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Birmingham Takes Up The Battle
Her Great Daily Comes Out Tor Prohibition. _
MERICA looks today on another inspir
ing spectacle —a great daily paper in a
great commercial center lifts the white
banner of prohibition above its head
and dashes into the fight against saloons
like the charge of Balaklava —to “vic
tory or to death!” The thrill of F. L.
Seely’s heroic declaration in The At
lanta Georgian—the Marseillaise of
LU
John Temple Graves’ editorials —had not left our
hearts, when Rufus N. Rhodes, of the Birmingham
News, faces an even more serious problem in the
great iron center of the South and runs up his
flag for the defense of home, the betterment of la
bor and the protection of humanity.
In a recent issue the News reviews the Birming
ham situation with force and fairness. Listen to
a few of its choice utterances:
Prohibition Must Come.
“The remarkable and very widespread crusade
against the sale of intoxicating liquors, which has
been making steady progress in the South during
the past twelve months, has reached Birmingham,
and in a few veeks the question will be squarely up
to every qualified voter in Jefferson county as to
whether he is for liquor or against it.
“The issue may be stated in as many different
forms as different minds may suggest and as vary
ing phraseology may be employed as the English
language, which is rich in words, will permit, but
on the final analysis the question is the same —for
liquor or against it? This is the real issue which
must be settled.
“There is no middle ground. Mayor Ward and
several, of the aidermen, after the last municipal
campaign in this city, in which the chief issue was
regulation and control of the liquor traffic, sought
to solve the ever-perplexing problem which accom
panies the open saloon by so regulating the sale of
liquor as to minimize the evil effects as far as was
possible under the open saloon system. A license
of $2,500 per year and a restricted area in which sa
loons could operate, were suggested and urged, but
a majority of the city council rejected this. As late
as Thursday afternoon of this week when a special
meeting of the council was held, Aiderman Moore
again presented this plan with some additional com
mendable features in a resolution which he asked be
referred to a committee. The resolution was not
only not referred, but it was ruled out of order un
der a previous determination of the council ‘not to
probe the liquor license question until December.’
“So it is clear that the middle ground on the li
quor question, if there ever was any, has been de
stroyed so far as Birmingham is concerned. It is
unnecessary at this time to elaborate on this feature
of the situation. The fact remains, however, that
no better regulation of saloons than we now have
is to be expected if the open saloon continues, and
those crimes which are the direct outgrowth of the
liquor dive may be expected to go on practically
unchecked unless the sale of whiskey is stopped.
In a word the evil must be cut out by the roots.
“There is no defense to make of the liquor traf
fic. The strongest argument that the advocates of
the saloon advance is the commercial side of the
proposition. But is it a fact that prohibition hurts
a community commercially? The Birmingham News
would answer this question with an emphatic no.
If Greater Birmingham has reached the stage of its
existence where its future growth and prosperity are
dependent upon the fostering of the liquor industry
then indeed it rests upon a frail foundation.
“The anti-liquor fight is on in earnest. It is
being led by men of moral courage whose motives
are. of Ihe highest and most unselfish character.
They are generals in a great campaign for the mor
al elevation and advancement of mankind. lhe
same gospel we shall hear in this campaign has been
heard in Tennessee and in Georgia, and will be
heard elsewhere. Mississippi ans who believe in it
are planning now to make it a violation of their
The Golden Age for September 12, 1907.
state constitution to sell liquor within lhe coniines
of that commonwealth.
“The issue has been forcing itself to the front
in this state for months. The legislature recognized
the situation and understood and responded to pop
ular will on this question. So it is no surprise,
especially in view of the history of municipal poli
tics of the recent past in Birmingham, that the
people of this city and county are about to be
called upon to determine this issue here.
“But in determining the issue The Birmingham
News, which has from the day of its birth stood for
the advancement of both the moral and material
'Welfare of Birmingham and Alabama, desires to
suggest that every safeguard possible under the
circumstances should be thrown around vested in
terests to prevent their destruction. The signing
of the petitions should be expedited and the elec
tion held at the earliest date possible so that those
who may be affected by the result will have the
longest period possible under the law to adjust their
business affairs to changed conditions, if those con
ditions come, and The Birmingham News prays that
they will.”
The Birmingham News thus joins the immortals.
