The Brookhaven leader., 1886-08-26
KINDS COUNTY GONE "DRY."
The White Flag of Peace and Puri-
~ Floats out From the Capital
City.
4 Campaign IF Lies, Whisky, Blaspkemy,
and IifapTatiOP Ends IN a Startling
Jiotory for Public Morals and De
ceHcy-The Empire County
Goes for Prohibition BY
1916 Majority.

n memorable campaign under Inc
Local Option Law has just closed,
and most of us are wiser. The wills
Ky men resisted the election with all
their might in and out of the courts,
fearing the result Under the old law
the saloons had been closed in all
but four places in this large county,
and in three of these they had but a
feeble bold. We had, to begin with,
a strong and well settled sentiment
which gave promise Of victory.
AS soon as the election was order
cd. the other side opened their we'll
filled magazine of lies, and deluged
the county with falsehoods. Truly
the mystery of iniquity worked. 1t
passes belief that men could set afoaL
such an array of matchlcss falsehoods
To us it was a new revelation of de-
pravity.
Along with all manner Of lies, was
unparalleled blasphemy, put forth
by speakers and in their paper. The
Christian preachers and the praying
women were accused of hypocrisy
and masquerading before the public.
Every effort was made to slime and
bring into contempt everything
sacred.
Prohibitionists set out to appeal
to the religious and moral sense OF
the people. For the first half of the
campaign they were successful; but
the other side changed the issue.
They went among the negroes and
told them this was an effort to re
mand them to slavery, gave them
whisky, appealed TO their race preju-
dices, bought a very few of the
preachers, bought up strikers in the
churches to intimidate the preach
ers, threatened violence to colored
men and women, threatened to burn
colored churches, and were rapidly
massing the negroes by these meth
DDS on the color line.
Senator Jonah Hamilton, lessee of
the penitentiary, was at the head Of
the whisky side and made full proof
Of his position. With him was the
saloon ring of jackson.
When things had developed go
that there was no installing the in
tention of Hamilton and his ring, mot
only to mass the ignorance of the
county and override religion, decen-
cy, intelligence and all that is good
to perpetuate the saloon; but to get
ofliceand fasten acorrupt government
on the county, convention was call
led at Raymond to consider the sit
uation. About 100 of the best citi
Zens of the county, representing all
callings and all classes assembled in
solemn counsel 1t was a grave
hour. Every one was serious and
everyone seemed to mistruSt his own
Judgment. Elder l.. Ball was called
out TO give his views. He rose and
stated the case: "A race issue has
been thrust upon us against our will
The peace of the county is at stake.
There is nothing for US to do but to
meet it, and meet it FIRMLY" The word
was said, the convention resolved to
carry the county and called on every
good citizen to help. From that day
till the close of the campaign we
have never seen greater Carncstness,
not even at Sharpsburg or Gettys-
burg. Farmers, merchants, preach
ers, public officers, good women gave
themselves to the one thing of carry
ing the county. The white men out
of jackson were practically united
The whisky bosses quailed before
the hot Indignation their blasphemy,
slurs on the prayers of Christian
women, whisky and incendiary
speeches had raised. 1t was a ST.
moon of righteous wrath that swept
the county as dry as the dust Of
summer threshing floor.
When they saw the rising storm
of indignation they began TO appeal
to the preachers, whom they had
charged as liars, masqueraders, etc,
to allay the storm; but they had to
reap the whirlwind.
Three days before the election
their hearts obviously failed them,
and it was a foregone conclusion
that they would be defeated.
Prohibitionists, on the other hand,
waxed valiant in fight and pressed
their victory until the setting sun
on the blessed eve of Aug. the 10Th
threw back over the redeemed coun
ty his smile and his blessing
1t was well done. AS the reports
came in from the voting precincts
and the workers gathered about the
bulletin board, they greeted each
other with smiles bordering on tears
of gratitude. The Christian women
held an all day prayer-meeting in
the Baptist church, and while they
prayed, men changed their minds
and voted dry, till boosted MAORI
ty of 600 in jackson melted down to
30S. And Clinton, heroic little Gin
ton gave a dry majority of 337, more
than offsetting jackson, the very
stronghold of whisky in the county.
We cannot particularize now as
we shall possibly do hereafter; but
in conclusion we must barely men
ton some of the good results of this
great conflict:
l. The whisky power which has
80 long dominated and influenced
men in this Capital county is broken.
Men were afraid of it, afraid in poll
lies and in trade: but we have striD- |