The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-21
WET OR DRY ?
The Last Fortnight Of the Cam
paign.

\, the campaign draws to a close,
pubic curiosity If nothing stronger
i arJu,- IL s~pecuiatlJn> A. - the re
-uit. Or this We have proof IN the al
most lai,y receipt OF letters lnq llung
THE prospect" etc. La the West. par
ticularlv, our prohibition l. are
yery anxious 10 learn how the last i
likely to vote. IL is conceded tha. the
whole hope of prohibition rests prlmar,-
IL on the negro and secon0arlly upon the
Republicans. That Is TO say II the
So, 900 cu.ored voters be led 10 the bal
lot box by a string IN the nose a. here
tofore, the bill viii be beaten by 10000
votes for undoubtedly the bulk Of the
white vote will not approach h polls.
There Is never a full vote IN any eicc-
ton unless the local leaders IN ever
county work like beavers, and # ynu
expect these gentlemen 70 oyer"oik
themselves next month, you have >re"
little Of the present day aud gcneratIUl.
II. however, the colored people
shout. display ~unwonted indepenIeac;
and if u large portion OF them >houil
break away from Tom Cooper, DR.
Mott, Lott Humphrey K %. to folio"
after Judge Reaie, Holden, jenkins
l~IAne,, Sm tn, heogh X to.-then the
result viii aotonl,h tue natives, auI
may require a close QUA Il not he OF
hcial returns, to decide. We believe
that this will prove TO be the case. We
believe the vote will be 80 close a. not
to decide the great question.
Aud IL rs ! great question 1t may
- ,.,ft. l.. b.. ta.-Y, +.r
or against. The results nay be far
reaching; they are almost certain t.
itfe:t other States than our own, aud
other generations than our W The
Oh siuiie of the pebble east INTO the
mill pond sending a ripple to every
part Ut the shore, Is a true one IN pub
lie affairs. A single vote may turn the
scale at some precinct, thereby causln.
the loss Of the county, thereby causing
the loss Oh the State, thereby causing
the loss of other States and the unlvcr
sal disbursement OF the defeated side.
and producing results, that roll OF ana
on till the shores of time are tourhe T..
Many a voter will doubtless 1--we to
regret his vote, no matter Oh whtci'
side it was cast. For there are. unfur-
tunately, other considerations than the
simple one OF Temperance involved IN
the decision and it is not to be dcnie l.,
by a Conscientious man. that many re
suits other than hat OF abolition OF al
cohol are likely TO flow from the uea,
ure. We do not hesitate to add that
the management OF the campaign has
not been such as challenges many ad-
miration points. Indeed We have seen
no indication of any management. 1t
was only last week that the F'ir0tcr and
.Uechuutc wa SO much as recognised,
as of possible usefulness in the work,
and Mr.. President Gudger favored US
with a circular setting forth things that
ought to be done.
However, these be mere matters of
detail. The real question must be
solved by every voter 5 W conscience,
and we feel glad that IN our heart there
is not a particle of indeclsion as to the
path Of duty. The Bill. may be faulty,
its working may prove a failure. It's
tendency may be TO curtail our individ
ual libei ties but when all that. and
much more, has been said and con-
coded, there is left this soul inquiry
Is not Drunkenness, with all of its atten-
dant miseries, gaining, hour by hour. in
every nook u corner OF the land ?
And have not the churches and the
Temperance societies, both failed IN
checking the stay Of the plague? And
If the total abolitlorof the manufacture
Of the cursed %concoction MAY lessen
the fearful Evil, ought |, as one who
desires well to my State and people, to
refuse to make the experiment p
The responsibility Of denying the last
possible effort, OF plan, to rescue mil
lions of homes from the direct or indi.
rect curse of llquor-this responsibility,
W ;ich devOlves on each voter as he ap-I
breaches the polls, is too great to be
lightly avoided. We shall vote for the
Bill, not because we approve of it, or
the way in which it has been advocated,
not because we wish to interfere with
any mans business, or lessen any mans
as 70 liquor, (for we have drank much.
and still enjoy a glass OF vine, and
think the country would be the better
of more pure homemade wines,r but
we shall vote for the Act because it
may check lntemperance, aud may
cause thousands and tens Of thousands
Of homes to be brighter and happier
five years hence. We have no mis-
givings as to any ill-results, for this
reason the same majority of voters
which passes the Bill can repeal it III
twelve months if the effect be seen to
be adverse. If the Bill should prove
to be all that its opponents predict,
there will be little danger Of its cum
berlng the statute books tor more than
twelve months.
RALEIGH RIPPLEs. Day after day