The Brookhaven leader., 1886-07-22
To Lincoln's Temperance Work
ers.

through the LEADER to Prohibition.
lists in Lincoln county that the
grand triumph of Prohibition in Go.
piah county may he attributed to
hard, earnest work on the part OF
men, women and children.
Never before was the indignation
of an intelligent people aroused to
such an extent IA it was against the
whisky traffic, with its bIighting,
corrupting, and damning influences.
One teauture on the anti side of the
whisky question is, they cannot tell
the truth about their dirty business
and live; and as they cannot afford
to tell the truth, Prohihitionists
must tell the truth for them; and in
Copiah county this was done in
gospel order. Another thing that con
contributed largely to our SUCCESSFUL
the big speeches" were not deliver
ed in the railroad towns. Men went
in every direction in the county, and
with glowing cloquence and fiery
zeal as with the voice Of thunders,
they uttered truths that put the ar
mics Of the aliens tn flight, and they
dcspaircl of victory long before cleo
ton day, when the intelligence and
responsibility old Copiah went
forth to the ballot box with torch
of heavenly fire in their hands and
touched it to the magazine of Anti
prohibition and blew the thing high
er than a kite.
Our county has heretofore been
censurcd with bull-dozing and bal
lot box stullng, but if either was
practiced in this election | know not
of it. At Rockport where large
amount of whisky has been sold and
drank, there were 90 votes against"
and "for the sale" & whites and
colored, and it has been suggested
that these three hold a mass meet
ing, as it were, and allow no one
present but themselves, give each
other the hand of fellowship, with
out regard TO race or color, while
they sing, "A little more cider for
Miss Dinah," aud part in peace.
Another thing that gave power to
the cause of truth and sOhcrness was
the untiring zeal of pastors and
churches of all denominations. With
many of our churches their monthly
meetings were converted into Prohi-
biLion Mass Meetings on Sundays,
with dinners on the grounds, and
speakers invited to address the pco-
pie.
There are but few churches and
school houses in the county where
no meeting was held in the interest
of Prohibition. One thing that
caused the whisky mems lips to
culver and their faces grow pale,
was the voice OF prayer and songs
of praise that attended our service
And when our enemies saw the as,
sembled multitudes bowed before
God and praying especially that the
iniquitous whisky traffic might he
| taken from our midst, their courag"
failed them, and you could read in
their faces, cit is good day for
temperance, but y bad day for whis-
KY"
AS to the position assumed by
the churches of the various denomi-
nations, the fact was kept prominent
before the public both by pastors
and laymen, that if any member was
so destitute OF christian morals as
to vote the whisky ticket, the church
would at once withdraw fellowship
from him until he repented, and if
any church failed to exclude said
members, said church would cease
to be recognized by her sister
churches until she brought up a
clean record. AS churches we felt
it our duty to Ia le a stand some
where. Some said we were running
the thing in the ground; well, we
were running whisky in the ground
that is. we had already run the
"thmg' into the storm pits at Beau
regard and the deep cellars of Halle
hurst, and on the 29th of June we
stopped up the hole as it were.
have dotted these facts, not as
items of news, hut that Prohibition
lists in your county may know how
it was done in Copiah.
l trust that | NAV not do in JUS
tice to others, when l say, that in
my opinion, Judge Alcorn, when he
could get their ear, did more to win
the old drunkards and colored PEG
pie to the side of Prohibition than
any one in the field. Though it
was not my pleasure to hear the
Judge, yet in going from one point
to the another, | would occasionally
strike his trail, and see and hear OF
the good impressions made by him.
His success with these classes may
be attributed to his being Repub-
licap an6 a rafOrmad 6rnnkar6 Ha