license, how much does it cost for po
lice protection and punishment of
crime, loss of wages, etc.?
Ex-Governor Terrell’s former hack
driver was killed last Saturday night
in a barroom on Decatur street. What
will it cost In money to the city, coun
ty and state to punish the man who
did it? Is It not a fact that the outgo
I® malntalti order, caro for prisoner*, i txrct'i'itiiins to vnur naner In Its stand
the punishment of crime, corruption»r" , 10 ” ;? > U T J 118 Bia “ a
and Is far more than the income? It'a}* 01 * and God bless >ou In
only a qupxtt.in of getting revenue at | everything you do so Ion* aa you aflvo.
a greater l<w» than otherwise. The I cate prohibition. I’rnlre God for the
state la not responsible for Governor [second “large" moral dally In the South.
Smith’s program which he planned to j LKE ROY HENRY,
carry out when whisky was being Mid. I Secretary and Treasurer Prohibition
He can make a good guvernor even if | Party t’ounty Club.
It la not gold. It H. J. Asheville, X. C.
FROM A WARRENTON PASTOR.
Let me thank you for your outapoken
nnd courageous position In the present
campaign for state prohibition. Today
at a dining where there was a number
present, your edltprta! on the' liquor
question was discussed, and I got the
promise of some to stand by you in
subscribing to your valuable paper.
This county Is almost unanimously for
state prohibition. Yours sincerely,
CHARLES H. BRANCH,
Pastor of M. E. Church, South.
Warrenton, Ga.
WILL PROVFA BENEFIT.
I hope you are very hopeful, and. If
not already, will soon be able to know
for n certainty that we are to have the
state go dry. There la .hardly ever a
word of truth In anything the whisky
folks say about Injuring the business of
the city. It will benefit It a great deal.
It Is the cause of nearly all of the
crime in the state, and the crime of
the Atate costa more than the Income
of the state. I am praying for the over,
throw of thla, one of the greateat ene
mies, of our country.
Youra truly.
WILLIAM J. WATERS.
Sylvanla. Ga. •
FROM ASHEVILLE, N. C.
In- behalf of the County Club and
the committee, 1 wlah to send our ap-
THE REMEDY FOR THE JUG TRADE
By J. L. D. HILLYER.
A Mate prohibition law calls for a sup-1 as "commerce" which Is dangerous to pub-
plcmental law to protect the state ngnlust ‘
the Importation of lutoxlcatlng liquors.
Why have we been unable
an nfitt jug law that the supreme court of
the United States will not (leclurfc to he tin-
constitutional oh to Interstate traffic? Why
Is it that wo hear so constantly that you
muy prohibit the Jug trude from points
within the state, but not from points out
side of the state? There are two reasons
for this condition of things: The first Is
that tho coustltntlon of the United States
lodges with congress the power to regulate
Interstate commerce, and takes that pow
er awuy from tho states. The second ts
tbnt cominou carriers, such as the express
companies, nre obliged to receive and trans
port all movable goods and chattels that
arc delivered to tnem for transportation,
rided they come
transported lit
* * *- Kemura.
....... certain county In
that stnte. A liquor seller In Cincinnati
gets an order from that county for a Jug
of liquor. It Is delivered to the express
company in Cincinnati, nnd in turn brought
into the dry county In Kentucky; a case Is
made against the express compnny for
bringing It Into the prohibiting territory.
The supreme court holds that the commod
ity is transportable goods, properly packed,
He health and safety. If congress can’not
do this by statutory enactment, the au-
preme court certainly can not use the prln-
Iplos of common law to enlarge the power
of Interstate commerce so ns to defeat a
stnte In the mnungeiuent of Its own af-
lnlrs, nnd the protection of Its people from
dnugerous commodities.
