The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1885-04-02

will not be satisfied with any thing
short Of a local option law such as
has been indicated above possibly,
the submission TO the people of a
prohibitory amendment TO State
Constitution will also be asked. 1t
does not necessarily follow that a
member of the Legislature must be
Prohibitionist to support such o
measure, because il passed it cannot
take effect until ratified by the pco-
pie at the polls but Prohibitionists
will and should see To it that no
man is elected To the Legislature by
their votes who is not willing to give
the people the opportunity TO thus
decide the question for themselves,
and will so publicly pledge himself
in advance. In our opinion, 1t would
not be improper for the Prohibition
Convention TO ask the regular party
conventions to expressly concede this
right Of the people in their plat
forms. No party or party leaders
can long hope to command public
confidence when they show an IN
willingness to permit the people to
settle for themselves a question OF
such magnitude and importance as
this is admitted on all hands to be.
The Herald asserts that it favors
temperance, and if the object of the
P.ohbitionists is "oNLY a temper
ance movement to be urged as relig-
ion and temperance should be urged,
with duo respect to the property and
liberty OF the citizen, the Democrat
&c party will bid those engaged in it
God speed and encourage any Dem
ocrat who desires to aid in it," Such
lberality is truly touching! but I'M
til that oft-inconsistent journal can
show a vital difference of principle
between destroy ing the value Of
property by the influence of a mere
moral crusade on the drinkers, thus
making it Improbable for the own
els of drink places to even keep
open for the accommod alton of the
few uninhuenced "sons of liberty"
who might remain, and, on the 9TH
err hand, by crystalizing that moral
sentiment into law as Prohibitiunists
propose to do in order to make its
good effects more lasting), It
should cease such silly twaddie as
that. More, the right of thepeople to
settle the question by their votes is
already conceded in our present Ii
quor law, but that law is defective
and insufficient 10 that the voti ng is
done by petition without due notice
to all parties of the time the election
will be held, and in many ways
places the friends of temperance at
great disadvantage, to say nothing
of the fact that each Incorporated
city or town and every SUPERVISOR
district is made separate liquor
district; whilst the evil effects and
influences of one groggery are al
ways co extensive with the limits Of
a county and often of the State it.
self AS to the next Democratic
State Conventions adopting the
whisky plank OF the National plat
form, it is not likely to follow the
Hcrald's advice and do 50 rash thing
as that. AT any rate, as Demo
crat, we earnestly hope not. II
it should be so unwise, it is safe to
predict that it will not only "cost
the loss of some members" as the
Herald puts it, but the loss of soMF
THOUSANDS, and they largely of the
best class of men the party contains
Again, Prohibitionists do not pro
pose to dictate what man shall OF
shall not drink; they only propose
to prohibit the traffic in intoxicants
as a beverage, and make it as diff
cult as possible for men to obtain
them in that way, because observa.
ton and experience prove that such
a policy will result in the genera
public good. And, as already indi
Gated, neither will they attempt tc
accomplish this by "mere theory OF
resolution of a convention" but by
rigid law, backed by a healthy,
vigorous public sentiment, and Off
Gals who can be depended upon to
do their sworn duty.
The Herald is most unfortunate
in it's allrsion to the Decalogue in
support of its theory, and though
not SO intended, thereby pays Pro
hibltion the highest possible com
pliment. No body claims that Pro