The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-09
Intolerance of Whisky Men.

At a meeting of the saloon people
recently held in Jackson, a resolution
was offered and discussed warning
well-known railroad official that if he
did not take his name off the antiliquor
petition, their patronage should be with
drawn from the road which he repre-
sented. A most extraordina " proceed
ing indeed A large railroad corpora
tion threatened with loss of business
because one of its employees dared to
exercise the rights of free, American
citizen in signing a petition for the
reformation of his community. The
audacity of the movement, and its
injustice are about equally apparent.
A handful of whisky men arraying
themselves against railroad company,
and a tyrannical ring declaring to
neighbor, a fellow-citizen, that he must
shape his conduct just exactly as they
dictated, or they would make him suffer
for IT.
The railroad official, under just
feeling of resentment for the imperti-
nent interference with his personal
privileges, went promptly to one of the
party, ascertained the alleged fact to be
true, and asked for an exact copy of the
resolution in order that such delectable
boycotting might be published to the
world As soon as the saloon men
found out that the fact was about to be
made public they sent two of their
number to explain and pacify.
One of the principal merchants
persistently refused to sign a liquor
petition recently presented to him and
was told that all the saloon men and
their friends would withdraw their
patronage from him at once. Other
instances might be given. Indeed, it is
we'll understood that if citizen takes
any step towards temperance, or the
slightest interference with the traffic of
liquor, the saloon fraternity spot him as
one who must be made to realize bitterly
his offence against them by the loss of
their votes and of their trade. Now, of
course any individual or any fraternity
has a right to bestow or withhold
support at will, and the influencing
motive is no concern of other parties
so long as the matter does not oyerstep
the line of private, individual right
But when men seek to control public
sentiment and to bulldoze any COM
munity by public threats, it becomes a
SFltNduCC MHiIH every just anu spIEttcu
citizen feels called upon to resent as an
infringement upon personal liberty and
reflection upon his manhood.
No other class in the community seek
thus to control people. 1t would seem
ridiculous indeed, if dry goods mer-
chants, or hardware dealers, or shoe
makers or butchers, as class. should be
in the habit of announcing publicly
that anybody who would injure their
business should be made to smart for it.
Yet it is so common for whisky men to
make such threats, that politicians and
tradesmen often assign as the only
reason why they do not advocate tenn
perance reform, that they would thereby
lose the support of the liquor dealers
No other class of citizens suggest such
bugbears. Particularly is the good
nature of the temperance people pre-
sumed upon; nobody seems to fear the
loss of their patronage. Now it is about
time that people were finding out that
temperance advocates have in their
ranks some of the wealthiest and most
influential citizens of the town; also that
their number is constantly growing. and
that possibly the loss of their patronage
| is as much to be considered as that of
| the saloon men and their friends