The Brookhaven leader., 1891-01-29
Why the Leader Criticised SEN
afor George.

Gen. Georges only crime in the
Leaders eyes, is that he would not al
low his influence to be used in the d.
rection of establishing State prohibit
ton, whilst a member Of the Constitu-
tional Convention.--Orford Globe.
Though we do not believe the editor
of the Globe knew the above to be
untrue when he wrote it, nevertheless
il is az false as if invented by the
devil himself.
As mt least one other paper in the
State besides the Globe has made the
substantially the same random state
ment, and for the manifest purpose of
prejudicing public sentiment against
Prohibition and against all who advo-
cate it, as barrow minded and unjust,
wherever Prohibition is involved, we
will make a plain statement of facts
which speak for themselves.
The day after the Constitutional
Convention met in jackson, the State
Prohibition Executive Committee also
met for the purpose of considering
the best plan for carrying out the in
structions received from the Prohibi-
ton Convention in July of pressing
the subject of Constitutional PrOhibi-
ton.
While the Committee was in ses-
| sion u message was received from
President Galhoon, through the Ia
mcnted Patty, to the effect that before
appointing the Convention Committee
on Temperance and Liquor Traffic, he
would like fer the Prohibition Com
mittee to indicate members of the
Convention who would be acceptable
to them in that capacity. The subject
was fully discussed by the Prohibition
Committee and to Mr.. w. IL. Patton
of Clarke and the editor of the LEAD
Err WAS left the final completion of
the list of names to be furnished.
This list was completed on the third
morning of the Convention with Sen
ator Georges name on it, and handed
by Mr.. Patton to Mr.. Patty to he turn
eel over to President CalhOOn. 1t was
believed at the time by our Executive
Committee that Senator George was Il
Prohibitionist and in full sympathy
with the committees object, and his
name was recommended for that rea-
son. SO far as the editor of the LEAD
Err was concerned, he never had any
reason to doubt this or believe the
contrary until the Committee on Tenn
perance and Liquor Traffic met Sept.
18th and decided, by a large majority,
Senator George being included among
that majority, to make report re-
commencing nnn-action.
Now to the point. The editor of
the LEADER land, as far as he knows,
every other Prohibitionist in the
State,) considered the suffrage as the
great ovcrshadowing question with
which the Convention had to deal.
The two Severest criticisms this paper
ever made on Senator George were
written and published while this Ques-
ton was pending in committee. They
were published respectively in the
LEADER of Sept. 4th and Sept. 18th,
the last date being one day before the
Committee on Temperance and Liquor
Traffic ever held a meeting, and while
we still were under the impression
that Senator George was favorable to
Constitutional Prohibition.
The pertinence of these criticisms
and the motive that inspired them,
may best be judged by reproducing
here the main parts of the articles re-
ferred to, which were as follows:
The people are beginning to feel
sOrely disappointed in Senator George.
AS one who trusted him fully and was
one of the first and most earnest to
urge his name as Il delegate to the
Constitutional Convention, this paper
feels little less than Inundated at his
present course.
AS he had taken the lead in pro
claiming the necessity for Il cOnven-
ton, and based that necessity on the
sole ground that something must be
speedily done to prevent the politics
of the State from becoming hopelessly
negroized, the people naturally looked
to him for something that would bear
the similitude of safe and effective
solution of the vexed problem.
But if they were bitterly disappoint-
! ed few weeks ago when he promul-
gated his "plan" whereby he proposed
stupendOus gerrymander of the
State into white districts to be sup
plemented by the appointing power
whereby the State was to be thrown
into the hands of centralized Office
holding oligarchy more to be dreaded
: than negro rule, they have been much
t more disappointed by later develop
d ments.
Being great constitutional lawyer.
as he is, he has known all along that
there was nothing in the so-called
Fundamental conditions" to prevent
: the restricting of the Suffrage to safe
!. and intelligent basis, yet it is said
that as member of the Franchise
committee he has stubbornly opposed
: everything that gave the least prom