Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-06-06
From Jefferson County.

For the benefit of the workers in
Temperance and the numerous
readers to whom the SWORD AND
SHIELD goes, | give the facts con-
cerning late action Of the Board of
Supervisors Of this county. The pc
tition Of a merchant to sell spirituous
and vinous liquors at Clifton or Lee
p. O., in the 9TH Supervisors dis
trict of Jefferson county, was filed
in the chancery clerks office, April
y, 1885, and was published three
weeks in the county paper as the
law requires. Clifton is the name of
country store, which is kept by the
applicant for license, at which a
post-ofice was established last year,
and called Lee, because Clifton was
too near like CliftonvilIe, in Noxu-
bee county. There is only one store
and the place is known all over the
county as Clifton.
AS nearly as could be ascertalned,
there are G30 registered voters in
District ), taking off all the dead
and removed. On the published
petition for the liquor license there
were 430 names. Of these, there
were 50 unregistered and repeaters,
and two women Zone of whom lives
in another district within the
month prescribed by law a counter
petition was filed, not having a ma
jority, nor claiming to have ma
jority, Of the legal voters, but hav-
ing 80 names which appeared on the
liquor petition. Thus, there would
have been 10 names to be erased
from the liquor petition. When the
matter came before the Board, the
whiskyites were out in full force,
having brought interested persons
from all parts of the district and
prepared to prove almost anything.
The petition was represented by
three attorneys and four sympathlz-
ing members of the Board. The
counter-petition was represented by
one attorney. Its phraseology was :
''To the Hon. Board, ETC., the un-
dersigned legal voters Of district 5,
Jefferson county, Miss, do hereby
respectfully ask your Honorable
Board not to grant any one license
to sell spirituous, vinOus or malt
liquors in any quantity at the place
of business known as Clifton Or Lee
P. O., Jefferson county, Miss, fol
the space of twelve months. "
0fcourse the petition was attacked
upon the ground that 1t did no
mention the name Of the applicant
though it clearly and unmistakably
designated the place Of business
1t certainly was a legal cOunter-pe
tition, and ole of the Board, to hi
honor be it said, earnestly insisted
that it ought to be so considered
Another member OF the Board is
saloon-keeper in Fayette, another /
a stout Prohibitionist, two 9th
ers are, at least, not local Pr0hlbl
tionists. In the vote. however, tn
law should have governed them an
not their private opinions and tn
friends ofthe counter petition desire
and asked nothing more than a lega
decision. If the counter-petltlo
was not legal, it ought TO have bee
rejected. As it was legal, it shout
have been considered by the BoarC
But in defiance Of the law, tn
Board refused to consider it an
proceeded to grant the whisk
license, thus outraglng tie temper
ance people of the whole county
The friends of good morals and
: Justice in the entire county feel tha
, the license just issued is illega
The writer is informed that one
} the Board said on the street that b
did not vote against the petition b
: cause he thought it illegal, but b
: cause he did not believe in Prohib
t tion.
t Another peculiar feature Of tt
) case is that after the counter-pet
ton was filed. certain other papet
we're hastily circulated and file
/ containing a statement that Il
! signers had placed their nam
upon the contemplation under
| mlsapprehension and desired the