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4 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