But I am met nt this point by the state
ment that the supreme court has done just
that thing. Thla statement 1 deuy. The
supreme court has beeu repeatedly called
upon to prevent Interstate traffic as to li
quors between dry states and liquor states,
but the plea has always been the plea or
"state’s rights," nnd it lias always been met
by the answer that the states surrendered
their control of Interstate commerce to con
gress. The idea has not been made that In
toxicating liquors nre ns dangerous to hu
man health ns car loads of fruit from fever-
infested districts would be. It has not been
urged that the states have declared that In
toxicating liquors are dangerous nud de
structive to nun ... - ...
and safety, nud .
for these reasons,
t mbit in I of commerce, nnd arc not entitled
to any of the rights, protection or Im
munities that Indoug to articles of com
merce. The courts have not been asked to
rule that prohibited goods nro not com
merce; nor that guilds prohibited for the
reason <#f their Itdierenf dangerous charac
ter lu * ' *
curs, and that, tneremre, me express «««u- tl , r ...... nrtlrles „f inter.
panv iB f , t n Sro*ITtbe*stata between that ami neighbor-
state of Kentucky tan^ not « r «»» tUe stat* j, Ktj|t( , s _ | t, e j|eve that when the courts
«.re confronted
Id send them dock, msinierc or destroy
in, as the nature of the goods might
Hand, and Interstate commerce had uoth-
to do with It. Under the new -pure
state has no power In Its own prohibition
law to prevent the Interstate commerce In
U The%orego!«g is a brief, but, I trust,
perfectly clear statement of the constitu
tional status of this question at present.
The complete relief from the rule lab! down
by the supreme court Is to be found lu
denying that prohibited liquor Is “goods"
In the meaning of the constitution of the
United States. A few weeks ago, the
United States niitliorltle* confiscated a lot
of stuff belonging to the Honduras Lot
tery Uompnny. Why? Because its unlaw
ful, forhludpu nml dangerous nature made
It contraband of commerce.
During a yellow fever epidemic in Louis
iana a few yenra ago, south Georgia quar
antined against New Orleans. No goods
could l«e shipped from New Orleans Into
south Georgia. The quarantine officials
could seud them back, disinfect or destn.’?
them, J
demand
jug to — —— . .
food" laws, suppose an express comnnuy is
called on to transport a lot of decayed
inent or vegetables. Are they ‘‘KOV 4 !*” * D
the contemplation of the law t Could such
I shipment .•ollMH rl»nr*»« at the place at
dentluutlTO) nf course not. The eipre,»
company has the unquestionable right to re
fuse such a consignment, notwithstanding
the interstate commerce law, nnd notwith
standing its obligations n* s*common car
rier. It refuses to receive such a consign
ment laVnuse It Is hot “goons; It Is con
demned. unsalable, contraband stuff, made
so by the law of the land. Now. suppose
that the people of Georgia enact that l»an-
attas shipped from New Orleans while yel
low fever is raging In New Orleans shall
not la» sold or transported Into Georgia ter
ritory? Will the United States supreme
court hold that Georgia has no right to pro
tect herself against Be shipment of things
Into the state that are Inherently dangerous
to public health nnd life? Burely not. lu
his speech before the Yale law class the
other day, Senator anil ex-Attorney General
Knox, in pointing out what control con
gress hss over the states, distinctly declared
Tref»s has no right to “lay an ar-
ntbnrgo vifMin lawfully produced.
harmless products of a stnte. nor the right
to defeat the policy of a state as to Its own
Internal affairs." i
In another place. Mr. Knox says:
“Congress muy likewise prevent the •ar
teries of interstate commerce from l»elng
employed ns carriers for articles bartfnl to
the public health, safety or morals." Theje
statements arc quoted front this very high
authority beennse they nre nt haud. but
ally the principle Mated ts elementary;
err student of American common law la
familiar with them.
Tben. lt Is true that while congress has
the control of Interstate commerce, coo-
gross can not force upon a state anytblug 8. C, L. It. A. 363: “Liquor in Us nature
the issue suggested here
hlhfted the sale of. liquor within Its fmrv
ders.
The reason why this question has not been
made Is a natural one. For forty-five years
the government has been In co-partnership
with the liquor men. Two generations of
people have growu up with tho Idea thnt
liquors nre a big part of commerce when
they have bsen prohibited from sale, the
the business long since censed to lie proper
ty. The only reason why Intoxlcatlug
drinks have not been treated the same way
has lieeu because of overpowerlug Influence
exerted by the liquor trade on commerce
and on the government itself. And I mean
all—federal, state and municipal govern
ments.
