Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-04-13
"CoMPANY E.
Nv Dsar R.publican:

by Drar Republican;
Your wonder at this loving address
will cease to be a wonder when l tell
you l naturally love what is old and
venerable. The seventy odd years
you have spent in giving the news
to Wilkinson county folks should
make you dear in the estimation
Of us all. We, who hold fast with
tender regard the precious memories
of the past of Wilkinson county and
cherish even fonder hopes for her
bright future, justly regard with
a~ffectionate veneration our old
"Woodville REPUBLICAN," You see
1 am growing old myself gray hairs
have come unbidden, and l just
naturally regard with sy1np1hrhc
love what is Cd and venerable.
A weekly visitor, you are welcome
to my sanctum. The county news is
scanned-who's dead, who's married,
what the Board of Supervisors has
done for u.s., whose land is to be sold
for taxes, who's on the next jury,
how the season and crops are all
over the county, when we are to have
the railroad to Natchez-these and
many other things we learn from
our columns.
Dion't l say you are a welcome
weakly visitor? Pardon me, my
dear RFPUBLIEAN; l sometimes spell
that word weekly with an "a'' and
abuse myself for reading after an
editor who is constantly abusing me
and a cause that is dear to my heart.
Do you say "Now, what's the
matter?" Well, just this l am a
prohibitionist, in the warp and in the
wool, dyed through and through,
and you are constantly treading on
my toes.
Why shouldn't l be a prohibition
list? 1 have five boys to raise, and
had rather bury all Of them to-day
than to live to see one Of them a
drunkard, and / am just naturally
afraid of these pesky g~rog-shops.
Besides, my nelghbors have boys,
and so many of them have gone
astray the past few years by tending
round these shops that I'm going
against them with all my might.
Again, l call TO mind that old saying
"Call no man happy till he's dead"
and Pm afraid of the old serpent on
account of my own carcass.
A "bon moroccan" with you, my
REPUBLICAN, 1t is to say prohibition
doesn't prohibit" and thus to hold
prohibition up to ridicule. Did you
ever stop to reflect that no statute,
even direct from the Divine Hand
itself, effectually prevents what it
prohibits to US poor frail mortals ?
Then, why single out for Iidicule
this prohibition of the liquor traffic?
Ridicule, also, l pray you, the pro-
hibitory statute "Thou shalt not lie'
or "~steal" or "covet' or the mauda-
tory statute Thou shalt honor thy
father and thy mother or "remem-
Der the Sabbath day, ETC."
Further, can you show proof that
legal restrictions upon the liquor
traffic do not lessen the aggregate OF
crime? Such restrictions do lessen
crime and, II RESTRICTION uoes SoHte
good, what immense good will entire
prohibition accomplish We dare
not hope to see evil e~radicated from
this sublunary sphere I'LL it is puri-
fed by the fires of judgment day,
nor do we expect till then the entire
prevention Of the evils of intoxicat-
ing liquors. But we wouid establish
a quarantine against this particular
form of evil that has wrought such
tremendous ruin in our county and
keep the sale Of drink from the bad
prominence it has had.
Now, my dear REPUBLICAN, / fee
better. You had trod and trod and
trod on my toes until l conld nc
lorger stand it. I've had my say