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GEORGIA PROHIBITION A FANTASY.
Hardly a day passes that does not bring to light
some fresh and convincing evidence of the impo
tence of the Georgia prohibition law to achieve
even a small proportion of the benefieient results
which its friends claimed would vindicate their revo
lutionary action in fastening this rigorous and mis
chievous piece of legislation upon an unwilling pub
lit,'. While this is not surprising, generally speak
ing, to far-sighted persons who were able to fore
cast most of what has transpired since the first of
January, it is true that the failure of the pro
hibition law has been more complete than its most
active opponents predicted or anticipated. Besides,
incidents, constantly occurring and recurring, dis
close that zealous attempts here and there to faith
fully enforce this statute lead to the invasion of
certain rights of citizens, heretofore held inviolable.
This evil, it is fair to presume, was not anticipated
nor its presence desired bv the wiser amongst the
proponents of the prohibition act, but these persons
and their followers will be held responsible, never
theless. for every oppression upon the liberties of
Georgians following in the wake of the law, devised
and precipitately jammed through the legislature
by themselves. The extreme prohibitionists acted
without due deliberation and in advance of any
state campaign having direct bearing upon the issue.
The attendant consequences are such as usually fol
low upon tin* heels of radical legislation not the
product of calm and dispassionate consideration.
In Macon a few nights ago, while some raids
upon places where it was suspected liquor was being
sold were in progress, tin* police descended upon a
restaurant kept by a Mr. Bashinski.. Mr. Bashinski
lived in adjoining apartments. Finding no traces of
liquor in the restaurant, the officers battered down
the doors and penetrated the living rooms of the
proprietor. His bedroom even was not spared.
Some liquor, it is said, was found, which the restau
rant keeper contends was placed there on Jan. 1
for bis private use, in compliance with the prohibi
tion law which excludes such supplies from places
to which the public has access. Mr. Bashinski avers,
and it seems not to have been controverted, that
these living rooms were as much his home as if in a
dwelling separated from the restaurant, and, he
says, “just as private as any private family.”
Mr. Bashinski, of whom the writer knows nothing
is not here being vouched for in his capacity as a
personality, but the principle involved is one of
utmost seriousness. The man whose home was vio
lated may or may not have been a violator of the
prohibition law. "That is a matter of minor import
ance. But the fact remains that if, under this law
the private apartments of a person suspected, and
later proven guilty, may be forcibly entered in a
general raid, there is no redress for a similar action
visited upon a suspected man who might later prove
his innocence.
The American people are peculiarly jealous of
their rights to preserve the sanctity of home, and
with them the principle, “Every man's house is his
castle,” grows increasingly sacred vear bv vear.
THE REASON
By DAVID P. DYER.
A remarkable statement is carried in an Atlanta
dispatch, published by a local afternoon paper on
April 2b. It follows in part:
“United States revenue officials of this State are
expecting to sell during the present year about live
times as many retail liquor licenses as were disposed
of in Georgia last year, before prohibition went into
effect. The number already disposed of far exceed
those sold during the corresponding period last year,
and applications are coming at the rate of scores
every day.”
And. further on: “The many licenses that are
being issued, are due to the growing sale of ‘near
beer. - which under the recent decision of the Court
of Appeals, may be sold so long as it contains in
sufficient alcohol to produce intoxication if drunk to
excess. No such standard prevails in the United
States revenue regulations. If a drink contains
more than one-half of one per cent of alcohol, a re
tailer of the same is subject to a tax of twenty-five
dollars. This includes the ‘near-beers,’ which con
tain from one to two per cent.”
So, it is seen that all a “tiger” operator has to
do to secure immunity from Uncle Sam’s clutches
is to acquire a license to sell “near-beer.” All al
coholic drinks look alike to the federal revenue de
partment officials, and one retail license covers them
all. The assertion is made that while the United
States government will suffer financially because of
the banishment of wholesale liquor houses and dis
tilleries from Georgia, the present indications are
that this loss will be made up from the increase in
the number of retail licenses sold.
Summarized, the situation as above presented,
seems to be that while the State, counties and mun
icipalities lose all revenue benefits derived from
the lawful sale of intoxicants prior to Jan. 1, 11)08,
the l nited States treasury will suffer not at all, and
the consumer will be only slightly inconvenienced—
certainly not deprived altogether.
All observers are conscious already of tbe elas
ticity of the name, “near-beer. ’ Its capacity for
expansion is almost unlimited under the manipula
tion of the “tiger" tender, with the assistance of an
acquaintance with the individual tastes of his cus
tomers. Bantomine is said to work wonders where
his acquaintanceship is non-existent.
Says the Atlanta dispatch: “Instead of being
confined in their operations to the counties where
saloons were allowed, the breweries may now ship
their product into every town and village in the
State. Practically every soda water establishment in
Atlanta has taken out a federal retail liquor license,
in order to be able to sell one of the imitation-beer
soft drinks. Hundreds of cross-road grocery stores
in country districts have taken out. or are taking out
federal licenses,” etc, etc.
So much for U_ infallibility of the Solons of the
last legislature. Instead of closing the avenues of
sale everywhere, to intoxicants, the extreme pro
hibitionists have opened up new ones. Disguised in
in the Chamelion mantle of “near-beer,” unscrupul
ous persons ma\ now dispense the real article to