The supreme court of the United .Stntes
ifflciently desert lied Intoxicating
Islatnre to pass n law to the effect thnt m
commodity excluded from sale because o.
Its hurtful character shnlt thereafter be
regarded ns property lu Georgia. Then
■s hanc money for such commodify could
rted, nor nny'traiispo-*'"
, coin nc neat In 11 for I
thereto.
A law like that would completely block
the C. O. D. business lu liquor*.
Then It could go further, and make ft n
misdemeanor for any person to trnnsiiort
any contraband goods Into prohibiting ter
ritory.
Such a law might tie attacked before the
courts, hut since the principle Ih well set
tled thnt Interstate commerce will not In
flict dangerous commodities upon stntes
thnt might suffer from them, nud the fur
ther fact that Intoxicating liquors are dan
gerous. It Is practically certatu that the
courts would recognise the (tower of tho
states to exclude such dangerous comniodi-
.... MHBL- measure of the broadest
wisdom for our legislature to enact law*
making nil commodities that nre prohibited
liecatisc of their unwholesome, unfit and
dangerous character to Ih* no longer proper
ty under the law. And then go to the Fed
eral court stid defend it. I lielleve thnt
they would imnietllately hold that such
things do not come witbln the rule of in
terstate commerce.
It has lieen repeatedly held fas quoted hy
Judge Altuinn. in the late Indiana if
cense onset thnt to sell Intoxicating liquors
at retail Is not n natural right to pursne
sn ordinary calling. Hunting also the case
of The State ex. rs). George vs* Akin,
FROM CLINTON, MISS.
I am with you In your light aeain..
whisky. Should you ev»r print if \y
Grady a speech on- the saloon
please let me have a copy and Iii
mtt price. Very truly yours
Clinton, Ml... ™
MORAL AND MATERIAL
The man and the hour met T vvh<. E r, S J 0 ®.'
gave your mighty pen and portion 7*
the most Btupendou. question that oa
presses the heaving chest of our com
r*. ? waa a brightness that
lighted up across Georgia’, rest!. I
moral and material slty. i 8ay mater?
because all statistic, or real evldehc,
show- material ns well as moral g££
in prohibition. m
In the eternal fitness .of thing. ■» i,
good to know that our material aa
our essential Interests are not at n “
purposes; that truth Is eternal; that all
alcoholics are as bad for man's l,.,,h .
for his manhood.
Mr. Seely, you will’live In the heart,
of your countrymen. Truly
... . „ E. C. CARTLEDCE.
Atlanta, Ga
WILL STAND bTthe GEORGIAN
I stopped all my other papers nni
took only The Georgian for thru
months, and am still taking it. since
The Georgian has come out fcoldlv a n ,i
defiantly on the prohibition question if
-she will stay there and die there I win
throw my little fortune In with Vi a r
to Influence, and my poor help and
etay with her and die with her i ,an
stand John Temple Graves’ stand on
Roosevelt- and the r.egro questions if
The Georgian will only stand bv 'tho
poor women and the true men nt (hi,
state and help us rid Georgia nf thi,
hell,of a liquor traffic.
We are having a liquor fight In thi,
county now, and I went out into ta.
county and spoke to three largo ci
last Sunday. I carried The Georgian
with me and held it up in the pulpit
and asked everybody to take ii
etand by it. X will do what I can to
Increase Its circulation. I wish I had
ae hundred copies of last Satu '
rue to give away In our prohibition
campaign. We are going to
vote Stewart county dry the fc.th of
this month. Yours truly.
W. D. M'GREGOR,
Lumpkin, Ga,
LOCAL OPTION AGAINST
STATE WIDE PROHIBITION
To the Editor of The Georgian:
Local option Is that policy which se.
cures to the voters of the several
minor political divisions of the Mat*
the right-to express at the ball it hot
their individual views concerning: the
adoptloh, or rejection, of possible legfs.
lation affecting their Interests, the
territory In which it Is operative b^lng
always co,-extensive with the Interests
Involved.
When a question rises to the dignity
of a state issue—that Is, an Issue which
Involves the Interests of the whole
state—the Democratic party has uni
formly disposed of such questions by
legislative enactment.
