The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-23
GOV. LOWRY yETOES 1T.
THE AMENDMENT TO THE LocA
OPTION LAW.
One Supervisors District Should M
BE Allowed to Defeat the viii
a County-The Theory Of the A,
Reversed.

Special Dispatch to The Appeal
JACKSON, Miss, March 22.-Today
Clarion Ledger contains the following vet
message from Gov Lowry:
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI. EXECUTIVE DRpARrMEsr,
JACKSON, Miss, March p. 1858.
To the House Of Representatives
Gentlemen-I return House bill Il
54S, to "amend an act for preventing d
evils OF intemperance by local option
any county in this State, by submittin4
the question prohibiting the sale Of into q s
eating liquors, to the qualified voters G
each county, and to provide penalties g
its violation, and for other purposes, n
proved March IL, 1885," without my al
proval.
Section OF this amendatory bill strik
out Section OF the local option law, whit
reads as follows
"Section 5. That IL the result OF arx
election held under the provisions Of thu
act shall be for or against the sale, then nd +.
other election shall be held in the same
county in less than two years thereafter,
and then only on a new petition as afore-
said, and by otherwise conforming TO this
act"
In lieu Of the foregoing section the fol- !
lowing Is inserted by the bill under consid-
Grafton:
Section 5. That "whcn an election had
been held under this act then no othe<
election shall be held in the same count
in less than two years after the expiratiou
OF the last license issued In said county,
next before said election, and then only ID
a new petition signed by at least one-third
OF the legal voters OF each Of the supervI-/
sor's districts ofsuch county; provided, thai
nothing in this act shall affect oaenses com
mitied and prosecutions begun previous
its passage"
Both under the general laws and N
local option act, the will Of the majority
recognized and adopted rs the prop
authority TO regulate and control the Sd
Of liquor.
The local option law was u scheme u
which n majority OF the qualified voters q
the several counties could determine q +
themselves whether or not they would pee
init the sale OF liquors.
The terms Of submitting the question:
were in substance this; that one-tenth OF
the qualified voters OF county, could by
application TO the board OF supervisors, get
an order for an election 10 be held within
given time, 10 test the will OF majority
Of the people. II majority was agains1
the sale, thereafter no license should issue
and Il should je unlawful 10 sell or Civ
away Intoxicating liquors for two years
and not then until another expression VIC
given nj the ballot-box reversing the for&
MGR vote.
II. on the other hand, majority OF d
qualified voters were for the sale Of lquoI
then license 60 cell was granted by
board OF supervisors ut a regular mccti
or by the proper municipal authorities.
any male person over the age Of twentI
one years, upon the recommendation sign&
bv twenty-five real estate owners in q III
trict or town--povided the applican<
should be OF good moral character and &
sober. suitable person, and provided fur-
Their that such application should lay over'
thirty days, and that n counter petition
signed by n majority 81 the qualified voters
was not filed during the time. The entire
scheme OF the local option net Is 10 allow
majority Of the qualified voters 10 say by
their ballots whether or not they will have
liquors sold In their midst In some local
tiles II was no doubt an experiment, II
being understood from the act itself, whcr-
ever Il was adopted, that II II was not sat
isiactory, the result might be changed by
another election held two years after its|
adoption, on the petition Of one-tcnth %
the qualified voters Of the county.
Thsamondment revensos that theory and
provides that one supervisors district cad
and may defeat the will OF the county.
II declares that no election shall be held
In less than two yesrs after the expiration
Of the last license issued, aud then only q
n new petition signed By at least one-thir1
Of the legal voten Of each Of the supcrvE
| anrfa Itafrtrta n the eouufy
The proposition. seriously presented %
the terms Of the amendment, In that one
half, or two-thirds, or MI, OF the qualiiie@
voters of four SUPERVISOR districts of e
county may petition for an election, %
their petition would go Tor naneht, becausI
one-third Of the qualified voters OF the Il
naming districts might decline 10 join
the request
Iapprchend that four-fifths OF the &c
voters Of n county, however confiding an
generous In their natures, would hardI
confer authority upon the remaining fiftM
10 saw what they should or should not
about matter affecting the entire county
II such agency would not be yoluntariIy
given, and could not be obtained directly
agrecably 10 well settled uagrs. II would
: seem that indirect means should not be 70
: sorted 10 10 accomplish such an end.
| nnttcr oi puUnc touCtfu tctt W nupct#
yisor's district should be decided by n ND
jority Of It's voters. and II theirs Is even {
pretense that q question touching The
public welfare IL 20 he submitted 10 It'd
voters Of a county 10 reach given RESULT
certainly the will OF majority should
govern.
, Such understand 20 be IN conformity
with our theory Of government, and any
} other test Ia not only undemocratic, but in
direct antagonism with the principles of
, republican government ] do not hesitate
10 say that there IA not county within tho
limits of the commonwealth In which the
! sulfmgans would confer such power ON :
, fractional part Of a supervisors district.
! II such unusual authority Ia conferred q
) one instance, II could be In many, and tho
! minority, instead Of majority vot1,
! would conclude and control the intcrcI
and expressed views OF the people q q
: county.
J What apcoplc donot choose 10 do direol-
! IN, when the subject matter alone concerr1
them. should not be done over their hea1t
indirectly. II portion OF one supervisorI
district In county Ia 10 control the pole
/ Of the entire county, which may be 4
case II the act under consideration was
become law, then n previous electio
D whether satisfactory 30 the majority OF Nc
: il placed by the bin beyond their contrc
= and thus statute, however objectiona