The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-10-14
The Colored People and Prohibition

The greatest hindrance to the success
of the Temperance Cause in Jackson
now, seems to be the carelessness, if not
the open opposition of many of the col
ored people. Some effort has been made
recently, to find out the reason of this
feeling on their part. 1t is not because
they are in favor of intemperance or free
whisky, as negroes are generally an Or
derly people, and very many of them are
members of the Christian churches. Ii
they were let alone they would be on the
side of temperance and the right. But
it is firmly believed that in this, as well
as in most matters where they do wrong.
the colored people are the dupes OF de-
signing and unscrupulous white men,
Leading men among them assert that
there are three things which make the
negro voters in this city hesitate about
advocating Prohibition.
First-they have been told that as
whisky licenses are appropriated to pub.
lie schools, therefore the abolition OF
licenses would interfere with the educa-
tlon of their children. We refer them
to an article in this department of THB
CLARION, of Sept. %, signed x. Y. X,
in which it is clearly shown by quota
ton from the statutes, and by hgues
from the Auditors books, that # there
,oas not a single dime collected from saloons
IN the entire State, the public schools a0outd
be lust as numerous and aoould be held Just
as Iona as hsey are nolo. The actual figures
show that from 1880 to 1884, only 293
cents to each educable child in the State
of Mississippi was paid from whisky
license; and further, that whether this
| Il H5, laS, tho Gtatuta
provides that $500, 900, no more, no less,
Shall be paid to educational purposes
Let the colored people understand this,
and bugbear number one will be scared
| away.
Second-that colored people have been
| told that Gov. St. John, the Prohibition
candidate tor President in 1884, was the
cause of the defeat of Blaine, the Re
publican candidate. Possibly this may
be so. But all the people who compose
the st. John party were original Repub-
licans, and were devoted to the great
purpose of that party, namely the
abolition of slavery. Now, they see
that their purpose has been accomplished
and they address themselves to another
and very terrible form of slavery, the
curse of strong drink. They did not
antagonist Republicanism; they only
desired to put in Office man who would
carry out their principles of reform.
st. John was lifelong Republican, and
was elected Governor of Kansas as a
Republican. 1t was alleged against him
at he had sold out to the Democrats
to defeat Blaine, but he proved this to
be an infamous and unwarranted false
hood. Intelligent colored men certain
Iy will not allow themselves to be in
auenced by any such empty arguments
Third the effort has been made te
i. cause colored men to believe that the
Temperance movement in Jackson wa;
started by persons who want office. This
report has been diligently circulated by
, certain parties. How far from the truth
/ this is! Prohibitionists, in their STATE
/ Convention, as we'll as in their local or
: ganizations, have disavowed any inten
, ton to interfere with politics or offices
{ they want simply to stop the saloons.
Colored people ought to call to min'
who are the leaders of the Prohibition
movement in Jackson. The ladies-wh'
: have so much to. fear from drunkel
husbands, or brothers, or sons,-entere'
! the petition field. Do they want office
or to control politics? The pastors in tn
: town, white and colored, without
single exception, are on the side of Pro
| hibition. No man can think for me
ment that any one Of them has politics
o aspirations. Then the other members c
the Prohibition movement in this tow
are LAWYERS, merchants and mechanic
who are pursuing their daily calm
without any desire for change, It
the baldest falIacy to say that Prohib
tionists are laboring to get anybody OF
of Office, except the bar-keepsr; the
y do want to turn him out of his office
= dealing out destruction and sorrow.
" 1t is to be hoped that colored men WI
not permit themselves to be humbugge
a. by any such false representations an
n- longer, and that they will rally to Il
- great work of closing out the whisk
traffic which has been to their race sue
n fruitful source of poverty, degrad
re- ton and crime.