The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1885-10-01
Local Option Again.

We showed in an article last
week the intent and scope Of the Lo
cal Option Law advocated Ivy Pro.
hibilinnists, and that il was not ln-
tended to repeal any of the restric
live features Of the present State
Liquor Law, In the event Of a coun-
ty failing to vote the liquor traffic,
root and branch, OUT Of its bounds.
There will hardly be any one who.
on sober reHcctiof, will find fault
with the measure ON this account.
Let it be borne in mind that all
legislation on the liquor traffic in
this and other States proceeds at the
outset on the assumption that it is
an evi to be endured and regulated
in the best manner possible, not a
/ business to be fosttred and encour
aged as other businesses are. This
is forcihly illustrated in the present
State law, which liquor men are just
now so loudly shouting "is good
enough" 1t requires the applicant
for license to pay heavy privilege
tax, as a sort OF fine in advance for
the evil he is sure to infict upon the
community; forhids his selling on
election days, or to drunkards,
minors and Indians; makes debt
for liquor uncollectahle ut law, and
requires him TO give $4,000 bond
to observe all OF these requirements,
besides holding him criminally
amenablc, and making it the duty
of the Board granting license to re-
woke it at any time its conditions
are not complied With.
Local Option is intended to save
the liquor man all this expense,
risk and worry, and the people from
q great deal more, by taking from
him the right To circulate petition
fo- license. tits perfectly right and
just for the people of a whole county
to vote liquor out, even if majority
in some beat or town is opposed To
it, because its evils affect directly or
remotely, every citizen Of the coun-
". A man is killed in drunken
row as result of whisky sold in a
Brookhaven saloon, and the expense
Of the trial of his slayer costs the
tax payers Of the county several
hundreds of dollars. This does not
come alone out of the pockets of the
tax payers of Brookhaven or beat l
If so, it would he dfferent-but
must be borne equally by the tax
payers OF every other beat in the
county. The same when drunkard
is run over and killed by The cars
and the county has to pay the coro
ner aud jury tor holding an inquest,
and Of paupers who find their way
to tho poor house on account Of liquor,
! directly or indirectly, ard have to
be supported at the expense of every
TAXPAYER in the county. There's the
rub. Then again, as Judge Chris
man so aptly put it in his speech be-
fore the State Prohibition COnven
ton, few men in little town
haven't the right to set up q grog
gerry for their OWE qualification and
profit, to fly blow" the morals OF
all the surrounding country, which
one whisky saloon will 10. All this.
to say nothing of tie Decentralization
to labor and the likeness caused.
State Prohibition would be better.
but until We can secure that, let
each county decide the question for
herself 1t is county taxation after
! all, that IS tue most DurdenSome. 10
Lincoln we pay fifteen dollars on the
thousand for county purposes, and
only two and half for State.
Yes, we ask for Local Option. II
such law is passed and county
fails TO go for Prohibition, the peo-
pie Of the several beats and incor-
porated towns will still have the
present law to fall back upon
which is better than nothing-and
they can still fight the monster
iniquity OF the age with counter
petitions. and in that way curtail
the evil.
Governor Lowry has successfully