. Local option, as a means *»f dealing
successfully with the liquor question,
has proven Inadequate In Georgia, for
the reason, inherent in Its nature, that
Its application cannot be made broad
enough to t>ut into practical effe«*; th#
declared will of the people. Additional
legislation Is admitted to be necessary
(and now actually promised bv advi
cates of local option), but none can U
had so effective as absolute state pr
hlbltlon. Its adoption W'ould deprive i
subdivision of the state of any right
which it might secure under local
tlon, the exercise of which would
be hurtful to other sections «f
state.
Local option, then, rui an argument
against state prohibition seems tu the
writer a mere subterfuge.
No doubt that some who have given
to the matter but superficial thought,
or who have honestly in the past ad
vocated local option as the bes. mean*
of procuring prohibition in any f-»rm.
are sincere in their advocacy of it is
against state prohibition, but the wst
majority of them the writer fears are
for local option only as a means t » de
feat temperance reform. .
Who compose this vast majority?
Certainly every liquor dealer in Geor
gia; overy antl-prohlbltionist in tin
state, and every'Other man who per
mits his financial Interest to control hit
moral action, and who conceive that
Interest to be subserved by a share m
the profits (revenue or otherwise) ari»-
ing from the liquor traffic.
In 1885 all of these opposed the gen
eral local option act, as bitterly as
they now oppose state prohibition, in
©very county where, under that act,
elections have been hold, they h ive op.
(•osed prohibition; and when adopted
by any community, have done all in
their power to render its effects nuga
tory; and have bitterly fought in the
courts every effort to enforce any law
which Interfered with their pun; 1 * J
flooding dry countieL with intoxicants.
In 1896-’07 the state prohibition bill
then pending before the legislature
met from this some type of h" a ‘ 'JP*
tlonists this same opposition founded
upon the samo objections, to-ivii: tmt
local option was the declared i lay
of the Democratic patty and the tin*
nnd wise solution of the liquor prob
lem. During the same session a bill
was Introduced and passed, the pur
pose of which was to make m-'re ef
fective the statute prohibiting th** u*
quor dealers In "wet counties" from so
liciting sales of Intoxicants in 'dry
counties;” and this was ns
fought by a majority of these pint.-na-
cu advocates of local option as was
state prohibition law. f
The records of Georgia are
like Instances, that the average Gtwa
Is driven tq the conclusion that tm>s*
who are now persistently urging , K '‘“
option as ngainst state prohibition ar
tl-prohlbitionlsts at heart.
LnGrange, Ga.
W. W. TURNER-
vi t h t£»*‘
nnd sufoty of the people,
placed on the same footing
nlnary commodities of life,
wheat, cotton, potatoes, etc. j" , .
quotation from a state court, but tne «
States supreme court In the or** pr
vs. Christenson, 137 U. 8. 386. nti« In*
In vs. Adams 192 U, 8. 1 *»■
there Is no Inherent tight lu '•
sell Intoxicating liquors at rrta.i.
tensou’wbV It is not Is the reason e
the quotation from the South t area
namely: Thnt Intoxicating ,
herently dangerous to the wellm l (
people. This doctrine I» still
declared In Mugler vs. Kansas 123. I •
These citations nre a part
S lven by Judge Pitnitiel It. Alt*’-; 1
ectslon recently rendered by nit.-
constitutional power of the ef tf- '
the Itqnor business. They fully ••
contention that the injurioo* 3,! '
ous character of Intoxicating
fully reeogulzed by the l ntted
preme court, nnd that our staiue
to provide for excluding them *
state because of their dancer'*, 1
ter, and to make the rontejit , .. f |
state perfectly clear „
Hacb good* as nre prohibited frpn*
cause of their dangerous charm r •
trnbnnd nnd not property. ^ „
To nty mind there Is n ****,, , .
tlon to the “.intl-Jug' law . n °?, ..
1 eg J-Ini u re, and It Is found In »n« ‘ , ,
contrary to nil that has been *au “ .
statute. It recognise* the '
tlon of liquor, notwithstanding l
ed from commerce because It »* *■
