The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-08-21
LOWNDES POLITICS.
{ REVIEW or THE CAMPAIGN IN
THAT COUNTY ron DELEGATES.
ii0w the Prohibition and Alli-
aucc Democrats Downed the
Whisky Ring.
THE Clairi of the Columbus Index That
Prohibition Was not Potent Fac
tor In Shaping the Result, not
Sustained by the Facts.

tOr w ShapthE inc fSfsots nOt
Sustained by the Facts.
Mr.. W. &. Smith, of Columbus,
writes us that last Tuesdays election
Witnessed the final contamination of u
signal victory for the Prohibition
Democrats of Lowndes. FOTonce the
saloon politicians of Columbus, who
for years have bosscd things and run
the politics of the county to suit them
selves, have been taught u long need
ed rsson. Unable tO use the negro
against the Prohibitionists in the
Democratic primary, and not daring
to- attempt it at the regular election,
these loyal champions of the Column
bus saloon interests were as pOwerless
us blind Samson shOrn of his locks.
Hurrah for old Lowndes! Gen. n. ID.
Query, Col. w. c. Richards and
Capt. A. J. Erwin, all true men and
tried, and pronounced enemies of the
saloon, will represent her in the Con-
stitutiOnal Convention.
The above paragraph, which APP
pearcd in the LEADER of August It'll,
having been taken by the Columbus
Index as n text for some rather severe
structures upon Mr.. Smith, at the re-
quest of that gentleman, as we'll as
in response to duty the Index thinks
the LEADER owes itself, we produce
below Mr.. Smiths letter referred to.
1t is proper to state that Mr.. Smith
Intended this letter for publication in
the first instance, but it reached us
too late for the issue for which it was
intended, and as we were pressed for
space the following week, it was again
crowded out and mentioned editorial
ly as above.
AS evidence that Mr.. Smith had no
desire to fire at the enemy from am
bush or evade responsibility for any
statement made, it is further due him
to say, that in q private note accom-
panying his communication, lie spe-
eially requested that if it were pub.
lished, it should be published over his
own name.
Here is the letter.
Editor Of the Brookhayen Leader:
For fifteen years it had been the
boast of the people of LOwndes cOun
ty that it was unanimous in politics,
and daring all these years it had not
occurred to the people that they had
been effeetually dominated by ty-
rannical whisky ring. SO complete
and effectual was this organization,
that it dictated every nomination,
every election, manipulate
ed every convention and filled almost
every Office in the county, notwith-
large majority of the white
voters were in favor of Prohibition.
Therefore it was not strange when the
Constitutional Convention was called,
that this ring confidently counted up
on asserting its former control and die
tating the nominations for delegates
to that Convention, to the end that
the aceursed liquor traffic might be
in our organic law and
the precious saloons of Columbus con-
tinue to flourish as of yOre.
We have in Columbus a small band
of the Mississippi Temperance AL
lance numbering not more than so
members all told, and not more than
twenty active working members. We
knew we'll with whom we had to deal
and the magnitude of the work be-
fore us, but we resolved with Gods
help we would save LOwndes coun-
ty from the disgrace of aiding in per-
petuating the saloon power in Missis-
sippi. To our astonishment, to re-
solve was to see the work half per-
formed, and how easily and effectu-
ally it was done ! proceed to state.
At one of our meetings it was re-
solved to call conference of leading
prohibtionists from the several pre-
cincts in the county. A committee of
five were appointed in whose hands
the matter was placed. Invitations
were written and sent out, and place,
day and hour named for the meeting.
The invited came, we held our CON
ference, and it was decided to appoint
a committee in each community
throughout the county from two to
five, to canvass and ascertain the
strength of the prohibition sentiment
and also learn who the people would
prefer to represent them in the Con-
vention. These committees reported
on the 18th of May, naming almost
unanimously Col. w. C. Richards of
Columbus, Gen. N. ID. Query of
Artesia, and A. j. Erwin of Crawford,
"a banker, farmer and a merchant.
The same day the Farmers Alliance
met in Columbus and named Gen.
Query as its choice and notified us of
the fact by special committee.
We immediately sent into every
community in the county papers to be
signed by iUhite UOterS, nominating the
gentlemen named. These were re-
turned signed by more than seven
hundred voters. Not until these an
nouncements were made in the city
papers did the saloonists and polite
ians know what was going on. Then
their wrath was kindled and some of
the incOnsiderate ones among them
made futile attempt to get up a Pc
titiOn denOuncing US and our proceed
ings as undemocratic. But their ours
es fell as harmless as the snowfiakes
upon ocean billows-the people had
risen in their might and majesty
they were free for the first time in fif-
teen years. The time for our beat
meeting came and we were conspicuous
by our absence, allowing them the
comfort of naming the ten delegates
to the county convention that was to
- IL II