National Affairs: Georgia Gin

Northern readers of a new publication, Forward Atlanta, were shocked to read the following business item:

“The Murray Gin Co., who have operated a large factory in Atlanta for a number of years, but have sold their output from headquarters in the past, have now made Atlanta distribution city for the Southeast. . . .”

Southern friends had to explain that there are, in the South, two kinds of gin.:

a) A colorless alcoholic liquor (40% to 60%) used for cocktails, Tom Collinses, silver fizzes, etc., illegal now and said to have contributed to the downfall of many an honest man.

b) A machine for picking the seeds out of cotton, first invented by Eli Whitney at Savannah, Ga., in 1793, said to have been the largest single factor in the South’s success.