The Brookhaven leader., 1890-05-15
+ the ehairmen Of the psh.rrintie

hAcSutNC NOulWlttcc vi LOWHuos up
to 1886; were anti Prohibitionists,
That is not In the least surprising.
The party machines of both political
parties are nearly always run and
controlled by the liquor men. The
letter of the Dallas whisky man pub.
lished in to-day's paper throws a
food of light on how politicians are
manipulated 10y the saloon crowd in
their interest. The saloon is always
in politics and it's constant aim is to
keep its grip on the party leaders.
We have shown by the record that
the whisky men of Lowndes would
not trust their cause to n white Dem
ocrattc primary in 1886. The editor
of the Index answers very uneq1ivo.
cally that they would do so now, but
here again the evidence is against
him. In his weekly Issue of May End
he enters strong plea to the Dispatch,
the recognized inouth-piece of the
Prohibitionists, not to press the issue,
though, speaking for it's side, the Dis
patch said they were perfectly willing
to settle the whole question at the
polls in Il Democratic primary and
abide the result in good faith. But
this is not all. The proceedings of
the Lowndes County Democratic En-
seutive Committee, published in the
Tri- Weekly Index of the 9th inst,
shows any thing but willingness on
the part of the party machine to allow
the white people of that county to
vote their convictions on the Prohibi
tien question in the selection of dele
gates to the Constitutional Convention.
Under the specious plea of other great
Overshadowing issues and the necessity
of preserving white unity, cunning
attempt is made to handicap every
Prohibition Democrat in the county,
and commit him by his very partici-
patton i'm the Democratic primary,
against Cons titutional Prohibition.
The wringing in of the National Demo
cratic platform, with its anti-sump
tuary plank to do service in a purely
State canvass like this, is a piece of
chicanery and evasIveness worthy of
the shrewdest of whisky politicians in
the land, whether that sort of man
Matched the scheme or not. Fortu-
nately for the Democratic PrOhibi
tioHists of LowrJles, they need not be
trapped in the net so adrOitly set
Everybody knows, even the whisky
politicians, that laws prohibiting the
sale of liquor are by no legitimate
and fair definition Of the word, sump-
tuary, and that that aAti-saMptuary
plank in the National platform, was
simply catelt-plrase-a tub thrown
to the whisky whale to win the saloon
vote of New York and other large
Northern cities.
We have never questioned Capt.
Banks Democracy, in a strictly party
sense and have no reason to do so,
but seme men have a very peculiar
idea of what constitutes white-line
Democracy in Mississippi. They seem
to think it means white supremacy
at all hazards in every little political
contest, but that on Il great question
affecting the moral us we'll as the
material welfare of the people, the
white people must divide and the dar-
key he logged in on the immoral side
to decide the issue. We believe in
the true, honest, consistent white
line Democracy, and that on Prohibi-
ton and aff other vital issues the Will
of majority of the white people
should control.
The inconsistency of the Index in
now advocating local option in con-
tradistinction to Constitutional Pro-
hibition, need not be argued. In con-
tending for Prohibition by merely
local means it yields the principle on
which it claims it's objection is prima-
rily based.
70 answer it's groundless charges
against the practical working Of Pro-
hibitiOn is even more needless. That
has been effectually done thousand
times, but as eTd Father Abraham
said of Dives brothers, fire fanatical
editor of the Index wouldn't believe,
even if one rose from the dead and
pointed out his mistakes.
In conclusion of this article, already
long, we hope we will be pardoned
for few words personal. We do not
consider that the vituperative and
rsonalfy insulting language used by
the editor of the Index was in any
sense justified by the LEADERS article,
and much less so, in the light of what
we have shown above. The style is
rather that of the bully, the braggart,
the swash- buckler, than of gen.
tIemarf who has a righteous cause,
backed by truth and sound argument.
He says among other things, owe
demand of you to measure che editor
of the Index by the editorials of the