Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-08-16
TENNESSEE POLITICS.
The Prohibitionists Take a Hand
and Mr. Fussell Puts His
Foot Into it.
BeasIey Not Only a Bad Green
backer But q Worse
TheOIOgian.
GEM, Special Cor. cOuri.r.JournaI,

w NotU any Olli IuhI may De paSSeu Dy
the Legislature submitting to the
people of Tennessee constitutional
amendment, pl ohibiting the importa-
ton, manufacture or sale of intoxica-
ting drinks, provided said bill contains
nothing unconstitutional"
To this question Mr.. Fussell responds:
Il will not veto such bill. Joe H.
Russell"
It will be seen by this that Mr.. Fus
sell goes far beyond the modest four.
mile plank incorporated in his plat
form at the dictatiOns of the prohibi
tors, plank of which, next morning,
the Nashville Banner said: ut is a
misnOmer to call it a temperance
plank. With what is called temper
ance legislation Democracy does not
meddle" F"
The Bolter candidate, however, in
his answer quoted above, is a platform
unto himself, and may consider him
self badly scratched by the Banner,
Notwithstanding all the music that
organ has turned out about scratch
ing the platform.
The four mile law, as General Bate
and every one of his friends have
declared, is good law. 1t prohibits
the sale Of intoxicating liquors within
four miles of any chartered institution
of learning; its repeal is utterly i'm
practicable and impossible, and there
is no man or set of men in this State
who would repeal it if they could. l
have talked with several distillers
here, and have yet to see the first one,
even of this class, who would vote for
its repeal, But Mr.. Fussell is pledged
to prohibit "the importation, manu-
facture or sale of intoxicating drinks" ="
when in his power to do so.
This presents a phase of the tenn
perance agitation which, it seems to
me, every Tennesseean should consider
well, if not hopeless tanatical crank.
The great danger of these sumptuary
laws lies in the fact that when their
advocates are once given unchecked
rein they 90 completely and absolutely
mad. This is why they must be
restrained; this is why the Banner
scratched the platform" f" even before
the candidate had been on it twenty
four hours.
Meeting Mr.. John Sperry yesterday
afternoon, the largest distiller in the
city-one of the firm of Sperry &
Wade-I called his attention to Mr..
Fussell's pledge.
Every lawyer at least, he remark
ed, Ought to know the importation OF
whisky from other States cannot be
prohibited. Such an act, if passed by
our Legislature, would be in direct
violation of the Federal Constitu-
ton. Directly or indirectly, l sup
pose, our Legislature and Governor
might prohibit the manufacture Of
intoxicating liquors in Tennessee, but
what would be the result? Not one
drop less would be consumed. Those
who drink now would keep it up, for
it would be imported as heretofore. II
has only been ten or twelve years that
our State has manufactured whisky to
any extent, and yet, in proportion to
population there was
MORE WHISKY CONSUMED
then than now. We sent our money
to other States for it. Our manufac.
ture brings us about $4, 900, 900 revenue
yearly. We use about l 100000 bushels
OF corn, the sale of which would be
lost to our farmers if whisky distilliDg
was prohibited. Kansas, with all the
blowing there about her stringent
temperance laws, buys the same guam
tity from other States which she might
manufacture herself. Our firm ships
our produce to twenty. eight States,
including California. fthe manufac
ture of whisky in Tennessee was
stopped, the millions of dollars which
now enrich our people would be lost.
The iron man, the coal man, the
timber man, with hundreds oflaborers
would be thrown out of employment.
The farmers would feel it at once; and
the millions of capital invested in the
business would seek investment in
other States. In this estimate is in
cluded the manufacture Of beer,
apple and peach brandy, and wine
Vineyards are springing up all over
the State, and thousands Of gallons of
apple and peach brandy and OF wine
are made, and this industry is on the
increase. The State,
THROUGH A FEW FANATICS,
may be set back for years, and surren
der to others millions and millions
of capital-and to what good end?
None on earth There would be more
liquor drank than ever before, because
the people would, as whole, be
poorer with these losses, and poverty
stimulates the disposition to indulge
in the vice Of intemperance. 1t
would cut both ways, and our losses
be duplicated; since the millions that
now come to us would come no longer,
while an equal sum would 20 to Ken
tucky,or some other State,to purchase
what we now manufacture ourselves"
This declaration of Mr.. Fussell will
lose him thousands of votes of the
reasonable and level headed temper
ance men. There is wide distinction
between the uses and abuses OF every
article. AS well close the iron doors
to the great mines of ore in Tennes-
see because oftentimes the steel blade
is used to cut into the flesh of some
human being, aud from the iron throat
Of gun or pistol hurls the leaden ball,
booming a fellow mortal to death. If
absolute cranks had their way, the
State Of Tennessee could be retarded
hundreds Of years.
BROTHER BEAsLEY, THE INFIDEL,
will soon dud bis new friends deSerting