The Brookhaven leader., 1891-10-29
The Next Legislature Asked to
Put the State Under Il Pro-
hibitOry Law.
Where Christians Should Stand
on the Temperance and Pro-
hibitiOn Question.


The following strong and compre-
hensive dcliverance on the liquor
question was adopted by the Missis-
sippi Baptist State Convention ut its
meeting in Natchez last July, and by
the Fair River Baptist Association at
its meeting at Union Hall Oct. 18th:
Conviction against the drink habit
and the iniquitOuS liquor traffic has
never been so near i'll accord with the
teachings of science and Gods word
as to-day. Upon this joyous fact we
can congratulate the citizenship of our
great country. In our own State, of
the seventy five counties composing it,
forty have put the seal of disapproba-
ton and exccration upon the de-
bauching drink traffic; and the
school of vice, the saloon, has been
driven from their borders. In these
prohibition counties the white vote
largely predominates. In the license
counties the negro vote largely pre-
dominates.
The liquor traffic is humanity's most
deadly foe. 1t is the prolific source OF
distressing poverty, vice, crime and
misery. BY it manhood is destroyed,
hearts broken, homes desolatcd, and
! it is the greatest hindrancc to the Cos
pei in every land.
AS the drink habit and traffic are
increasingly ant1gonistic to Christian
ity, and all that is pure, good and
true, all Christians and churches
should be ut eternal warfare with them
He who takes drink of intoXicants
as a beverage violates the laws of his
own being and puts his influence adrift
in behalf of the saloon. 1t is utterly
Inconsistent for protessed Christians
to patIonize, aid or abet the soul and
body destroying liquor traffic in any
way. We urge the great need of the
time is ,'church prohibition" and that
our churches should demand of theil
members an absolute and entire sepa-
ration from the liquor traffic.
We recommend that we avail our
selves of every honorable method fol
suppressing the liquor traffic, and thai
every Christian voter vote us he prays
only such men and measures as prom
Uses speedy relief from this soluble
stroying and -dishonering evil
We again urge that instruction on the
hygenic effects of alcohol upon the
human system be introduced into al
the Colleges and High Schools of oul
denomination and that we will never
relax our efforts until our State shall
have a law requiring instructions OF
this subject in all schools supported
by public Nancy or under State con
troll.
Your Committee is thoroughly con
vinced that the most successful way
to suppress the liquor traffic is by con
stitutional prohibition. We declare
the license system, high or low, wrong
in principle and Il crime against Coo
and humanity that there can be NJ
compromise with this evil; that abso
lutte, unconditional prohibition is thu
end at which we aim and the ultimat
um which alone we are willing to ac
cept.
Since our Constitutional Convention
failed to give this State constitutions
prohibition, or even to stamp the sa
loon as public nuisance, we urge thu
enactment, 10y the next Legislature
of State prohibitory law, severins
at once and forever the partnership
now existing between the State aD(
the liquor traffic.
We recommend and earnestly plead
for the constant agitation of the TEN
perance question throughout our State
that we use the pulpit, the press, thu
Sunday School, and temperance liter
allure to mould sentiment agains
drinking and against the drink traffic
and as this is Gods cause we SHOULD
seek His guiding hand, the holding oil
to which is the guarantee of success
to our efforts.
Your Committee recommend will
emphasis the following resolution:
Resolved, That it is the sense o
this Association that for any minister
or church member to visit saloons
drink intoXicants as beverage, sigr
whiskey petitions, go on liquor dealers
bonds, vote for the sale of liquors, OIL
in any way to encourage or counter.
ance the traffic in Intoxicating liquors
is grossly I'M Christian conduct, thai
should Immediately be brought under
rigid church discipline.