Next to New Orleans, or possibly Savannah, we
suppose no city in the South could present a
more difficult problem for prohibitionists to handle
than Birmingham. With its vast mining and mon
grel population inheriting largely their views of
Sabbath desecration, “Liberty and License,” from
European parentage, these misguided workmen and
their mistaken employers are crying out against the
very things that would prove at once the best
friend of capital and labor.
It does seem that five minutes of sane thought
would settle it —for everybody knows that a sober
laborer saving of his earnings, building a home
in peace and contentment, is infinitely better for
himself and his employer than a drinking laborer
spending his money for the debauchery of his body
and the despoilment of his home. •
Brooks Lawrence, President of the Anti-Saloon
League of Alabama, Ffank Willis Barnett, Editor
of the Alabama Baptist, and Lieutenant Governor
Henry Gray, are among the leaders in this great con
flict that will be settled in November.
We echo the prayer of the Birmingham News,
that the sun of January 1, 1908, will rise on the
“Pittsburg of the South” redeemed from the curse
of saloons.
He who lives for others will have friends, but he
who lives for himself must not complain when he
finds the world forsaking him.
Evolution in Business
In recent years there has been an evolution in all lines of business.
Business men have grown more bus-inesslike in their method of conduct
ing their business, with the result that they are more porsperous than
ever before. Not least among the forces that have made for good bus
iness is that of judicious advertising. There was a time when the busi
ness man was skeptical concerning advertising investments. But that
day is past. Every business man iow provides an advertising fund. It
is no longer a question of, Wil! it pay? but rather a question of,
What paper will pay best? And just here we would say to the adver
tiser that there is no advertising medium of the same class that will
pay as well as The Golden Age. The Golden Age goes to that class of
people who read advertisements. It goes to that class of people who
are the purchasers of commodities, and if you wish to place your adver
tising where it will bring the best results, you will dn well to place it
in The Golden Age—The Paper That is Different.
Sam Jones Tabernacle Bible
Conference.
The coming Bible Conference and evangelistic
campaign to be held at the Sam Jones Tabernacle,
Cartersville, September fifteenth to September twen
ty-second will be a great event in the religious
world. For twenty-one years the famous and be
loved Sam Jones held an annual meeting in his big
Tabernacle at Cartersville to which he invited the
greatest preachers and singers in America.
At the meetings last September, which were the
best in spirituality for many years, the great evan
gelist announced that it was his wish and purpose
to establish a Bible Conference in connection with
the evangelistic efforts cf the meetings. He fell
asleep soon after this purpose was announced, and
much of his mantle falling on his brilliant CG-la b
orer (now his son-in-law), Rev. Walt Holcomb, this
gifted and powerful young man has been the leader
in organizing the first Cartersville Conference.
Among the speakers secured are Rev. W. E.
Beiderwolf of Monticello, Ind., who so cempletely
captured Atlanta in the great Chapman meetings;
Dr. A. C. Dixon, pastor of the Moody Memorial
Church, Chicago: Rev. French E. Oliver, the evan
gelist of Chicago who assisted in . the last Carters
ville meetings before Sam Jones’ death; Melvin
Trotter, the unique and beloved rescue mission
worker of Grand Rapids, Mich.; Dr. and Mrs. H.
M. Hamil, the gifted Sunday school workers of
Nashville, Tenn., Chas. M. Crittenton, the great
philanthropist and evangelist; Rev. J. A. Bowen
of Winona, Miss., who assisted Sam Jones in his
first great meeting held under the bush arbor at
Cartersville. The music will be in charge of Messrs.
Smoot and Rhodeheaver and Mrs. Annie Jones P>-
ron will play the piano in her own masterful way,
while occasional solos will be sung by Mrs. A. B.
Cunyus, daughter of Rev. Joe Jones and one of the
sweetest singers in America.
Messrs. Rhodeheaver and Smoot will alternate
in leading the singing and will furnish special mu
sic at each service. Dr. and Mrs. Hamil will con
duct the Sunday school institute with services daily
at 2 p. m., in the tabernacle.
Sunday, September 15. the opening day of the Bi
ble Conference, will be memorial day in honor
of the memory of Rev. Sam P. Jones. Rev. Walt
Holcomb, will preach the memorial sermon at 11
o’clock. Mr. Holcomb was for years associated with
the great evangelist and was with him at the time
of his death.
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How many troubles might we be spared if we
would only stop to hear each other’s explanation!
How many ailments, both of body and soul, would
he cured if explanations only came more frequently
and freely!
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